Thread: Newbie questions

I recently received my straight razor.

After having used a DE for a few months, I'm intimidated..

A few questions to start with..

1. How can you tell that the razor is sharp enough to shave with? It's a brand new Dovo- but I don't know if it's stropped enough.


2. Is it within the norm to use the right hand (the dominant one) to shave both sides of the face- or does one have to get used to using both hands.

3. In terms of lathering- is there a difference between what's required for DE vs straight?

4. How critical is the angle of the razor?

Welcome to the forum....

Chances are the razor is not shave ready.
I suppose the best way to find out is try
shaving with it.

As far as which hand to use will vary with
the individual. I use both, other use their
dominate hand. In the long run I would
suggest using both hands.

For prep what you have been doing for
your DE should work fine witha straight.

As for angle - 30 degree angle. The spine
should be about two spine widths from
your face ( hope this makes sense).

For the chin and jaw line you can lay the
blade a little flatter.

Don't feel like you have to do a complete shave
the first time either - just start with the cheeks.

If the razor proves not to be shave ready you
can contact one of the guys on the forum who
can hone the razor for you.

[email protected] Mr. Lynn Abrams
[email protected] Joe Chandler

Hope this helps a little. I'm sure other advise will
follow.


Terry

Originally Posted by srajguru

I recently received my straight razor.

Congratulations! you've entered a fascinating new world.

Originally Posted by srajguru

1. How can you tell that the razor is sharp enough to shave with? It's a brand new Dovo- but I don't know if it's stropped enough.

Stropping doesn't sharpen a razor, it just aligns the very fine cutting edge (which gets bent and distorted by shaving) and cleans off any corrosion. The dovo may not be shave ready, there's a recent thread in the newbies corner ("Why A "Shave Ready" Razor is often NOT Really Shave Ready - A Detailed Explanation") about why this is so...

The true test of shave-readiness is to lather up and try to shave with it, but this is not a good way for a newbie to dip his toes into the water :-) If you brush the razor through your arm hair (just above but not touching your skin) does it cut off the hairs in mid-stalk? If so, then it may still not be shave-ready but it's at least close. The more sensitive tests take a fair amount of experience, and even then they are only rough approximations, the only test that counts is the actual shave.

Your best bet is to get one of the honemeisters on this forum to hone the razor for a modest fee.

Originally Posted by srajguru

2. Is it within the norm to use the right hand (the dominant one) to shave both sides of the face- or does one have to get used to using both hands.

Some people shave one-handed. It's easier to do this if you're shaving someone else, though. Most guys shave with two hands; it's not really that difficult to master even if you strongly favor one hand. Strangely, many guys have noticed that they nick themselves less often (and less severely) with their off hand than with their dominant hand.

Originally Posted by srajguru

3. In terms of lathering- is there a difference between what's required for DE vs straight?

There's not a huge difference. I use the same soap that I used when I was shaving with a DE, but I tend to make the lather a little wetter now than I did then. I'm not sure if that change is actually due to SE shaving though...

Originally Posted by srajguru

4. How critical is the angle of the razor?

It's important, but in a different way than on a DE. DE's are designed to constrain the angles you can use, on a SE it's up to you to pick the angle you need for the task at hand. I use angles from nearly 90 degrees to nearly 0. The standard shaving angle is around 30 degrees though (because of the ratio of spine thickness to blade width, this is basically 2 spines worth), and that will serve you well until you get more comfortable shaving your face and learning where a different angle might work better for you.

I did now know that new razors may not be shave ready..this one definitely does not cut the hair on my arm..
i'll need to send it out to get honed..
Really appreciate the feedback so far..

A good rule of thumb is that NO new razor is shave ready unless it has been openned up and honed by someone other than the manufacturer. You may get lucky and find one that slipped by whoever it is that dulls them at the factory <g> but for the most part they will be far sharper than any kitchen knife you have ever owned and far DULLER than any razor should be.

Tony