Already hooked

I shaved with a straight for the first time last night and I already want to shave again. Is that weird? I managed to avoid cutting myself (though I have a beard right now so all I shaved was the neck and a little bit of the cheek). It was awkward at times, but man I love it. Despite my less than stellar technique I got a good shave (better than my quickie with a disposable) and by the end was pretty comfortable with the razor. I have been reading a lot on the forum and the wiki here and it has been a great help, so thanks to everyone who helped without knowing it!

I have a few simple questions, so feel free to chime in. Any answers are appreciated. As I said I have a beard and my neck had some decent growth though it didn't seem to be a problem. I know with disposables it dulled them almost instantly when I did that. Will it affect the straight in the same manner or does it just not care?

Also, do most people find it easier to shave the one side of the face with the same side hand or opposite side hand? I tried it both ways and both felt a little awkward to me so I can't really tell.

I am already looking at other razors and trying to justify multiples after this first shave. :D

Razor getting dull. Provided your razo was already shave ready, you will need to strop prior to each use. What I found with my Merkur twin blades was that nwe blade sharpness was inconsistent. The durability was also inconsistent. What I discovered with the straight razor was I was essentially getting a new blade every time I shaved. That is a combination of two things. First the stropping kept it polished. When it was starting to tug a bit I either put it on a pasted strop or rehoned., depending on the degree of tugging and last time I did either. You will also find that each razor has its own characteristics and will vary.

I decided at the start to use both hands rather than trying to contort into odd positions with just one hand. It took a little to get my less dominant hand up to speed, but it was worth it to me. Others may have different approaches It sounds like you are on your way though.. :rock:

One of the big problems with disposables and cartridges on longer growth is that they get clogged and quit doing anything. Straights don't have that problem.

The amount that a straight will be dulled when you use it is dependent on the blade, your beard, your beard prep, your technique, and probably a few other things that I'm not thinking of at the moment.

I only shave with my left hand, but a lot of people seem to encourage learning to shave with both hands. There are times when I think I should learn, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
J.

welcome to srp sounds like you got bit by the srt8 bug. dward is right there are several factors that can effect how long the blade stays sharp with thick hair you may want to strop in between passes. you can shave one handed or two i started using one hand and forced my non dominate hand to learn, now its second nature i use the same hand on the side i am shaving on and stretch with the other hand youtube has some good and bad videos on shaving. here is one with lynn. :gl:
check this out

[url]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7466711741780429878[

Welcome to SRP,
I have about two months under my belt & loving every moment. I found for my self the hardest thing to learn was how to hold the razor. It took my first month to figure out I hold it several way's to get "my" best shave. I would recommend checking out all the great straight razor videos on you tube & watch how the different people hold it. You'll see there all a little different.

Welcome to SRP ! Check out the Wiki and read through the various forums. It gets better and better. BTW, if you can shave with either hand you have me beat already. :tu

So you want to shave a couple of times a day? Happens to a lot of us when we start. Don’t worry, it will pass, just means you are having fun. Unless it does not pass, then just don’t scrape your face raw.. Many of us find that every other day gives the best shave, so if you get a heavy beard quickly it may now be a plus. Just shave the big, easy, not curving patches of your kisser now. Learn what the blade feels like when it is shearing you clean. Listen to what it sounds like. You will need those reference markers as you move onto harder places like your chin and (heaven forbid) your upper lip. Know what it feels like as the blade is digging into your skin. Get in the habit of backing off completely as it is happening! Your razor will lose it’s fine edge like other blades, but that is why you strop, not only at the beginning of a shave, but as often as needed during each shave. As you start to learn all this stuff, one side of your face may definitely be easier to shave, ditto for one hand verses the other. Some guys shave exclusively with the same hand and there is nothing wrong with that if you choose. However my take on it is that to get the best smoothness possible, there are some angles that you have to approach from one hand/side or the other just because the joints of the body can only bend or reach so much. Getting to the point of using both hands will feel quite awkward for quite some time, and that is if you force yourself to keep trying. Don’t’ do it right now, but eventually you will probably wonder about it. You have a lot of foundation skills to build at this point, but you will have a good time.