Thread: How long to get comfortable/proficient?

I am new as well, 3 shaves under me. My 1st one was not bad, I did nick my self. 2nd one went very well 2 full passes then clean up with my M3. The 3rd went even better, 2 passes, very little clean up.

I am also one who is not doing it every day, mostly becouse I am not a morning person at all...can shave with my M3 half asleep and not think about it anymore. But, I now do the same prep as I would if I was using a Str8 along with no longer using the goo in a can. So every morning I go though the enjoyable ritual of shaving, to keep working on my pre-shave prep, lather, and post shave.

Things I have learned about str8 shaving: As I get more confident, the shaves are easier...sound strange but the less I think about getting cut the less I will nick myself. And keeping up the routine of shaving.....so when I get time to set aside to devote to Str8 the other things like prep, making good lather, razor burn recovery ect...are already ingrained in my mind so I am not trying to learn every thing all at once. I can focus solely on the shave.

I look forward to hear your progress, as we are both enjoying/learning the same obsession.

-Jeremy

I would say it depends on your overall level of coordination and manual skill. I'm about average and it took me about 5 shaves to get it down pat.

Thanks for all the feedback! I think I will stick with trying to shave with the stra8 for awhile...LOL!!!

Next question, Right out of the bax my straight didn't feel like it was shaving as smoothly as I thought it should. Mind you I have no experience with a straight shave except once many years ago which was a positive experience so I have no base of reference to compare.
My stra8 was bought brand new from SRD and 1st shave I stroped and shaved, same with 2nd. It just doesn't feel like it is cutting the hair very smoothly. I am sure my technique is responsible for my poor results but maybe my balde needs to be sharper. Any suggestions or comments? Should I just grin and bear it and just keep shaving and figure it out over time?

With the razor coming from SRD, chances it won't shave properly are slim. Very, very slim. I can, however, assure you that lack of technique and "wrong" preparation will turn even the sharpest razor into an instrument of torture. Have you read the Wiki articles on stopping and preparation? If not, now is a good moment to do that.

Good luck,
Robin

Keep at it and be patient- watch the videos, several of them after a couple of days of stropping do it again you will see something new. I must have watched 3 dozen and listened closely.
You will get it.
Its like golf without all the cursing-
Somedays its like the razor is on automatic- even starts its own scything motion which to me made me think I was in a barber chair and someone else was doing it.
On another day there is a coward with the shakes holding the blade and won't go near the chin, much less the throat.
4 nicks and a police report.

Lesson learned don't use a str* when hungover!!

Originally Posted by NJStr8edge

Next question, Right out of the bax my straight didn't feel like it was shaving as smoothly as I thought it should.

It is your technique that is not up to par yet.
Please, read this post by gssixgun.

The most important thing I have learned about straight shaving is there is no short cuts to improvement. Only practicing and using your razor day after day (with sometimes horrible results) can reward you with enough knowledge and experience to achieve good things later on. These questions come up every day in the forums because what I just mentioned is something new guys don't realize to the full capacity.

Originally Posted by Disburden

The most important thing I have learned about straight shaving is there is no short cuts to improvement. Only practicing and using your razor day after day (with sometimes horrible results) can reward you with enough knowledge and experience to achieve good things later on. These questions come up every day in the forums because what I just mentioned is something new guys don't realize to the full capacity.

I am in about 6 weeks, maybe 10 shaves with the Str8 alone. They are getting better. I think everyone on the SRP is saying patience and persistence are required even in the wake of difficult shaves, nicks and cuts.

I guess the last two shaves I did not require clean-up by a multi-blade and I did not bleed. I am starting to enjoy the shaves also.

Its really like learning to play a musical instrument, you need to put the time into it to get the best results.

I gave a few guitar lessons when I was in Australia and something I noticed some guys doing when they were trying to develop their alternate picking was just pick as fast as possible on one string and flap their fingers around. All with the distortion on level 10 as well...!

That gets you the effect of it, but its not as good as truly accurate picking. If you listen to the really good alternate pickers, guys like John Petrucci, Al Di Meola, Michael Angelo Batio, Paul Gilbert and Rusty Cooley, they all have their coordination bang on. The plectrum hits the string at the precise moment they fret the note, and they're not drowning the note in gain either. Youtube them to see what I mean..!

So what I used to make the students do was pick up an acoustic guitar, so no gain to hide the mistakes, and play the run on that. And if they didnt get it bang on, they'd just get a load of tuneless plunks. So then they'd learn to slow things right down and get things accurate at a pace they were comfortable with before they upped the metronome to silly tempos. Because fast and uncoordinated sounds awful, but fast and coordinated can blow you away.

Its the same with straight razor shaving. You need to slow things down, take your time and not expect results overnight, but when you get comfortable with what you're doing, when you're happy with how the razor feels in your hand and on your skin, when your lather is just right and your stropping is music to your ears, you'll get the best shaves you ever had. Period.

Thats not to say learning straight razor shaving takes months (though it may take you a few weeks to get comfortable), but do be prepared to put the time into it and not get discouraged if you dont get that fabled BBS shave right off the bat..! Just keep at it and you will get there!

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Stubear

Its really like learning to play a musical instrument, you need to put the time into it to get the best results.

I gave a few guitar lessons when I was in Australia and something I noticed some guys doing when they were trying to develop their alternate picking was just pick as fast as possible on one string and flap their fingers around. All with the distortion on level 10 as well...!

That gets you the effect of it, but its not as good as truly accurate picking. If you listen to the really good alternate pickers, guys like John Petrucci, Al Di Meola, Michael Angelo Batio, Paul Gilbert and Rusty Cooley, they all have their coordination bang on. The plectrum hits the string at the precise moment they fret the note, and they're not drowning the note in gain either. Youtube them to see what I mean..!

So what I used to make the students do was pick up an acoustic guitar, so no gain to hide the mistakes, and play the run on that. And if they didnt get it bang on, they'd just get a load of tuneless plunks. So then they'd learn to slow things right down and get things accurate at a pace they were comfortable with before they upped the metronome to silly tempos. Because fast and uncoordinated sounds awful, but fast and coordinated can blow you away.

Its the same with straight razor shaving. You need to slow things down, take your time and not expect results overnight, but when you get comfortable with what you're doing, when you're happy with how the razor feels in your hand and on your skin, when your lather is just right and your stropping is music to your ears, you'll get the best shaves you ever had. Period.

Thats not to say learning straight razor shaving takes months (though it may take you a few weeks to get comfortable), but do be prepared to put the time into it and not get discouraged if you dont get that fabled BBS shave right off the bat..! Just keep at it and you will get there!

Good luck!

Hahaha. You beat me to that analogy Stubear.

Here's how it is. Everyone sucks at whatever they try in the beginning. Adults don't like to suck at anything and so they give up the really new really hard stuff easy. Kids stick with new stuff because they really don't know they suck at it and nore do they care.

This is one that is worth sucking for as long as it takes. But do you want to wathch TV or do you want to practice 100 strokes on your strop? Do you want to play video games, or do you want to prepare a couple of batches of lather? See where I'm going with this?

Invest the time, make good choices and you will see that improvement rapidly. Hey wait, am I still talking about str8 shaving?

David