Thread: Making the change from a shavette to a real straight

So my sight unseen kit came to play from whipped dog, very fast shipping!, I ordered late Friday night, and it showed up today!
So, what should I be aware of as I use the real straight? Thanks for the advice!

Beware of the faucet-it will ruin your edge and your day. On the serious side, patience is the key, you have a "shave ready" razor from Larry, so there is no need to strop it before you shave with it the first time. Just wipe off the oil and you're good to go, remember light pressure and proper angle should give good results, but it may take a few tries before everything comes together. Since you're switching to a real straight, if you have not done so already, read up on proper stropping technique, it is key to maintaining the edge of your razor. Good luck and keep us posted.

So I shouldn't rinse the razor between passes?

You can, but be careful. This forum is full of & moments where someone accidently banged their razor against the faucet. Sometimes no harm no foul, but you could easily ruin the edge or chip the blade. Me, personally, I just fill the sink basin with water and gently rinse the blade, seems to work as I have yet to ruin an edge that way. The key point is just be mindful at ALL times where you edge is, whether its on your face, stropping, or rinsing.

In my opinion, you don't even have to wipe the oil off razors before starting to shave. Manufacturers apply silicone and such to make razors slick. Now, before shaving, we wipe oil off the blade. And, why?