Thread: At what point do you stop calling yourself a beginner?

I like Mick's statement.

There was a thread about this a while back, and I think I posted something to the effect of if you don't feel like a beginner, then you probably aren't. However, upon further reflection, as Mick states, there is always something else to learn about this hobby, so you may be an excellent shaver, but maybe you're a beginner at honing. Or maybe you're an excellent honer, but a beginner at restoring.

And it goes on and on.

This a fair and honest question. SR shaving is definitely a journey - not a destination! There are so many facets to this wet-shaving adventure including pre-shave, brush, soap/cream prep, stropping, honing, etc. that you almost need to be more specific on what area you have mastered. But if I were to set a standard just for SR shaving then you are no longer a beginner if:

You can shave with the SR for 7-days with good closeness and comfort.

If your shaves are wildly unpredictable, challenging and sometimes frustrating then you are still a beginner. When you look forward to the pleasure and satisfaction that comes with another well executed shave then you are no longer a novice.

In my experience this level of aptitude is achieved by most in a few months and very few can honestly achieve it in a few weeks. I know I took several months because I simultaneously tried to learn honing. Starting with a disposable blade system or at least a professionally honed razor will truncate the learning curve substantially.

Good luck and welcome to the club.

Welcome to the club,

I believe that I will stop calling myself a beginner when I kick the bucket but guess I can say I'm not a rank newb anymore as i can get consistently close shaves with comfort now...... but I still have a ways to go and a lot to learn


Stop learning start dying

Wow! Great forum. AS of many of you I have started in August/September, I can usually get a pretty good shave as I don't know if I truly still consider myself a beginner in more the sense I rarely knick or gouge my face. However, I do feel I am a novice with many things to learn and still try. SR shaving has truly made me appreciate "the art of shaving"!

I like what Mick said but I don't think of myself as a beginner. OTOH, I continue to learn .... shaving, lathering, stropping, honing ..... I keep an open mind and continue to improve. Sometimes in baby steps .... hitting a plateau and staying there for a long while and suddenly finding myself a little higher up the mountain. Like a lot of things it is probably a lifetime journey. As the old saying goes, I focus on the journey, not the destination.

Beginner in what regards? Shaving, honing, stropping, blade maintenance, lather making - or all of the above combined?

From strictly a shaving point of view, if your shaves are consistant and satisfactory and you can competantly maintain a shave ready edge indefinitely then I suppose you would no longer be considered a beginner. But taking all the aspects of this art into consideration, there's always something to learn and it's a long way to expert level.

I think when the actual shaving becomes a bore and you do not even think about it anymore.
The fun and excitment,at least for me is in the stones,the never ending hunt for the perfect edge,always looking for that magic rock.