Nubie from Virginia

Hey everyone just wanted to say Hello, give U some details, and post a question.......There will be many more I am sure!!!!


So I am in northwest VA, in the Shenandoah Valley area.....I was on line one night and I saw a video for shaving with a strait razor so I started to look around. I am in a profession where we have to shave and I was sick of spending so much on razors. So I looked at SRD website to see how much this would cost to switch over. Last week I got my scuttle and a boars head brush. This week it will be shaving cream and pre shave and the week after that I will make my first purchase of a SR.

So question, I have narrowed down my choices to two from SRD

Dovo Black Ebony Bismarck 6/8" Straight Razor

or

Dovo Gentleman 5/8" Straight Razor

I will also purchase the 3 inch black latigo strop with the SRD premium fabric

What do you all think of these razors/strop selections ???

I have watched and will watch several more times all the videos that are available on line...

what else....:thinking:

I am a lefty
Love spending time with the Family
Love playing stupid games on my phone
Love shooting
Love doing Karate/ Jiu jitsu
Active duty Army 7 1/2 years (tours to S Korea and Afghanistan- OEF 2002) Left Army in 2005.

and that's about it. Cant wait to get my first SR and hopefully I wont decapitate myself. Hope to hear from the Virginia crowd!!!

Thanks for having me and go easy on the FNG!!!!:tameshigiri:

Welcome aboard,,,,,,,,,,,Attachment 234977

,any of those choices would be fine.

Will these last????? would love to pass it on to my son some day.....

Yes they will,, if you care for them properly. Visit the Library above & learn about razor & strop maintenance.

Straight Razor Place Library:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Library

Straight Razor Place Library - Straight Razor Place Library

Yes, they last hundreds of years in some cases, there are 1700's razors on Ebay sometimes and many guys here like the Oldies for different reasons but mostly because they shave nice.

You can pick up Premium Shave Ready razors from the classifieds here for very reasonable prices, HaroldG48 is one who comes to mind, his razors are of great fame here, he has helped Many a new guy.

So Brother in arms, Welcome to SRP, we are Glad to have you here.

thanks for the G-2!!!!

Welcome aboard! I'm also in Virginia. I'm in Chesterfield which is just outside of Richmond. You've made some good hardware choices to get started with straight razor shaving. Dovo is a good blade and by ordering from SRD it will come shave ready. Hirlau linked some good resources above and YouTube can be a great resource as well. Welcome to your new journey. Enjoy the ride.

yup been there will be going back!!!!

Cool,

Have you been to that place at short pump???? cant think of name, where they do shaves??? Spa something.....

Heck, I went and looked in the classifieds and saw too many nice razors, the last one was 56$ Shipped ready to rock your 1st straight shave, RodB has a couple up too, I liked the M&D (Militia and Defense) from 1918 with the Canada and Beaver stamped logo.

Now I think I need another razor....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VAPDGUY

Cool,

Have you been to that place at short pump???? cant think of name, where they do shaves??? Spa something.....

---

I think you're referring to The Art Of Shaving. No I've not been there. I've heard good things about their shave creams but they are pretty pricey and from what I've heard the staff aren't very knowledgeable about anything beyond what's in the store.

Ill try anything once!!!!

Hi and welcome aboard

Welcome to the Forum

Just bought theses two:

Esbjerg Shaving Cream Amber Cardamon 150gr

Esbjerg Aftershave Gel Amber Cardamon 50ml


and then next week:

Dovo Black Ebony Bismarck 6/8"

Front Strop Variation - 3" Black Latigo Leather
Back Strop Variation - 3" SRD Premium Fabric


question:

how long will these shaving cream and post last????

That can be difficult to say, kinda depends on how often you shave and how much you use per shave. At minimum 3-5 months to maybe more than a year I'd say for the cream. When I had a beard, I had shaving cream last years... The AS is impossible for me to say, never used any.

Welcome to the forum.

Hello and welcome aboard! I'm also in Virginia, down in the Hampton Roads area about 15 miles south of Norfolk. I haven't tried the Esbjerg (yet!) but I regularly use the Baume.be cream, which comes in the same size jar. I'd say the 3 - 5 month estimate is spot on, you'll probably end up using less per shave as you gain experience. Even after a couple of decades, I still tend to overload my brush when using a new soap or cream and back down once I've gotten a feel for it. Good luck and enjoy!

Should be here on tues and I will give all of you a review of it soon!!! Thanks for the welcome and the advice!!!

So i got in the shaving cream and after shave gel. The cream is a pretty good size and it builds a good later even for a newbie like me. The smell is very earthy and im not sure if i like it. But it is a good product and i am happy with it. I think i am going to try some proraso products if i can sneak them in with the next order. Would like to try the sandlewood line.

Sounds like you're getting "SAD", maybe try getting some samples? I know Maggard's and Old Town Shaving carry samples of just about everything between the two.

So I found this great site that has samples size about 2.5 oz for 2.50 a piece. the site is called men essentials and they are based in CA. They have a good selection, but a lot of the samples are sold out. I hope that they are back in stock soon. I found quite a few that I really can wait to try. For all of you old-timers out there:

if you guys know of sites that have these sample size deals please let us newbies know. I really wish I had found this site before that purchase.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dinnermint

Sounds like you're getting "SAD", maybe try getting some samples? I know Maggard's and Old Town Shaving carry samples of just about everything between the two.

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ShoeBox ShaveShop Gourmet Luxury Shave Kit

Soaps Samples

Garry's Sample Shop

Here's all that I know of at the moment. Although, I have only used Maggard's, waiting to use those up before I hit Old Town and Mama Bear.

So I received the sample Pack today. I immediately opened the CF cedar and sandelwood and I'll be honest, wasn't a fan of the smell. However the CF Lavender smelled awsome and I cant wait to try it. I opened the:
Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar Shaving Cream and I tried it. What was phenomenal was I put less then a quarter size into my bowl and started to work up a lather. This stuff EXPLODED in my bowl. There was so much later I ended up shaving twice. It smelled great and the lather gave a smooth shave. Just wanted to let you guys know if you were interested in this brand.

So I tried another sample today. From Geo F. Trumper the type was GFT. I thought I was another good lather really good shave. One question I did have is shave direction. Do you guys always go WTG, ATG, & CTG? Does it matter? Thanks for your answers.

I shave with the grain, then cross the grain. I only do against the grain on my neck since geography makes the north-south passes most convenient.

In my opinion, with you being new to the straight, I would suggest maybe 2 WTG passes until you start getting more comfortable. After a week or two the muscle memory will start kicking in and the you can do 1 WTG and 1 XTG. For me personally I rarely bother with ATG passes but that you'll have to decide that for you. Ultimately, you just need to see what works for you and your beard. For now I would focus on proper technique and getting comfortable shaves. The closeness will come as your technique improves. Enjoy the ride. :gl:

So realizing that everyone is different, can I ask you how long does your shave normally last. I can tell ya that even though I am "old" I still have a bit of a baby face.

If I'm just doing my face it's usually about 15 minutes. If I'm shaving my head as well it's more like 25-30 minutes. I'm a night shaver so I usually don't have to feel rushed. Your speed will naturally increase as you become more comfortable and fluid with the blade. Whatever you do, don't rush with a straight, especially when you are new!! Take your time and learn what works best for you and enjoy the shave. If you are pressed for time, grab a DE.

Welcome from another Virginian!
As to how long the shaves last, in the beginning they were 45+ minutes. Now, if I'm not shooting video and blabbing a lot, about 10 minutes with 2 passes and touch up. Your speed will naturally increase with your skill and confidence in using the straight.

Oh I'm sorry I wasn't clear, I ment how long until you would have to shave again... I am in a job where I have to maintain a "clean-shaven" appearance. Reference my name for job...lol

PS another newbie from VA just posted in beginner section and was looking for folks in the NOVA area.

Poolshark is his name.

Every day, IME.
Thanks for your service to residents of VA.

I usually shave every other day, 36 hours would be "ideal". A perfect shave gets me close to 48 hours, but I can't get BBS without serious contortionist skills. My skin is pretty sensitive (at the moment), so shaving everyday would be a mess. I figure I can work up to it, but I'm also pretty lazy and not required to be clean shaven. They hired me here when I had a big ol' bushy beard.

So I survived my first DE shave and didn't kill myself, of course the next day I did it again, and cut my chin....Great job rookie!!!!

Good job!
On cuts and nicks, you want to do your best to concentrate on technique, so you can learn how to shave with as little of that kind of stuff you can.
But...this is shaving, with a sharp blade. Nicks and cuts are going to happen from time to time. It's part of the process. Don't let it get you down.
MHO.

Greetings from Louisiana

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

It right at the point of my chin and now I think it's just not getting enough time to heal between shaves. It's not bad, in fact about an hour from now you won't even be able to tell. But you are right, it like learning to ride a bike, again!! And shout out to my Cajun brother above. Love your state can't wait to come back. It's been a few years. Missing a true muffaletto!!!

Just found another site for samples at maggard.com they have a good stock for samples. Shipping is reasonable too. More CF on the way along with GFT, TOBS, and DR Harris. Picked up some after shave samples too. One week and the big order goes into SRD.