Much Thanks

So I completed my 15th shave yestarday.......what a difference. I went through many stages of doubt along the way. Is the blade sharp enough? is my lather satisfactory? you name it I doubted it. But now that I am this far into it, I can see it was it was my technique all along.

To everyone that is starting out new all I can reccomend is getting your shave time in as much as you can. I have boxed all my life and I thought of it alot like training. If you want to see success you have to put your time into it, and there is no shortcuts.....probally what attracts our demographic to the razor in the first place.

My second peice of advice is stick to SRP like glue, I am very thankful to this online community for what I have learned and contiune to learn. I am also very proud to announce that I am totally disposiable razor free and thats a great feeling. Once again thanks everyone.

:tu :bow

Congrats! :)

I'd like to add your post onto the registration email or something, just so that the new guys know that 99% of the time the problem is technique. It's all about technique.

Nice job and glad you're enjoying the journey!

I agree. I have determined myself that with great technique most other aspects can be subpar. I can shave with a less than perfect edge, prep, lather; even no lather. It is nice to see someone realizing this.

Feel free to use where ever it is needed Stubear.......yea its really a funny thing, I am sure when I am at 100 I will be wondering what the hell the issue was in the first place !

Thanks guys

Hyena, Great Post!

Early on, I was convinced my razors were the problem. However, when razors professionally honed by Lynn, Glen (gssixgun), and Larry (whipped dog) didn't shave any better than my eBay razors, I realized it might be me. My technique was so inconsistent that I couldn't begin to evaluate the effectiveness of a given razor or a given shave. For this reason, I constantly advise Newbies to get a professionally honed razor to take it out of the equation. gssixguns posted a new Beginners Suggestion this month that deals with evaluating a razor's sharpness. If Newbies will follow the suggested pre-shave prep gssixgun recommends, it will help eliminate the prep from the equation.

Professionally honed razor + good shave prep + good technique = good shave.
If the first two are assured, it can only be bad technique if the shave isn't good.

After 150 shaves, my technique is becoming more consistent and I now find that I can get at least a DFS with any of my 25 razors. I also can feel the difference of razors professionally honed by Lynn, Glen, or Larry compared to razors I have honed. The professionally honed razors are used as my standard as I learn to hone.

For all Newbies, the best advice I have taken from SRP is:
1. Start with a professionally honed razor.
2. Do thorough shave prep for every single shave.
3. Read SRP and watch the shaving videos.
4. Do at least 50-100 shaves to develop consistency in your technique.

Happy Shaving!
;)

I couldnt agree more! Something else that also made a night and day difference......finding a barber to compare your shaves too.

I was also lucky enough to find an old italian barber that really knows his stuff. That gave me the advantage of being able to compare my shaves to a pro's. I also got to watch him hone my blade and strop it. as well as getting to feel how his blade swipes felt on my face......and that I found so helpful. More importantly I now have a legend of what is a great shave and what is a newbie shave.

cheers guys

Great job hyena!!

I'm into my 4th week now, and I shaved my whole face today with only my strait. Also, I began using my left hand today, and I did it without cutting myself!!!

Of course, Truefitt & Hill shaving oil helped a lot. First time I tried it in my prep. It worked great, smelled really nice too.

I luv this place!!!!! I'm a friggin shaving addict now.

It doesn't matter how long you've been at it, you can still cut yourself Hammer. And usually when you least want to. Case in point here, I expected a visit from a fellow SRP member on Sunday just gone, as he wanted to possibly purchase a strop and get a few pointers, but before he was due to arrive I had to get the yard mowed. I waited till after I had done this morning job before my shower and shave. I don't know whether it was because I was being extra cautious, blood circulation or what, but I not only managed to nick myself, but also had a slight razor rash to boot. Just the sort of things that scream 'incompetent', when you least need it. A good thing Stu (Str8raz0r) seemed to see the funny side of it I suppose.


Mick