Thread: Hello from Italy

Hello all, I have wet shaved my entire life using Gilette multi blade cartridges (first 2 blades ... then 3 ... then 4 ... then 5 ... What next?), a badger brush (I bought my first at Taylor's on Jermyn street, London more than 30 years ago) and quality shaving creams or soap (Trumper, Taylor's and some Italian brands I find excellent in terms of price/quality such as Cella and Valobra).
Several months ago I passed to a DE which I much prefer to the multi blades. The transition was simple and required no particular learning curve. Emboldened I quickly moved on to a Dovo straight razor and ..... now I'm stuck.
The beginning was nothing short of a disaster but I kept at it. I patiently went through the videos, read what I could from forums such as SRP and got help from my local razor shop (Home | Preattoni) who knows his stuff and hones wonderfully. I really enjoy the ritual of using a SR and taking care of my blade but the shaves I am getting are unsatisfactory and I still need to finish with my DE if I am to get a smooth shave. I have no intention of quitting but I am beginning to wonder if a good smooth shave is attainable using a SR ... we'll see

Welcome to SRP!

The first 30 or so straight shaves can be rough and usually require a clean up with a different shaving technique.
Stay at it and a smooth shave will come.
Maybe you can get the guy at your local razor shop to show you how to shave. An hour with an experienced user is worth days of videos and reading.

It took me a while to get good shaves with a straight razor when I first started. They will get better with practice and eventually you will no longer need to finish with your DE . But as was suggested by cris, you can benefit greatly from an experienced user.

Assuming your razor was honed proficiently, it could also be that you dulled your edge due to poor stropping technique. I say this because it is a frequent problem with beginners.

If the people at Preattoni do not offer a one on one tutorial, you can reach out to an experienced member near you.

Chimensch is an experienced straight razor user and a member of this forum. I believe he lives in Modena.

Welcome to the forum. You do need a lot of patience when learning to shave with a straight razor as it has a looong learning curve for most people. It has been suggested here that you should give yourself about 3 months more or less to get to the point of acceptable shaves. It is just not as easy as it looks.

Hang in there and if at all possible find a mentor for some one on one tutoring. If you have any questions be sure and ask.

Bob

I'm curious as to which stones that they use

Hi and welcome. As said 3 months of daily shaving or 100 shaves is a good benchmark for achieving good shaves and getting your stropping right as well.

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome,

What angle is your DE to your skin when you get these good shaves?

Is your straight the same?

Are you sure he's good at honing? He seems to sell tobacco in his shop. Just asking, that's all.

Welcome to the forum Flippo. There are a few members from your country on here. If you could get some one on one experience, that would be a plus. Keep reading & watching video's on honing & such. Just be patient & keep at it. It will just get better & better. The transition from cartridge to straight razor was a major one for me although I sported a beard most of that time. It was like going from dial up internet to high speed, no going back. You will see that it will become a wonderful ritual every time you shave.
Great to have you here.
Good luck my friend.