The time is near!

Hello all. I am a new member to the community. I have been shaving with a Merkur DE effort about 11 years now. I haven't bought anything fancy yet. Just been using the same Merkur travel DE the whole time. I also have a Merkur HD Slant that I use on occasion if I have gone a few days without shaving, but for the most part stick to my trusty little rasor. Paired up with feather blades I get a comfortable satisfying shave that I've never felt needed changing. I have about a dozen soaps and creams that I use and that's about the extent of my straying.

I am very comfortable with my razor and it has traveled the world with me. I've personally experienced how the TSA friends upon a case of razor blades. Lol. I now keep them in my check in bag. This 1 single Merkur has provided nice shaves and comfort in places such as Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan to name a few.

Anyways, I just recently (yesterday) ordered a basic Dovo straight and 3 inch strop from Straight Razor Designs. I don't know if there are any more to come after that, but I am determined to learn how to use this new razor completely. Maybe my usual shave will take double the time initially, but the wife will just have to deal with it. Lol.

I appreciate the wealth of information here on this site. I may not have much to contribute at this time, but eventually I will know the ins and outs of this new journey and will hopefully then be able to return knowledge back to the community.

I am happy to take any advice that comes my way.

Welcome to the forum. Ask questions - someone will help.

You might put your town in your avatar. Members may live close by.

Here is a link to find members near you.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/memberlist.php?do=search

Do not strop the razor for the first shave. Coming from Lynn, it is good to go. I don't even wipe off the oil. The soap will take care of that.

Great intro, Garza! Welcome.

I feel I must need to thank you for your service!

You have done well in your purchase. Watch videos on the shave and those on stropping.
(I can personally recommend those by Lynn)

Taking care of your face and your edge is paramount.

Welcome to SRP

As you ban see, there's a lot of great folks and info here. Check out the library

Enjoy and have fun!!

And thank you for your service sir

Welcome aboard.
A Merkur DE is my go to " crap late for a meeting cause I slept in" grab even after I switched to a proper straight.
Great first purchase and as others have said, read, ask, and take it gentle. Just shave the lather, not the face, and the whiskers will fall.
And also as others have mentioned thank you for your service. The entire continent benefits from your commitment,,so thanks from the north.
:tu

Thank you everyone for the great welcome. I appreciate the quick replies and am already seeing that this community is a great one.

Welcome to SRP!

Welcome to SRP, Garzaci! I hope you find shaving with a straight razor even more enjoyable than your Merkur DE. It does take some time to develop the skill, but keep at it and before long you will be impressed I'm sure.

As you can already tell, this is a welcoming community so ask any questions that come to mind as you learn this exciting way of shaving.

Hi and welcome. Start slow and finish with the de. Add areas as comfortable and before long you will pick it up. Good luck with your shaves.

Hello and welcome to SRP.
We're all here to help so don't be shy.
Enjoy your time here on the forum and have fun.

Pete <:-}

Welcome Garzaci!
I will warn you that you are wrong on one thing. Your shave will take far longer than double the time initially IF you try to do the full shave with your new straight razor. If time is an issue, then the last thing that you should do is rush your straight shave. If you are pressed for time, stick with the DE. For other times, start with the straight and do the best that you can for as long as you are willing and then finish up with the DE Over time the amount you do with the straight will increase.

Welcome to SRP!! Probably best you are in a, "... time matters not...", situation when first learning with a SR... Not that many have taken our own advice initially but rather are telling you things we wished we would have done when starting out to avoid a lot of hassle and possibly blood-shed. ;) :D

Take your time, enjoy your journey and most of all have fun!!

Shawn
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good luck with the Dovo, make sure you don't dull the edge stropping when you first get it.

So the day finally came. My razor was delivered on Monday but I was out of town until today. When I finally made it home today I jumped in the shower with enthusiasm knowing that when I got out I would finally get a chance to try out my new razor.

So here's how it went. I always shave after a shower. It just seems to work better for me. I'm standing at the mirror as usual lathering some Mitchell's Wool Fat on my face. I pick up the razor, just about to touch steel to face and I have an instant realization that I am extremely vulnerable at the moment. Maybe, I should be a little more cautious and put at least some shorts on. I could see disaster if for some unknown reason I dropped the razor. So, I regrouped with a pair of shorts on knowing that I took due diligence and protected what's sacred.

I did not take much advice and decided instead to trudge through this operation trusting that I would come through without needing pints of O positive to continue my life. Maybe it was impatience or lack of knowledge or maybe it was just stubbornness to learn my own mistakes. But that's what I did. So I lathered my trusty soap and seeing for the fences like I've been doing this for years.

Right off the bat, I got resistance. The bloody razor did not want to cut hair. I was imagining a hot knife through butter, but instead it felt like I was trying to cut down the Amazon with a weed eater. So I pushed forward. This must be what it feels like to get a bikini wax on your face. So I pause for a moment. I trust that Lynn at SRD shed a tear after the edge he put on this piece of steel. But I'm also not ready to admit that it's my fault so through a quick process of elimination I decide Mitchell's sheep had been hitting the gym lately and their body fat percentages just weren't up to par anymore.

So I put the razor down and wash all of Mitchell's new skinny sheep formula off my face and decide to try Musgo. Now let me tell you, Musgo and I have been through 2 separate combat zones together. I know what he needs and he knows what I need. So after taking my time and making sure I have a great lather with Musgo I again swing for the fences. This time it's as effective as Shaq at the free throw line. I set my razor down and decide that I no longer care for Lynn. Lynn and his Naniwa can eat poop. If I saw that stupid stone I would throw it in the ocean.

So after I decide what I'm gonna do if I ever meet Lynn I decide to try again. I gently place the razor back on my face right where I want my sideburn to end and give it a go. No resistance. The razor glides across my face. I feel no pain so I set the razor back down. And make sure I actually shaved hair off my face. Yes I did. I try again and it works again. I instantly try to train myself to do exactly the same thing over and over again.

I finish the right side of my face, switch hands and ever so slowly shave the left side of my face. Of course I'm stubborn and the initial plans to do my neck with my DE are changed and I decide to use my new razor. It was slow and inefficient, but I made it through and didn't lose a single drop of blood. Other than a little irritation on the bottom of my neck I successfully completed my first shave.

Lynn, no hard feelings. The blade you provided me with is excellent. Your Naniwa is safe.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the shave. :)

So I'm a little over a week into shaving with a straight razor. The only real trouble area I'm having is my neck on the left side. I believe as I get more proficient though with my left hand that challenge will disappear.

I did not strop before my first or second shave. I was advised not to before the first time and I decided not to the second time hoping that the blade had enough left to give me a second shave. Before my third shave I took my time and stropped 50 full times. I made sure each pass was aligned well before I moved the razor in the slightest. After that first stropping I was amazed at how different my shave felt. It was truly smooth. The razor felt sharp the first time I ever used it but this time it felt smooth. I could tell it was sharp but it didn't feel like that.

I have subsequently done 50 full passes before every shave since then.

I don't know if what I've said about the stropping makes complete sense, but I could definitely tell the difference.

Congrats on the successful shaves

And yes stropping=smooth. I go no less than 100 passes on leather after 30-50 on linen.
Also do 30 or so on the linen after each shave.

Keep it up, enjoy and have fun

Thanks man. I've actually been nervous to use the linen so I haven't touched it yet.

I've wondered about stropping after my shave but have been hesitant because I remember reading somewhere that you shouldn't due to the edge needing time to naturally straighten back up some over the course of a few hours. I honestly have just been taking an over abundance of caution because I didn't know what was right.

Cannot strop enough! Before and after.
All sounds good! :tu

Stropping on linen after shaving dries the edge and removes any soap or dead skin remaining after wiping the blade off. I do 15 on linen and 20 on leather after each shave.


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Aloha Garzaci!

I originally joined SRP for ideas on traveling with my Straight Razor. I've traveled heavily in the last 25 years and since 2001, traveling with blades in a carry-on is a TSA no-go. Sure, they can sneak through at times, especially one blade in a razor, but it's a no-no. And a straight razor? A straight razor will be confiscated faster than you can say "But it's only my razor not a weapon".

Many of us have a DE (I happen to have a Merkur as well) and I use it often. Yet I prefer my straight razor in most situations. But like a previous poster stated, it's handy when I'm running late to just grab the DE. And for traveling, it's always been my DE until recently. I now have a travel strop that I put it in a checked bag with my blade. I also carry my DE in my carry on (no blades). My blades of choice are Voskhod, so if I am gong to be in one place for a while, I'll simply mail some blades to my location. I have some status on my airlines of choice so I get a free checked bag, but honestly, it's a bit of a pain. I prefer traveling light with carry-on only.

Sounds like you have a great start on straight razor shaving. Keep up the good work. As you know, this is THE place for help.

-Zip