Thread: The GOTTA got me there.

Hello again!

I have been shaving with a straight for nearly two weeks now. The journey has been tough, yet rewarding. I started out with a Wapi from Ken's site and the shaves have been ok, but I thought my technique was bad, so I kept trying and trying.

Then I saw a razor for sale in the Classifieds. OLD SCHOOL was selling the razor. A Gotta Solingen Hamburg ring which I really liked the look of.You can see the razor here:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...uct/1560/cat/3

I bought it right away. I don't know if it's the ground of the Gotta, but it sliced through my beard ten times better than my Wapi, which is now going to sit on the shelf for a while. The Gotta really sings when you cut the beard, and the stropping sounds awesome. And even though the blade seemed sharper/better quality, the razor didn't feel like it would cut me as easily. Weird.

I don't know how but about 9 shaves into the straight razor adventure I achieved DFS today, not exactly BBS but very very close. Baby smooth all over, even on my neck. I just missed a tiny spot under my chin on the left side (non-dominate side).

I guess my face really didn't like the Wapi I bought from Ken.

A big thanks to OLD SCHOOL for the razor!

Thats what its all about! Congrats!


here's to all of us beginners!!!

Hiya Disburden. First, I'm no expert. I have a Gotta the same as yours. I honed it on a coticule and got it to shave nearly as well as some of my "bought" shave ready razors. I re-honed it when I thought I had improved my honing skills and swiped it over some Cro2 I purchased too. Then did it all again(coticule and Cro2).
My Gotta is now as good as anything I have owned. I don't think it is down to my honing skills (completely), I think it is down to the fact that they are very fine (in both senses) razors, and very easy to "tune". I think the blade IS so "fine" ( as it says on the blade), they are really easy to make keen.
I often ask myself "Is the Gotta the last word in straight razor evolution"? English Steel and German engineering??????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??
M


PS It is easy to miss a spot with a straight. You have to know your hair growth with a straight or you will miss some hair.
But, I will stick my neck out here, I have a Fontain Rex razor I have honed so keen that if it comes in contact with a hair (regardless of it's direction of growth) it will cut it so near it's base you cannot feel it after the shave!! Honestly....
I would love to see what edge a honmiester could put on it.
Strangely, If you touch the edge with your thumb pad, it feels rough??!! and cuts you!! it "skips" on your skin easily too.
But cuts hair perfectly.
M

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

Hiya Disburden. First, I'm no expert. I have a Gotta the same as yours. I honed it on a coticule and got it to shave nearly as well as some of my "bought" shave ready razors. I re-honed it when I thought I had improved my honing skills and swiped it over some Cro2 I purchased too. Then did it all again(coticule and Cro2).
My Gotta is now as good as anything I have owned. I don't think it is down to my honing skills (completely), I think it is down to the fact that they are very fine (in both senses) razors, and very easy to "tune". I think the blade IS so "fine" ( as it says on the blade), they are really easy to make keen.
I often ask myself "Is the Gotta the last word in straight razor evolution"? English Steel and German engineering??????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??
M


PS It is easy to miss a spot with a straight. You have to know your hair growth with a straight or you will miss some hair.
But, I will stick my neck out here, I have a Fontain Rex razor I have honed so keen that if it comes in contact with a hair (regardless of it's direction of growth) it will cut it so near it's base you cannot feel it after the shave!! Honestly....
I would love to see what edge a honmiester could put on it.
Strangely, If you touch the edge with your thumb pad, it feels rough??!! and cuts you!! it "skips" on your skin easily too.
But cuts hair perfectly.
M

That sounds really strange about the 'Fontain rex'!

I got a beat up Gotta for a song and busted it with the dremil
O well lesson learnt.
+

Well it's the next day and I still feel smooth. That is very crazy for me, who has a heavy beard!

Nice!! I don't have a GOTTA I have a WAPI, a WEDGE ( Possibly Wade and Butcher, no stamping was ground off) FW ENGELS and a Double Arrow. My Wapi I got from Theinvisbledge.com and it's super sharp, I kinda messed up the edge with bad stropping technique in the beginning, then I touched it up with a barbers hone and a Chines 12k, and some .5 nd .25 diamon paste then back on the leather and now, if you even bring a hair next to the blade it pops off, not matter how thin the hair. The Engels is just as shapr but much differnet steel, the German steel is very strong, but not as fine of an edge. The Double Arrow I havent had to honed and the WEDGE I just started to restore. I get a good almost BBS with the Wapi, I'd love ot try the GOTTA.

cheers
D

That's a nice looking blade. I've never used such a razor, but it
is always a great pleasure to do business with OLD_SCHOOL.

Enjoy!

- Scott

I achieved total 100% BBS Today with the GOTTA. I am in love with this razor. It's my baby! I thought it'd take months to master this Straight Razor thing. It only took me two weeks!

Still BBS Smooth 9 hours into the day. Seriously, guys, get one of these.