Hello Everyone...a few questions

Hi guys...nice place here...im sure i will enjoy this forum!

I am about to start shaving with a straight razor ...im sick and tired of throwing away disposable blades and stuff like that... i need something to feel connected to it and use it for a long time!

So i got a few questions...

1) The razor... Carbon steel or Stainless Steel? Im thinking to get the dovo imitation mother of pearl (carbon steel) Is that good enough for a beginner?

2) The cuts...if by any chance cut my self with this. (Which i will sooner or later) how deep is the cut with this? I mean is it like a normal cut? Or your chin falls off or something like that!

Thanks for your time!

Philippos,
Welcome to the SRP forum. You've certainly come to the right place to find information on straight razor shaving. I'll leave the carbon vs. stainless question to other members as I personally don't have a preference. I do think that Dovo makes a fine razor. My first razor was a Dovo.

As for the nicks, I've never had a bad cut, but they do tend to be a little larger than what I got with a multiblade safety razor. Again, welcome to the forum, glad to have you along.

Welcome!

The razor you have suggested will make a fine starter razor, and will give you many years of service. My first razor was a Dovo Black Star carbon steel and it is an excellent shaver.

The cuts I have gotten tend to be small nicks, not deep at all, and maybe 1-3mm in length. They close up really easily with a styptic pencil, so you might find one useful. I keep one in the bathroom cabinet for days when I catch myself!

The worst cut I ever got was when I was cleaning a razor up and sliced my thumb (I needed a plaster for that one), but actual shaving nicks are pretty small and insignificant. You'd have to be going some to really do yourself major damage when shaving!

When shaving, you have the razor at 30 degrees or less on the skin, and you drag it across the skin, never a slicing motion. If you make a slicing motion, you'll definately end up with a cut, and probably a pretty bad one, so DONT do that..! You just drag the razor across your skin exactly as you would with a Mach 3, and let the razor do the work. A well honed razor requires no pressure on the skin, and if you need to apply pressure to get a good shave, thats a sign the razor needs honing.

Have a look at the Beginners Guide in the Wiki, which is linked in my sig line below, as this give some good tips on how to tackle your first shave.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Ok...thanks for the info guys...i really appreciate your help!! Anyone else has more info about this subject please post!

The Dovo Perlex is a beautiful razor. My first razor was a Revisor which I find very similar. As for the steel, I have no personal preference. However, I have to say my best razors are some of the vintage blades I've bought and had honed by an expert. Somehow, a blade with some history seems to have a better edge than a brand new one, IMHO. Picking out a used blade can be daunting to a newcomer. If you decide to consider this route, the classifieds here are good bet. And if they say 'shave ready' it really is (unlike ebay). As for cuts, I've only cut off my chin once. Seriously, you're more likely to get a bad finger cut as Stubear did than a serious facial cut. Welcome and enjoy!

My suggestion is to visit the classifieds and look for something like a 5/8 or 6/8 round point that is shave ready (it will state this in the ad). There is no such thing as a "beginner" straight razor. It's either a straight razor or it isn't. A round point is a little more forgiving than other points, but many of our members have learned using a spkie point. I wouldn't get hung up over specific brands or steel types as they are not worth time right now. Get your first razor and get competent with it. Once you get comfortable with it then you can start to expand your horizons.

I've been using a straight for about 2 years now and have a 4 razor rotation, all 6/8 round point (one of them being a generic no name), and all give me a BBS.

Hi Philippos,
Welcome to SRP!

One of my concerns when I started shaving with a straight this past February was a mole on my upper lip and another one on my chin. For the past forty-plus years, I constantly nicked both those moles with whatever "safety" razor I was using at the time. They bled and bled and bled and it sometimes took a long time for the styptic pencil to stop the bleeding.

I am happy to report that the very first time I attempted an XTG pass on my upper lip I made a tiny nick on the mole there that stopped bleeding on its own by the time I was done shaving. I have not since nicked that mole even though I shave my upper lip with three passes: WTG (Coupe de Maitre), XTG and ATG. I have never nicked the mole on my chin while using my straight.

Read Lynn Abrams's excellent article "First Straight Razor Shave" here. Watch the shaving videos and read about technique in the Wiki. Any time you feel your razor begin to pull, STOP! Reduce the angle of the blade against your skin from how you were holding it and continue.

Trust your right brain. Tell yourself "This is something I can do." And BELIEVE it!
Namaste,
Morty -_-

Welcome to SRP Philippos. Whether carbon or stainless rinsing and wiping the blade after the shave and then doing a few laps on the strop will help prevent corrosion. I also wipe mine with a silicone gun cloth impregnated with a rust remover. Read my sig line below to avoid nicks and cuts. :gl:

Welcome to Straight Shaving.

CS or SS, its minor and both should give you a good shave.

Cuts, I cut myself a few times, but these were just surface cuts that amounted to minor scratches and healed over in 48 hours. Part of my issue was that I wasn't use to paying attention to the razor constantly and it would dab my skin causing the cut. 4 cuts later and I didn't cut myself anymore as I smarted up.

I have one cheapy disposable straight razor that can produce a lot of small weepers when I go XTG/ATG, on its first shave, but a good rinse of cold water on my last pass and they close up immediately.

I was commited to leaving my Mach 3 for the same reason and I am so happy I am a straight shaver. Life is so much better!

Pabster

You guys are all amazing...thanks for your answers...it sounds like this will be a fascinating thing to practice...

Another thing...every how many shaves do i have to sharpen my razor...?

Hi and Welcome with a big "W".
I recently started str8 shaving and have cut myself a few times. Actually, probably every 1 out of 2 shaves :) But I'm definitely getting better and the cuts are not bad. THe styptic pencil is about $2 and stops bleeding.
The cuts themselves don't hurt, the razor is too sharp to make jagged and painful cuts. Because of the sharpness, wounds also heal a lot faster.

hope it helps you on the road to becoming a str8 shaver

On the cuts: You would have to purposely wack something off to do any serious damage. As other's have said, you are dragging the razor across your face so any nicks should be no worse than with a DE. Watch out for the "pause," however. Don't stop and think with the razor against your face. This can lead to the razor moving ever so slightly parallel to the blade causing a small slice.

As for how often you have to get your blade sharpened it's one of those YMMV things. Some people don't strop very well in the beginning and have to have their blade sharpened rather soon. Some every three months. Some every 6 months. Some people use a barber hone or a strop with some paste on it to touch up a razor that's starting to dull.

Do your first shave with a "shave ready" razor without stropping it. That way you'll know how a good, sharp razor feels and works against your face. If it dulls or your stropping skills aren't very good you'll have that first shave to compare it to. And don't forget the preshave is almost as important as the shave with a STR8.

Also, think about what would happen if you drop the blade! Don't shave naked!

Welcome to the club. :)

Welcome to SRP.

+1 on the previous advice. Your selection of the Dovo carbon steel razor is a very good choice for a starter straight razor. Wherever you decide to purchase it, make certain that it is expertly honed prior to purchase.

As for cuts...If you take it slow and easy with your shaving technique you won't suffer any deep gashes in your face. You will experience an occasional nick or small cut sometimes, but they will not be life threatening. They happen to the best of us in the straight razor shaving community. The next time you are at the drugstore, purchase and stypic pencil and some antibiotic ointment. That will help you deal with any small nicks or cuts that you get.

Remember--take it slow. Don't rush when shaving with your new straight razor, hold it at a 15-30 degree angle when shaving and you should do just fine.

Again, welcome to SRP. Take care--and smooth shaving.

I am a big fan of the CrOx balsa strop. If you do 5-10 laps on the CrOx balsa strop every 10th shave you should be good for 120 shaves or so before you hit the stones. I have heard of guys going as long as one year and as little as one month before hitting the stones so YMMV.

As a new guy you might have problems with accidently dulling you blade. Don't worry, you will get better at it.

Welcome to the club.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Philippos

You guys are all amazing...thanks for your answers...it sounds like this will be a fascinating thing to practice...

Another thing...every how many shaves do i have to sharpen my razor...?

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Philippos

You guys are all amazing...thanks for your answers...it sounds like this will be a fascinating thing to practice...

Another thing...every how many shaves do i have to sharpen my razor...?

---

There are way too many variables, but if you do things right you shouldn't need to sharpen it more often than every three months, may be even once a year or two. If you don't do it right you may destroy the edge on your first stropping.
So, spend the time to learn to strop well and pay attention to stropping and shaving angle and pressure as that's what keeps the edge remain sharp longer than a cartridge or DE blades.

And if you can't keep the razor sharp with stropping on linen and leather strop you'll have harder time to do it with abrasives.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Philippos

Another thing...every how many shaves do i have to sharpen my razor...?

---

The answer to your question is not a number. How long the edge on your straight razor continues to give you a comfortable shave depends on several variables: How well was it honed to begin with? How effective is your stropping technique? How coarse or soft is your beard? How often do you shave (every day or every other day)? When you shave, do you do three passes or only two? When you're done shaving, are you careful to clean, dry & oil your razor's edge before storing it? (Moisture can corrode and destroy a fine sharp edge in short order.)

Your razor will need some touch up honing when daily stropping (including the use of pasted strops) no longer will maintain an edge sharp enough for a comfortable shave.

In short, your face will let you know when it's time to have your razor honed.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

Edited PS:
Dang, for some reason I don't understand, no other posts after jojingo's 3:02 PM reply showed up on my screen until after I submitted the above post. A know-it-all I'm not. If I'd seen the other replies I would only have posted something that added to the discussion. :confused:

Great...so just to get things straight and clear... im gonna need a leather strop and a waterstone...

I will be using the leather strop to get rid of small remaining of hair and steel after i shave (10 -15 passes) and the waterstone every time i feel the razor needs honing (every 3-5 months)

Thats how it goes right?

Your help is really appreciated... i already feel more than welcome in this forum! :)

Welcome Philippos!

I'm also pretty new here, my first shave was just about a week ago. I recommend reading up on the wiki page for beginners and the shaving section. Watching the videos helped a lot too, as I was better able to get an idea of the different length strokes and angles that people use for the harder spots.

Don't be too worried about cuts. As long as you don't slide the razor length wise you won't do any major damage. The only nick I've suffered so far is from doing just that while lifting off my face at the end of a stroke.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Philippos

Great...so just to get things straight and clear... im gonna need a leather strop and a waterstone...

I will be using the leather strop to get rid of small remaining of hair and steel after i shave (10 -15 passes) and the waterstone every time i feel the razor needs honing (every 3-5 months)

Thats how it goes right?

Your help is really appreciated... i already feel more than welcome in this forum! :)

---

I've seen it commonly advised to not invest in a waterstone right off the bat. You won't need to hone for some time, and you will have your hands full just learning how to shave and strop. If you need it honed, best to send it off to honemeister when you need it honed so that you can be sure if you are having problems, it isn't a bad hone job.

A leather strop is a must, however, since you need to strop with every shave. Be sure to get a quality one. I've been struggling a lot because I got a cheep one and am having to put in a lot of work to get it in a usable state.

I'm still very green at the straight shaves, about two weeks and five shaves. Like many others here (there's at least three threads on the subject) I opted for a disposable style razor (I am pleased to find out that the one I chose comes highly recommended) until I get my technique down. One thing I found that is absolutely crucial is to get your skin tight. I've had very minor nicks that stopped bleeding as soon as I applied cold water. But on my third shave I thought I had everything down (oh ****y youth) and didn't pull tight. I got four cuts that bled for a a while and became the butt of jokes for the next few days. PULL THE SKIN TIGHT, the rest is very important too but that I have found to be the best deterrent to actual cuts.

I just read my post and realized a word was edited, I apologize but it wasn't a swear word. It was another word for arrogance that rhymes with rocky. Sorry if there was a problem.

No problem :beer2:

Hi Philippos,

Welcome to SRP. You've just entered into fine place. Nice to have more European members onboard.

The Dovo you are planning is so allright. As my personal opinion, carbon steel is better than ss, but i have only one ss razor so i might be wrong with this.

Do not worry about the nicks; they come and go when yo are learning. Once you've learned to shave with straight there will be no nicks any more. It is about getting to know your razor and how it shaves.

I can shave about 3-5 months before getting to touch up hone but of course the razor needs to get stropped every time before the shave. Some razors dull easier than others. It is about the quality and the shape of steel. There is no much difference between carbon and ss imho.