Thread: 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.

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...?