Thread: How is the transition from DE?

I have been shaving with a double edge (safety razor) for about four years now and am thinking about transitioning to a straight. I see a lot of people saying the learning curve is fairly steep, my assumption is that is more for people coming from the land of mach 3's and electric razors, though I could be wrong.

If/when I make the jump, should I expect the same rough 2-6 six weeks I experienced going from mach3 to DE, or would you expect it to be a bit easier since I already have a better sense of angle of the blade and such?

Thanks in advance.

-Shane

It's a whole other animal, although there may be some benefits to your wider experience there will still be a learning curve. The best thing going for you IMO is that there shouldn't be much fear of a sharp blade. The differences in what youare doing now will probably be similar to other newbs, blade prep, beard prep and technique.

When I made the switch from DE I was already familiar with lathering, prep and to some extent skin stretching. I understood the multiple pass shaving technique with gradual stubble removal. Knowing all of that was a head start. It really was worth the effort for me and I highly recommend going through the initial uncomfortability. Worth it down the road.

You definitely have a good head start with knowing the proper prep and knowing your grain very well however...... You also now know what it like to have a "Great" shave and will need the willpower to stick with the straight while you learn and ingrain the proper techniques of stropping and contorting your hands and arms to finally get to that perfect shave again. Wow... talk about run on sentences...lol....sorry bout that

Redux, I was in exactly your position three weeks ago - 8 years of DE shaving under my belt, comfortable with lathering and multi-pass shaving, and regularly reducing my Miracle-Gro, wire-tough beard to DFS-level smoothness.

Straight shaving is a different kettle of fish. First, I've had to take my prep to a whole new level - I don't have particularly sensitive skin, so I'd gotten used to cutting a few corners. Stropping isn't rocket science, but I'm still improving daily. Blade angle is so much more variable that my DE experience didn't help that much (though I never used an adjustable DE). And I haven't even tried honing yet! Basically, years of DE shaving have helped, but 21 shaves in I'm still not getting nearly the results I did with Feather blades and a DE. I don't expect to get reliable DFS smoothness in a reasonable amount of time for a few months.

Straight shaving is way more fun, with more esoteric skills to learn, more cool doodads, and (someday) better results. I'm loving this and will likely never look back, but judging from my few professional barber shaves, it's not the same quantum leap in shave quality as moving from a cartridge to a DE. (You experienced SRPers out there, feel free to tell me I'm a newbie and don't know what I'm talking about.) If the craftsmanship, art and Zen-ness of straight shaving appeals to you, jump right in; if your experience is at all like mine, though, a 2-3 week transition is asking a lot.

It is very different, but because you'll have some familiarity with lathering, prep, skin stretching and angles, this will make things easier.

In terms of how long it will actually take, we're all different! Anything from a few weeks to a few months I would guess from reading on the forums.

Its definately worth spending the time on though, and the best shaves of my life have all been with a straight razor.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I came from DE too. It took me about 100 shaves with a straight before the shave started to look as good as my DE shave.

The best advice I can give is to not try to relate the two. I used a DE for 15 years before switching to a straight and a injector before that. I made the switch because I wanted to have fun not because I wanted a better shave. I could and still can get a perfectly acceptable smooth shave from a DE using a can of goo from the 99 cent store. I could get an enjoyable shave using a decent soap and a brush with my DE. None of that prepared me for the skill in skin prep, the blade control, or the myriad of other skills great shaving with a straight requires. If you start from scratch, mentally, and leave all your expactations at the door I think you will have an easier time learning the needed skills and commiting to becoming a full time straight shaver. I know all these skills can be learned in a few weeks not six months or more.

Redux, another thing in your favour is that you'll have an understanding of pressure (or the lack of it), and an awareness of the need to get the cutting angle right. In all probability these are things that you don't even think about any more; they are both important elements in getting a straight razor to work well.

That said, it would be unhelpful to give the impression that it's a trivial matter. Expect the odd setback - the straight razor user who hasn't had a few of those will be a rare animal indeed. There is any amount of good advice on this site, and it's all at your disposal. For my part I'd say that perseverance, realistic expectations and an unhurried approach will pay real dividends, and that it really is well worth while.

This weekend, i think i got a shave (shave number 12 or so) that was as good as one of my DE shaves. It could be the case that the learning curve isn't that steep or maybe i wasn't very good with my DE.

I can get a BBS shave in three directions, but i haven't mastered the ATG yet (I didn't do ATG with my DE either).