Thread: Preparing for my first time...

Hey all,

After getting annoyed with my mach3, I decided to buy a straight razor. I used to use a combination of mach3 and shavette but hopefully when my new straight razor arrives it will replace both.

I ordered a Wapi along with a dovo strop So this post is really to ask if I should strop the blade before I use it. It is coming pre-honed from theinvisibleedge (I chose this site after reading so many good reviews on here). I am aware that you're meant to strop ~50 times before each shave but I'm scared that I will dull the blade due to never having stropped before.

Also; is it true you should not use the blade more than once in a 24hr period? and why is this?

Ok, time for me to search ebay for a good honing stone. Thanks in advance for any replies guys.

Hello and welcome!

If it comes pre-honed, chances are that it was also stropped after honing. I've never bought a pre-honed razor from theinvisibleedge, so I don't speak from experience. But nonetheless, I would skip stropping before your first shave just to try, it would be an aweful shame to dull it before your first shave!

As far as proper stropping technique, check out this from the wiki: Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki.

You shouldn't need to touch up the razor for a while, but when you do I suggest getting the norton 4000/8000 combo water stone, it's a great price considering what you're getting.

And resting the blade for 24 hours? That's a load of in my opinion, and the general consensus here it seems is that you can do just fine with using only 1 razor for daily use.

Let us know how the first shave goes!

Welcome to SRP ! I would suggest shaving with it one time at least without stropping. I would also suggest you take a look at this post by SRP founder Lynn Abrams on easing into shaving with a straight. I did it this way and it worked well for me. Also check out the SRP Wiki for a lot of good info if you haven't already. There are tutorial videos here and on shaving and other aspects of straight razor shaving.

The giving the blade a rest for 24 hours is thought to be a myth by most folks nowadays.



Edit; One tip I got out of the barber manual 'honing and stropping' in the Help files was to flip the razor on the strop without moving your arm just to get the hang of flipping the razor. When you have that mastered go to actually stropping. I've also seen guys use a butter knife until they got familiar enough with the movements to feel confident in doing it with a straight razor.

I can't imagine Steve would send it out honed but unstropped, i i'd recommend you leave it.
When you do strop, take it slow. Concentrate on technique. Keep the blade flat, do the flip with care. cover the whole blade by following an X pattern, & keep the pressure very light. I'm not sure which would be worse for the shave, no stropping, or bad stropping. Either way, you'll have a dull razor, so just do your best & it'll get better with practise!
You can use it as often as you like. It believed by some that you should let the edge "rest". How does that work? It's steel!
Be very careful getting a stone on the bay. There are bargains to be had (HAHAHA! Get it? HAD! Oh, I kill myself!), but it's easy to get burned if you lack experience.

Thanks for all the quick replies. Some great info there.

StraightRazorDave, £60 is quite steep for a block but I guess its probably a necessity after a few months.

JimmyHAD, looks like I have a lot of reading to do! I'm just reading Lynn's guide at the moment but I doubt I have the will power to stop after shaving just the sides lol. Lets hope I at least stop at my face

ben.mid, I'm more worried that I'll think I did an amazing job stropping when in fact I didn't. I'll try and remember the new blade feeling when I get it. Oh and I'll give ebay a miss now I think.

I will definitely update you guys after the first shave (and possibly first hospital visit lol).

Hey MisterZadir,

Welcome to SRP... If you want to practice your stropping you could just take out the blade of your shavette and safely strop all day if you like..

Good luck on your first shave (dont think it will be a problem if you are used to a shavette)

Maarten

Originally Posted by MisterZadir

I'm scared that I will dull the blade due to never having stropped before.

Thats the exact same thing I thought too, I used my razor without stropping it to get a feel for the edge, and now, my strop just came so I will strop my razor and compare it to the original edge.

I think thats the best way because you get a benchmark to aim for when stropping, if the blade wasn't stropped then you might get a better edge.

Well I finally had my first shave with the Wapi last night. It went pretty well, only one or 2 small nicks on my neck due to perhaps applying too much pressure when moving from face to neck. I was expecting worse but it turned out to be far more forgiving and consistent than my shavette.

I have to say I'm very impressed with the closeness too (but then again I did about 4 passes in some places lol). Some patches were still a little rough but I suppose this will come with practise, overall it was better than a mach3 shave. If I can maintain this blade it will certainly replace both the my mach3 (for shaving) and shavette (for shaping my goatee).

Oh and I love using shaving cream (kents) with a brush! I can't believe how long I put up with that horrible gillette shaving gel in a can Next I'll get onto some proper soap...

Here's hoping tomorrow goes even better

Well it sounds like it was a successful first shave. There's always room for improvement, but it really seems like you're right on track! I would be careful not to do too many passes, 4 passes in some areas may cause irritation depending on your skin. Keep it up and enjoy!

Using a real shaving cream with a brush is a lot more pleasurable than using that goop in a can....