Just starting. NEw to the site.

I have recently decided to switch from disposable razors to a straight razor. When I was in Ky there was a barber shop right outside of post that did straight razor shaves. I miss the close, smooth shave I got, and no one in Ohio will do it. I shave myself bald and have a thick facial hair so I am going through disposables pretty quickly and want a more cost effective, and better shave. I have looked online and and looked through other posts for beginners and I am thinking about getting a Dovo 506B 6/8 razor with a shaving kit included. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or tricks to share with me. I am pretty good with sharpening knives and other bladed istruments, so hopefully that will help.

Welcome to SRP!

Thank you. It has been something that has interested me for a while. I finally decided to give it a try.

Do you plan on shaving your head with the Dovo, or just your face? The whole head seems risky.

I haven't done an SR shaving, but I really like the DE razor. I won't be going back to cartridges.

I used to get my head shaved at the barber, and it is the thing that always clogs up, and dulls my disposables the fastest. To be honest other than having a barber shave me I have virtually no experience with w straight razor.

Hi and welcome to SRP Pirate! :)

Well, I shave my head too and even though I used to do it with a straight as well, I've stopped with that (it's like you say, edges gets dull fast and it takes time to hone, lots of time :)) + it's not a good thing to do when you're newbie, trust me, I know :). It's rather different from sharpening a knife, to sharpen a straight razor, or anything else for that matter, even though I'm sure you'll learn. Now I use a SE (Single Edge) razor called GEM Junior for my head shaves and order GEM SE blades (way cheaper than lousy disposables, anyway), you could use a DE also (the old kind of Double Edge safety razors, it's _way_ cheaper than disposables). Good luck!

Currently using a Fusion 5 razored expensive to replace vibrating thing that clogs every stoke. I was hoping for something more robust, cheaper in the long run, and with that nice close smooth shave I miss. I'll have to check out the GEM.

I shave my head for years whit a str8,i can not notice that he is faster dull than you only shave your face whit it.
A good prep is the thing! Head dhaving Its not do difficult as people think.
But think its right that you first learn shave your face! And then go a step furter.
Have fun and enyoy your shaves

By the way.sharping knives is a differend techniek than razors.

Hi, welcome.
All very interesting about the head shaving thing. I have been using a straight for almost a year, with a DE on Saturdays and a shave almost every day. I shaved my head (first time ever) I think about two weeks ago. I decided not to continue shaving it for completely stupid reasons (one being the SWMBO.....Well, I guess that's a little unfair, she's only partly stupid), but felt at the time that shaving it with a straight would really be pretty hard...

I ordered the Dovo in 5/8 from straight razor designs. I noticed the one on Amazon didn't come with a strop. I got one from the Straight Razor Designs because I could get it with the strop for about $30 less and buy the cup and soap locally for $10. I was told to practice on an orange before myself, so I grabbed one.
As for the head shaving I started going bald in highschool, and wearing a helmet for a 4 years tends to rip out what was left. I look like an overweight Patrick Stewart without being clean shaven on top.