Thread: The old new fellow

Glad you are making progress Rob. One thing that helped me in learning to shave with either hand was a suggestion by an old member, Dannywonderful. In my case I used a 'shavette' with no blade, but you could use a long comb, a butter knife ....... Go through the motions of shaving with one of those instruments in your mirror. Once you get the hang of it do it while watching TV or whatever.

If you're like me you'll find that it aids in developing the muscle memory and dexterity to actually maneuver the razor when shaving.

Congrats on the shave success so far. Another tip for your left hand is to do some of the small things like brush your teeth, comb your hair etc with your left hand to he build the mind muscle link

Cool!!!!!!
I'm glad you got your Christmas present's! Have fun with them & enjoy the experience & the old way of doing things.............................the way it should be & should have always been.

Update, I got a DFS this morning (Dang Fair Shave - "Dang" because I can't believe I got it) even though I decided to give it a go when I had to be somewhere early. Normally, I would take my time on a lazy morning, but I thought if I'm going to do this, I need to start out like I mean to hold out. I got a fair shave, but I did get a few more nicks than I would like. One nick is more than I would like! I still think that hairs shave better when there are more of them to shave, so maybe I'll lay off for a day or three and try it again on Saturday. I figure my blade must be good or I would cut myself all over and have burn everywhere, but since I only have issues in places I always seem to have issues with any razor, then I guess I'm doing pretty well. I have also gone back to watching videos and things to pick up on subtleties that I didn't notice the first time...like various grips, stroke lengths, etc. It's funny, in some places I can shave just as easily and effectively, but in others, like the places where my face is trying to reach the floor, I would probably be better off just trying to cut that part out of my face. I have also removed the blade from the cheap chinese shavette to practice strokes in the mirror a time or two. I shave great with a bladeless shavette, just not so close! I haven't cut myself with it once! Oddly enough, I was pretty good with my off hand this morning. I think another issue for a newbie like me is simply getting used to handling a surgically sharp blade. It's one thing with a big handle and a sheath, but make it little, light, shiny, and super scary sharp, and I get all jittery and stuff. Again I appreciate all of the support. Thus far I'm pretty satisfied, and I realize that improvement will come with time and repetition. It is kind of humbling to think that once upon a time, all men shaved this way...except I guess those who couldn't master it went to the barber. I figure if I want something done right, I've got to learn to do it myself. Happy New Year gents.

Really great to see you're persevering, I had loads of problems with my left hand but about 100 shaves in it seems to be my best hand now smoother strokes and lighter pressure. I agree with your comments about different angles and holds, funny thing is I can't tell you when all this came together, it just sort of happened. Also I can now tell when a razor needs some work as my technique has improved to the extent I know it's not the way I'm using the blade. Keep us informed on your progress.