First Straight Razor Shave Today!

Well, I got my new Boker King Cutter the other day from SRD. :D I had the time this morning to give it a go.

As per Lynn's recommendation, I just did some of my cheeks on the left and right side. All in all I did okay. I took my time and I managed to avoid any nicks or cuts.

The sensation was a bit strange. At first I was holding the razor very lightly and putting virtually no pressure on the blade. But the razor seemed a bit unstable and it was jumping over my whiskers a bit. I played around with the blade angle and found that an angle a bit less that 30 degrees seemed to help.

Then I had a bit of a re-think. I thought that maybe I just had to have the guts to pull through my beard a bit more. I tried to hold the razor more firmly in my fingers while at the same time still keeping a very light blade contact with my face. This seemed to work better.

I was just wondering how experienced users would describe their grip on the razor. Could I now be holding it too hard? Also, the razor seems to "snag" a bit more than a DE razor. However, when I did pull on the blade it seemed to cut without noticeable discomfort.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards, Lyndon

(World's slowest straight razor shaver, LOL!)

Sounds very much like a very good first go at it, well done!

As to your question about how hard to hold it, my answer would be this:
Hold it as hard as needed to avoid skipping, and no more.
But always avoid pressure on the skin with the blade/edge.
In other words, a confident stroke with the necessary grip to get the job done

Once you get more confident in your shaving, you will learn to adjust as needed for the various parts of your face:)
That goes for both angle, grip and stroke.

Good luck!

I think your experience is a pretty positive and common one.

Hold the razor relaxed and comfortable, neither loose nor tight. Firm enough to be in control, but light enough not to force through moles, bumps, or blemishes that will leave you spurting blood.

The real pressure issue is the blade against the face, not the hands on the razor. You should put just enough pressure against the face as it takes to wipe the lather off. If it requires more than that your technique (or your razor) is off. Since your razor is newly from SRD and therefore honed by a reliable individual, any snagging or extra pressure requirement is a indicator of less than perfect technique. (Not surprising, since you've just started.) The proper stretch, and proper blade angle should eliminate any snagging feel, but do keep in mind that a DE head is a lot heavier than a straight, especially a hollow ground straight, so it does more of the work for you. Also, as you practice you'll find that you are constantly changing the blade angle as you shave around curves of your cheeks, neck, jaw line, chin, etc. This is natural, necessary, and one of the benefits of a straight over a cartridge razor.

Keep at it!

Peace,
Jim