Just Couldn't Wait!!

Well I did it; I shaved with a straight razor for the first time last night!! Mind you I only did half of my face (the right side), as I was somewhat apprehensive about using my left hand. Overall it went really well I think, but I did experience some tugging & pulling/irritation.

I attribute this to the fact that I bought a DOVO Best Quality 5/8" which I used to shave with. My understanding is that these do NOT come shave-ready from the factory, but I was just so excited to have it that I couldn't wait for it to be honed! I am waiting for my Norton 4/8k waterstone to come in and am very excited to learn how to hone, but I think it would be wise to have a honemeister do it the first time. I did order a cheapo Gold-Dollar to learn to hone with, so I don't ruin the DOVO straight away.

Overall I am very happy with my first attempt! No blood, only minor irritation, and a big smile! Just thought I'd share!

Congrats!

Please do yourself a favor and have it professionally honed so that you have a better understanding of how it is supposed to feel as you learn AND so you have a basis for comparison/target for your honing efforts.

I tackled a lot at first also. There are reasons that guys recommend against it, but if you really want it, you can learn it.

I cannot stress enough the importance of experiencing at least one (better to experience several different) professional hone jobs. Believe it or not, there is a difference between every one that I have tried (and I have only sampled work of HIGHLY esteemed honers). These experiences proved invaluable to me as I learned how to hone.

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Originally Posted by unit

Congrats!

Please do yourself a favor and have it professionally honed so that you have a better understanding of how it is supposed to feel as you learn AND so you have a basis for comparison/target for your honing efforts.

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Absolutely. I ordered three razors; the DOVO Best-Quality, a SHAVE-READY Gold-Dollar, and a Non-Shave Ready Gold Dollar. So I plan on practicing shaving with one GD and practicing honing with the other. That way, I can send the DOVO out to someone to have it prof. honed...

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Originally Posted by jpcwon

Well I did it; I shaved with a straight razor for the first time last night!! Mind you I only did half of my face (the right side), as I was somewhat apprehensive about using my left hand. Overall it went really well I think, but I did experience some tugging & pulling/irritation.

I attribute this to the fact that I bought a DOVO Best Quality 5/8" which I used to shave with. My understanding is that these do NOT come shave-ready from the factory, but I was just so excited to have it that I couldn't wait for it to be honed! I am waiting for my Norton 4/8k waterstone to come in and am very excited to learn how to hone, but I think it would be wise to have a honemeister do it the first time. I did order a cheapo Gold-Dollar to learn to hone with, so I don't ruin the DOVO straight away.

Overall I am very happy with my first attempt! No blood, only minor irritation, and a big smile! Just thought I'd share!

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I've been straight shaving for 2 1/2 years and still share your enthusiasm. It's enjoyable for me to relive the initial excitement of starting from another new member. Please keep us posted on your progress and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Here's an article I think you'll enjoy reading: Is Straight Razor Shaving for You? - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com.

This video gave me a snapshot of everything involved in straight razor shave and made it look doable for a beginner: World Of Straight Razor DVD - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

This YouTube video was the most helpful in teaching me how to shave with a straight: Chimensch's Shaving Video - YouTube

This video demonstrated the entire honing process with a Norton 4/8K stone: gssixgun Honing on a Norton 4-8 - YouTube. Your Dovo probably won't need as much work as the one in the demonstration.

This is one of several excellent stropping videos posted by members here: straight razor stropping - YouTube. There are also excellent videos by members Jimbo and Afdavis11.

Congrats wet shaver!! I too did the same thing when I first got my Dovo 6/8 Best Quality . . . couldn't wait to get started, so I stropped it and gave it a drag; in fact I shaved with it at least 5 times before sending it off to someone to hone. When it came back I was REALLY surprised how much better it was.

Welcome to the addiction. :beer1:

Welcome! Glad to hear you shipped the dovo out to have it honed. Your face will thank you! Best of luck with learning to hone. It is an art form for sure!

Well I got my Gold Dollar shave-ready SR in the mail today....Stropped it up, and went in to try and shave with it, and it went reasonably well I think! I didn't nick myself which is good, but I'm still getting a lot of post-shave irritation. I'm also going excruciatingly slow until I get more comfortable with the blade in my hand, so could that have something to do with the irritation I'm feeling?

Overall the shave quality was nowhere near what I'd get with a DE, but I think that's to be expected...I'm NOT going to get discouraged yet; heck, it's only my second SR shave!!

Congratulations and continued success with the new razor!

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Originally Posted by jpcwon

Well I got my Gold Dollar shave-ready SR in the mail today....Stropped it up, and went in to try and shave with it, and it went reasonably well I think! I didn't nick myself which is good, but I'm still getting a lot of post-shave irritation. I'm also going excruciatingly slow until I get more comfortable with the blade in my hand, so could that have something to do with the irritation I'm feeling?

Overall the shave quality was nowhere near what I'd get with a DE, but I think that's to be expected...I'm NOT going to get discouraged yet; heck, it's only my second SR shave!!

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Please do not shave any faster than is comfortable. I cut my thumb down to the tendon switching hands about two months into straight shaving because I was concentrating so hard on technique that I wasn't watching what I was doing. It required four stitches, so whatever you do don't rush!

At first I got better results with a DE razor too, but when I mastered the straight, believe me, nothing matches the closeness of a straight razor shave. I still get an outstanding shave with a DE, but the stubble grows back faster and it isn't as smooth.