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04-27-2011, 11:56 AM #1
- Join Date
- Jan 2011
- Location
- wisconsin
- Posts
- 169
Thanked: 21Was the blade "sharp" before you stropped it? I Know a few bad passes on the strop at the wrong angle and the edge is shot.
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04-28-2011, 01:29 AM #2
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
- Location
- Gyptuckey, CO
- Posts
- 57
Thanked: 1Thanks for all the replies, encouragement and feedback. I can definitely see where I need to practice and improve. I have previously read through a lot of the wiki and Lynn's tips and other stuff, so I feel pretty well armed with knowledge, now I just need to put it all into practice and find out what works.
Was the blade "sharp" before you stropped it? I Know a few bad passes on the strop at the wrong angle and the edge is shot.
I have a bench stropping system that I'm in the process of making, and I have some nice bridle leather, 3" x 12". I very carefully stropped the blade on that and I immediately noticed an improvement. I have some other products and materials on the way that I'll use as I feel the need to refine the edge further.
I gotta say, when I read comments from some people about having such a better shave w/ a SR than a Mach 3 whatever the latest-n-greatest is, I gotta raise an eyebrow. I've had nothing but fantastic close comfortable shaves using the latest-n-greatest 5-blade whatever for years and years and years, and every time they come out w/ a new one, I find it shaves just a little better than the previous one. I came into this SR thing w/ pretty high expectations based on rave reviews I read here and other places about how much better SR's are than other types of mass market shavers. So my heart goes out to you guys who have had bad shaves before - it's certainly one of the most unpleasant things.
I'm gonna keep at it! Thanks again - Cheers! mpp
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04-28-2011, 05:30 AM #3
- Join Date
- Jun 2010
- Location
- Brisbane/Redcliffe, Australia
- Posts
- 6,380
Thanked: 983One of the best things I like about using a CT to shave with is the fact that I get less ingrown hairs than I used to, and in all fairness that is probably because of better shaving prep than I used to use. Shaving in the shower using a bar of soap as my lather isn't the best way to shave I'm assuming now. But, what I find the best about the CT, is that my shaves are noticeably smoother and, and this is the clincher for me, I don't really need to shave as often. The shave is longer lasting than with any other method of shaving I've tried. And I've tried them all. Every man and his face is different though and what I like most about a CT shave may not be the same as others.
Mick
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04-28-2011, 03:27 PM #4
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
- Location
- Gyptuckey, CO
- Posts
- 57
Thanked: 1
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04-28-2011, 06:23 PM #5
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Location
- Rochester, MN
- Posts
- 11,544
- Blog Entries
- 1
Thanked: 3795
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04-28-2011, 07:01 PM #6
I started with a Shavette for a couple months before moving to a "real" straight. I figured it'd be cake to switch over. Boy was I wrong. Sure, I had some of the angles down but every razor is a different beast. For my first razor I picked it up from Larry over at Whipped Dog. He included some handy instructions that I'll paraphrase for you. First being: This razor is Shave Ready. That means don't strop it before you use it. Second handy tip: lay that sucker dang near flat on your skin. Nope, won't get BBS or even close to it. However, you'll get comfortable with something that sharp against your skin w/o cutting yourself and you can gradually increase the angle on more passes till you find what works for you. Third super useful tip: Break in your strop before you use it (and either practice on a bread knife or lay it flat and use it as a bench strop to start) or you're screwed (or will at least have to spend a ton of time stropping later to fix what you just done gone and broke).
Lastly, a paraphrased tip from the wiki: "don't try and shave your whole face the first time around. Start with a small section and work on that. When you're comfortable with that go on to another section till you're comfortable with that. Then go from there".
There's a huge difference between a straight razor and a cartridge monstrosity. Respect it. It's like going from driving a Chevy Crapolier to a Ferrari. Both do their job well, but one takes a hell of a lot more practice and skill to use properly. Either one will get you somewhere, but when you know the Ferrari well, you'll have a lot more fun with it.
Also, when you read the wiki you'll see talk about using no pressure. Believe it, but don't take it at face value. You have to put pressure against the hair but not the skin. You want the razor to glide over the skin but slice through the hair. If your hold is too light you'll tug and pull every hair. If it's too hard you'll go through the hair in to your skin.Last edited by bharner; 04-28-2011 at 07:04 PM. Reason: forgot sumthin
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04-29-2011, 06:50 AM #7
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04-28-2011, 06:58 AM #8
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
- Location
- Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Posts
- 1,377
Thanked: 275I gotta say, when I read comments from some people about having such a better shave w/ a SR than a Mach 3 whatever the latest-n-greatest is, I gotta raise an eyebrow. I've had nothing but fantastic close comfortable shaves using the latest-n-greatest 5-blade whatever for years and years and years, and every time they come out w/ a new one, I find it shaves just a little better than the previous one. I came into this SR thing w/ pretty high expectations based on rave reviews I read here and other places about how much better SR's are than other types of mass market shavers. So my heart goes out to you guys who have had bad shaves before - it's certainly one of the most unpleasant things.
The multi-blade, cartridge razors are _very_ forgiving. You can press hard on them, you don't have to worry about the angle the blade makes with your face, you don't have to do careful lathering (much less "pre-lather prep") -- and your face will survive. And they're more tolerant of less-than-sharp blades.
Straights, and traditional DE razors, are much less forgiving. Use too much pressure? -- OUCH! Don't do proper lathering? -- OUCH! Don't use correct angles with a straight razor? -- OUCH! Not to mention that the straight razor doesn't have any hesitation about slicing skin, if you move it wrong.
So there's a rather long learning curve for these very simple-looking tools.
The payoff is that you _can_ get a really smooth shave, and do it without damaging your skin. There's some pride of achievement in that.
Charles
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04-28-2011, 03:27 PM #9
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
- Location
- Gyptuckey, CO
- Posts
- 57
Thanked: 1
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04-28-2011, 06:16 PM #10
I agree with you on the great shaves with a 5 blader. I used a Gillette Pro Fusion and Pro Glide for years, along with the Quattro and the Mach 3 and never had a bad shave. I used to get the cartridges to last for months and never got nicks, cuts, razor burn or in-grown hairs.
I don't think you have to hate cartridges to move to straights. I like 'em all, DEs, cartridges, and straights. Today was the Pro Fusion, tomorrow a Merkur HD, and Saturday morning has a 8/8 Wade and Butcher honed up and waiting for it.
I didn't start shaving with a straight razor to save money. So far it's been pretty expensive. I didn't do it to save the local landfill either. I did it because it was a challenge to learn and fun to do.