First couple of shaves...razor's winning so far (but I'm not beat)

[elsmooth]

So I got my whipped dog razor and strop (really impressed with Larry's attentiveness to customer service). Saturay I took a crack at my cheeks, and Sunday the same thing. Saturday went...okay. Sunday...eh...got my right earlobe with the tip.

Here's my slight issue...I'm trying to shave each side of my face with the respective hand (right for right, left for left), and have no discomfort doing so (I'm left-handed). I'm doing this to avoid having the rely on one hand for the whole shave. However, I can't see through my razor holding hand to see how to line up at the sideburn to make sure the tip is close enough to the ear without actually hitting the ear. I never realized that I wore my sideburns at eye level until I tried shaving w/ a straight! Anyone else deal with that, and what's the best solution for a beginner (please try to avoid suggesting I grow longer sideburns!)?

Thanks in advance for any tips!

[Birnando]

Most people starting out experiences that.
Adding a little barbers mirror might be a solution, or try to turn your head more sideways.
Trying different arm positions and razor grips might also provide a solution.
You will, as most of us did, soon realize that this isn't such a big thing after all.
For me, my beard grows a full centimeter away from my ear, so there is some wiggle room there.
That is enough for me, now, to not need to see the tip of the razor when shaving out there.
Keep at it, try to build your feel for where the razor are at all times.
You'll get it soon enough

[LarryAndro]

Get a butter knife and "shave" yourself in the same way as you describe above where vision is cut off. When you do, close your eyes and you will automatically depend more on tactile sensations and proprioreception (the innate sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body.)

When you put the straight back in hand, I think you will be surprised how much better you do.

[kasperitis]

I like Larry's idea to use a butter knife, and am actually going to try that tonight. I normally shave with my right hand, but I've recently started shaving with both. There really is a learning curve to it, but it's not that steep. Just try different postures and head/hand positions and you'll eventually find something that fits. My guess is part of the problem is how you turn your head and being dominant in one particular eye. I noticed that myself, starting out. I had to take a moment to "switch" to my non-dominant eye as the one in charge so I could see properly. You really have to think about it the first few times. At least I had to...

Also, welcome to the board!

[ace]

You might consider slightly, ever so slightly, dull the toe of the razor for safety, for a while anyway.

Another thing I tried at first was to shave the sideburn line with a DE before straight shaving. That frees you up
to concentrate on angle and lack of pressure more than blade placement. It will eventually come together, but
you don't have to get it all right at once. Give yourself time!