Thread: Truckin' on the road

Longhaultanker here, truckin' on the road. I'm from Houston, Texas, but I could be anywhere at any give time. I started straight razor shaving about six months ago. When hog deep into it. When I made the decision to do this I went to youtube and started watching videos. Decided to start with honing stones first. Bought full set of Sharpton Glass stones and a Gold Dollar 208. Started honing away. Lynn Abrams, Geofatboy, Drmatt357, Howard Schechter, others influenced me. My first shave on my own honed blade was an experience... not too bad but for that pretty good cut on the left side of my mouth. Things got better. More honing, more stropping. Now I've got 2 Thiers Issard and 2 Dovo of different sizes and points. Oddly, my 7/8 TI square point is giving me my best shaves - tough whiskers on this old man. Right now, my Gold Dollar 208 is still my sharpest.

I want to give a hat tip to the folks at ClassicShaving.com. My last truck run took me to Santa Ana, CA, passing through Palm Springs where CS is located. I called ahead to see if it was alright to stop by. I was greeted by Katie whom I had talked to several times. She introduced me to Will, owner along with his wife. Will gave me the grand tour of CS, showed me numerous products, and we talked for over 2 hours. Best thing I learned was less honing and more stropping. But it was great to visit and get validation that most of what I was doing was on the mark. (Fortunately there was a truck stop very near by). Great folks there!

Congrats! It sounds like you're on the right road!

I'm sorry, I really couldn't help myself.

If your sharpest razor is your Gold Dollar, I have to ask...Were your other four razors pro honed or did you get them with what is known as a factory edge?

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats! It sounds like you're on the right road!

I'm sorry, I really couldn't help myself.

If your sharpest razor is your Gold Dollar, I have to ask...Were your other four razors pro honed or did you get them with what is known as a factory edge?

When I bought the quality razors, they came factory sharp, and I honed them. No disrespect to the pros, but I'm not going to pay someone to sharpen razors after I've spent nearly 2 grand for my new gear. Experience is the best teacher. I'm getting good to excellent shaves on all my razors. The visit to CS and conversation with Will was validation I'm staying between the lines with wheels on the road. I think the GD208 is sharpest because I'm not quite so "careful" with a cheap razor.

I understand what you are saying but unless Will assessed your razors, you are still lacking one experience, which is a known well-honed razor. I'm not trying to argue with you but I do know that a lot of people here thought they had good edges until they experienced a better edge.

I was one of them.

I honed my own razors for about 5 years with just a couple of barber hones and shaved with them and thought all was fine. Then I found SRP, experimented with a lot of hones, and have been improving my honing still to this day. The edges I was able to produce a year after joining SRP were way better than what I knew was possible before. I continue to learn and improve my technique and know full well that my most of edges are a lot better than they were 5 years ago.

If nothing else, I hope that you can find an opportunity to attend a meet-up some time where you can see and learn a lot more in person.

Finally, as a point of reference, this is a video I made of a factory edge. Some consider this to be a shave-able edge, but I guarantee that even if it can remove whiskers, it is not even close to its full potential as a shaver.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I understand what you are saying but unless Will assessed your razors, you are still lacking one experience, which is a known well-honed razor. I'm not trying to argue with you but I do know that a lot of people here thought they had good edges until they experienced a better edge.

I was one of them.

I honed my own razors for about 5 years with just a couple of barber hones and shaved with them and thought all was fine. Then I found SRP, experimented with a lot of hones, and have been improving my honing still to this day. The edges I was able to produce a year after joining SRP were way better than what I knew was possible before. I continue to learn and improve my technique and know full well that my most of edges are a lot better than they were 5 years ago.

If nothing else, I hope that you can find an opportunity to attend a meet-up some time where you can see and learn a lot more in person.

Finally, as a point of reference, this is a video I made of a factory edge. Some consider this to be a shave-able edge, but I guarantee that even if it can remove whiskers, it is not even close to its full potential as a shaver.

I agree with Utopian, You will NEVER know until you try a pro honed razor. As a truck driver myself with over 30 years experience OTR and O/O you might be able to relate. Think of all the new drivers on the road that have three weeks training under their belt and a few more weeks with a trainer that has a year OTR. How many of those drivers have you come across that thought they knew EVERYTHING about truck driving. I have been using a straight razor since before I had hair on my face thanks to my Grand Dad but I still have more to learn and the same goes for driving a truck. Oh, and welcome to SRP, sit back, relax and prepare to go broke.

Hi and welcome. There are more than a couple Texans here could help you with checking your edges for you without paying for a honing. As an added bonus you get to talk all things razors with another addict. Meet ups are another way and always good fun. If on the road you could always pop into a local meet wherever you are. Sure the blokes would welcome you.

Howdy there Longhaultanker from one Texan to another. There are a few members here in the Houston area. I'm in Sugar Land & I'm sure you know where that is. I have lots of respect for truckers when I rode to Milwaukee & back on my Harley in 2008 but no respect from small vehicles while riding through 180 miles pouring rain from Hurricane Gustav on my way home. It seems you have done your homework. Lots of good info here too along with many knowledgable members. Any questions just ask.
Good luck my friend.

Originally Posted by engine46

Howdy there Longhaultanker from one Texan to another. There are a few members here in the Houston area. I'm in Sugar Land & I'm sure you know where that is. I have lots of respect for truckers when I rode to Milwaukee & back on my Harley in 2008 but no respect from small vehicles while riding through 180 miles pouring rain from Hurricane Gustav on my way home. It seems you have done your homework. Lots of good info here too along with many knowledgable members. Any questions just ask.

Good luck my friend.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I welcome all the help I can get. I want to learn as much as I can about this new hobby. Meet ups, one on one, all good. I had to go to Palm Spings Ca for some coaching. Just kidding. My visit to classic shaving.com was great, along with all the great stuff on YouTube.

Welcome to the forum Longhaultanker.

Just got home from my Calif. run. Wow, I was surprised to see all those posts telling/suggesting I get a pro honed razor all because I said my GD208 was still my sharpest. I might suggest a re-read of my original post. Yes, all my razors were inspected by Will at classicshaving.com. I carried my kit to their shop and we went over every aspect of straight razor shaving, including a demonstration of my stropping. Will offered tips and suggestions, which in fact I was looking for. As I said, validation was received that I was on the right road. As to honing, I didnt just buy one or two stones, but a full set of Sharpton Glass stones, namely 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, and 30k, on the way. I am anxious to learn and practice all I can. That's why I stopped at CS in Palm Springs, and watch all those videos on YouTube. Truck drivers don't have a lot to do at night but read a book or surf internet. I bought my two Dovos from CS. Will was only too glad to receive this simple truck driver. My TIs, from 2 vendors at Amazon.com. When I called with questions I was brushed off. I sensed an elitism I hope I don't find here. Let's have fun with this great hobby and help each other get better.