Hi Folks,
Total newbee here. Wife got me a straight razor set for Christmas. I'm struggling a bit, but very slowly making progress. Three attempts with only one nick, but not cutting much beard. Feels like a bit of tug and the blade seems to mostly move over the hair without cutting it. Got some razor burn on the first try, but none since. Still trying to master my right cheek for now, and have had to resort to my multi-blade disposables to finish the job. But I will persist!
I suspect multiple problems that I am trying to address: Mediocre quality razor (Gold Dollar 208) that maybe wasn't sharp enough, too much pressure on the razor and too much pressure on the strop. I have a better razor, but still need to work on the above. I suspect I have rolled the edges of both razors by too much pressure on the strop. I'll be working on that in particular and probably need to strop with some compound or something to get the edge back in shape.
Anyway, I have a couple of razors ordered from WhippedDog.com and have heard good things about Larry (who assures me they will be quite shave ready with no need to strop when they arrive). So I am looking forward to having a solid reference to work from. I also ordered a shavette - which I understand to be a bit of a different beast, but should at least eliminate the issue of an inadequately sharp blade (provided I survive it).
I have been reading lots on this site and seems like a great bunch of people here that I look forward to interacting with. If anyone has any advice on my current situation, I would be happy to hear any thoughts. Would also be interested in meeting up with someone in the area that can give me some first hand help if there is someone out there that is interested.
Happy New Year to all.
Jerry