considering straight razors

Hi –

I have a question about straights. I have a fairly thick beard, and only shave once/week or so. (Small business owner and loving it). Any multi-blade or safety razors or electric razors quickly clog or pull/yank when my whiskers are like that, requiring a once-over with the clipper before I can shave. I also hate anything disposable.

It seems to me a straight razor would take the beard off, regardless of whisker length. I’ve read-up a bit, so I get the “with-the-grain, across-the-grain deal.

Am I right? Would the SR just cut off whatever length whiskers I have?

Thanks for your advice.

Steveyo
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/macskin/misc/progress.gif http://badgerandblade.com/vb/macskin/buttons/edit.gif

Ummm, yup. :) After a week of growth...a straight razor will be very happy in your beard. It'll mow it down no problem. Due to the length, you may end up taking shorter strokes than normal, but you'll be clean shaven at the end.

Some of my favourite shaves have been after five or six days of growth!

Now all you have to do is get set up....check the classifieds for a razor, and keep an eye out for two very important words: this razor comes "SHAVE READY".

Good luck,
Maxi

Thanks! I was also looking at WhippedDog.com. From what I've read, I want a rounded-tip (not sure nomenclature is correct), 5/8", shave-ready. Right?

You will have to work up to taking a weeks worth of growth off in 1,2 or 3 passes. The good thing is once you get hooked you will find yourself shaving more often just for the pleasure of shaving with a straight razor.

--Shoki

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Originally Posted by steveyo

Hi –

I have a question about straights. I have a fairly thick beard, and only shave once/week or so. (Small business owner and loving it). Any multi-blade or safety razors or electric razors quickly clog or pull/yank when my whiskers are like that, requiring a once-over with the clipper before I can shave. I also hate anything disposable.

It seems to me a straight razor would take the beard off, regardless of whisker length. I’ve read-up a bit, so I get the “with-the-grain, across-the-grain deal.

Am I right? Would the SR just cut off whatever length whiskers I have?

Thanks for your advice.

Steveyo
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/macskin/misc/progress.gif http://badgerandblade.com/vb/macskin/buttons/edit.gif

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+1 to finding yourself wanting to shave a little more often. To answer your question, yes, a straight will handle a week's growth much better than other razors but, as stated above, IMO, you will need to get use to shaving only a day or two's growth at most before attempting a week old beard. Make sure to read Lynn's thread http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ead-first.html "Your first straight razor shave" and it will give you an idea of what you're looking at for getting started.

Please keep us posted and don't be afraid to ask any questions.

Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Maxi

Ummm, yup. :) After a week of growth...a straight razor will be very happy in your beard. It'll mow it down no problem. Due to the length, you may end up taking shorter strokes than normal, but you'll be clean shaven at the end.

Some of my favourite shaves have been after five or six days of growth!

Now all you have to do is get set up....check the classifieds for a razor, and keep an eye out for two very important words: this razor comes "SHAVE READY".

Good luck,
Maxi

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quite true,straight razor can bring you happy experience

"Dont have to worry about where the point is":eek:
You still need to watch so it dont end up inside your ear or in a fold of skin as it can still cut
A blunted sqare will provide the same level of safety and it wil cut closer to the tip (can be easyer to achieve presitionfor a beginner)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by steveyo

Am I right? Would the SR just cut off whatever length whiskers I have?

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Yes, but start learning with one day's growth and work up from there.

Well, I change my beard-style often. Currently long chops. Should I shave it all off for my first SR practice shaves?

And don't expect to actually be able to shave first time around. So many beginners come back and say, "I think I've been sold a blunt razor", when in actual fact it is a lack of skill with a new shaving method that is the problem.
Some people 'get it' right away, but most others take a few weeks to even get close. I would recommend a daily practice for a couple of weeks straight (no pun intended), even though you don't need to shave for work. Do it anyway, it's a great way to start (or end, but not literally) the day.

To answer the question...No, you can start the first strokes at any point really, it's just easier if you have a flat surface, like a cheek, to try your first strokes on. It isn't a necesssity, as those of us (not me) here who have full, but trimmed beards will tell you.


Mick

Hmmm, I've never seen Kokopelli on a uni-cycle before, let alone an off-road one.


Mick

Welcome! The most growth I have shaved off with a straight is 3 days. From those experiences, I learned that:
A. The blade loads quickly with whiskers and lather, so it needs to be wiped off on my sponge (or rinsed off in water, careful of nicking the blade on the faucet!) much more often, actually after every couple of strokes if you have a long and heavy growth.
B. The strokes need to be short or the blade motion will simply stop, like a sickle that has cut it's maximum amount of weeds per stroke. The problem is that if you force it, you could cut yourself seriously. Answer-short strokes and rinse or wipe the blade very frequently.
C. The blade angle would need to be a little higher than normal if the whiskers were long, IMO, to prevent the blade from hanging up in them, if you tried a nearly flat angle that is what would probably happen.
D. The skin must be stretched for each shaving stroke.

These points work for me, YMMV.

I would add, although this is a matter of preference, that you should go more towards a half hollow or wedge if your beard is very thick. They're more rigid, so I find that they do better with thick beards than a full-hollow.

The winter of 09-10' I grew my beard out VERY big. I kept my neck trimmed up for comfort, but otherwise I completely stopped shaving for about 4 months and looked like grizzly adams.

I hacked it all off when the warmer weather came around with a Frederick Reynolds wedge, and while I had to use short strokes, I didn't actually need to stop to re-lather at all, nor did I have to rinse the blade until there was so much beard and soap on it that I couldn't see what I was doing.

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Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

I would add, although this is a matter of preference, that you should go more towards a half hollow or wedge if your beard is very thick. They're more rigid, so I find that they do better with thick beards than a full-hollow.

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Cool. Thanks for the advice. I've ordered an 11/16 CU Day from whippeddog.com. The price was right.

Maybe a wedge for my next one.

It's been stated already, but can never be over emphasized. Don't be discouraged if you don't get it right away. Start with somewhere easy and flat like your cheeks, and be prepared for a learning curve. After a while you will work your way up to chopping off that weeks growth with any razor in your inventory (which you may or may not aquire :rofl2:). good luck.