Thread: Hello all

Hey guys. Allow me to introduce myself. Some of you may remember me from B&B and other forums. Name is Justin. I registered on here a lonnnng time ago and am finally prioritizing things in my life and this came up. A little about why I'm here:

To meet & talk with good people and, well, because I've finally had it. For years I've shaved with a Merkur Vision and then I got lazy one day and was on the road, forgot my razor and ended up going to do the mad-dash pharmacy thing and bought a Gillette Fusion (yeah I know) wondering what the hype was about. Well, it gave a darn good shave. Not as surgically close as the Vision/Feather blade combo but acceptable. Well I sort of backslid into that and have been shaving ever since with it. I still use my Shavemac brushes and soaps/creams but I've been using the Fusion. Well, by God I have had it with the prices and I really have all these years wanted to shave with a straight.

I was given a 5/8 by a nice member at B&B about 4 years ago. I bought a Dovo strop (which I still have) and it came pre-honed by a highly recommended person. I never quite got comfortable with it and when I tried against the grain I got a bit terrified. And that's where I stopped. I realize that I'm biting off a big journey here but I'm ready to get serious about learning it. I want independence from having to track down the "right" blade because it is nice and sharp and I'm also tired of having to pay $16.99 for 4 blades. So that leads me to the straight. After talking with some folks they recommended I go with a 6/8 or 7/8 blade, that maybe a bulkier blade would have been better for me.

At any rate, I don't have too much money to spend (still a student) but I'm putting a list of things I need to get together. I know this will be a fun journey but a painful one as well; I'm not naive. But if I can get as good a shave with a straight as I could with that Vision (opened all the way) with Feather blades, then it's worth the pain and the gain.

Feel free to suggest whatever you wish. I am going to be doing much reading, as I'm finally sold on doing this once and for all. I also want to say thanks to Lynn for providing this place. I've gotten the "we miss you" emails over and again and it served as a reminder that "hey, I really NEED to be a man and do this and quit worrying about getting cut." It's funny, I was the same way with the DE the first time, very scared. But after a while I could use the Vision with zero nicks, cuts, burns, and leave me face feeling beyond soft & supple.

Look forward to talking to you all, once again.

welcome justin.

i would suggest that you send your razor to be rehoned by one of the very experienced folks here.
i don't see a reason to get cuts - as long as your blade is sharp and you're careful it all works really well. it takes quite some time to build the muscle memory so that you can maintain proper angle and no pressure, but the sooner you start the sooner you'll get there.

Hey gugi,

Thanks for the welcome. Unfortunately, I lost my straight razor when I moved. For the life of me I cannot find it. Which is why I'm in the market for a new straight. Rather than ask which one to buy or ask for suggestions, I'm sure this has been asked ad nauseum, so I'll keep doing some searching for good beginner razors.

As far as I know, all I need is a wet stone and the razor.

One fear I do have is I have a mole, not very large, but it's right under my nose. I really don't want to take the top of it off with the razor so that is another little reason I have sort of strayed away from it.

Welcome to SRP Justin! You would have to be our most senior junior member!!

Glad to hear you are taking up the straights again. Unfortunately I have no tips regarding the mole under your nose. I guess if you are careful there is no need to worry about slicing it off. In fact, of all the shaving implements out there, I'd say that a straight is your safest bet in that regard.

Good luck!

James.

Welcome new old newbie Glad your here. Check the classifieds here for razors there seems to always be something here worth while. I need to tell you once you begin to get the hang of a str8 your shaves will be better than a fusion or any other razor for the at matter. Take your time as this is more than just a shave it's an art. The more time you spend with a str8 the more comfortable you will become with your passes. Again welcome back.

Some good advice here and more good advise on Wiki to read upon.

Just do it and get started. We all did!

Pabster

Originally Posted by Justso

As far as I know, all I need is a wet stone and the razor.

you'll probably find out soon that you don't really need the stone. at least not for quite some time. reading's good, you'll learn a lot, but don't hesitate to ask questions too when things are confusing

Hola and welcome back

Greetings Justin!

Welcome (back) to the forum. I hear you on the loss of a razor, I loaned one to a friend back in December and it is still AWOL!!!! Needless to say I'm gutted and she hasn't heard the end of it.

All of my AD's are on hold due to lack of cash, so don't worry you're not alone there either.

Have fun and happy shaving.