Hello SRP, this is Matt from Germany

Hi,


I'm Matt from Germany and I'm new to this forum and to shaving with a straight razor.


I had my first shave with a double-edged safety razor (Merkur 23C) a couple of weeks ago and it went quite well. Quickly after that, the idea of shaving with a SR grew on me. I went and purchased a Dovo "Barbarossa".

That shave did not go as well. I think I did okay, got the job done, just the dominant hand, little bit of blood.

I think the Dovo came shave ready, but I'm a noob with my first SR, so I can't really tell. It was tree-topping arm air quite nicely. It also appeared to cut well enough during the shave.

After the second and third shave, looking into some other razors, some videos on youtube, some jnats,... I'm quite sure that this is a hobby I might have to be careful not to go too crazy with it. But one or two more razors wouldn't hurt, especially when I'm more experienced in using them. And some of them just look oh so beautiful to me already.


Yeah, so, there's a whole lot for me to learn. Looking forward to reading through all the info here and to having some good chats with you guys.


That's it from me for now, see you around

Matt

Welcome to the forum
Enjoy your time here p

Welcome to the forum. Yes, you are jumping in to the end of the pool by going quickly to shaving with a straight razor. I would read what is in the forums library before going any deeper into it.

It takes time to learn how to make a good lather which helps immensely in getting a good shave, it takes time to learn how to strop a razor properly where you don't degrade the edge while doing it and about 100 shaves with a straight razor before you get consistently decent shaves. While learning to shave with a straight razor you will dull the edge faster too. Be prepared to send the razor out to be honed more frequently than normal or learn to touch up the razor yourself. If you elect to learn to touch up the razor yourself, that leads to another learning curve too.

All that is said not to discourage you but warn you what you will have to be prepared to do. It can be a long and at times frustrating journey that needs a lot of patience to get through. When you do get through it there is a great deal of satisfaction to be had in the end.

Bob

Hi Matt,

Pleased to meet you.

I was stationed in Paderborn for 5 years.

I don't understand not going too crazy with it, course you should :rock:

Dovo razors recently have had a poor reputation as far as their factory edges being shave ready. There is a difference between sharp, even tree-topping sharp, and honed properly enough to be termed shave ready.

You have to start with a properly honed razor. The Dovo you purchased is a good razor and should provide excellent shaves for a lifetime once honed. properly. I suggest you send yours out for a professional honing. We have members from Germany and elsewhere in Europe who can offer some suggestions.

Then you have to master the techniques of stropping a straight razor to maintain that edge and of shaving with a straight razor to optimize it’s use. Check out the beginner section on the SRP home page for some specific suggestions.

We have a lot of members with a lot of expertise who are qquite willing to share it with a new member.

Welcome and enjoy the experience.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobH

Welcome to the forum. Yes, you are jumping in to the end of the pool by going quickly to shaving with a straight razor. I would read what is in the forums library before going any deeper into it.

It takes time to learn how to make a good lather which helps immensely in getting a good shave, it takes time to learn how to strop a razor properly where you don't degrade the edge while doing it and about 100 shaves with a straight razor before you get consistently decent shaves. While learning to shave with a straight razor you will dull the edge faster too. Be prepared to send the razor out to be honed more frequently than normal or learn to touch up the razor yourself. If you elect to learn to touch up the razor yourself, that leads to another learning curve too.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DZEC

You have to start with a properly honed razor. The Dovo you purchased is a good razor and should provide excellent shaves for a lifetime once honed. properly. I suggest you send yours out for a professional honing. We have members from Germany and elsewhere in Europe who can offer some suggestions.

Then you have to master the techniques of stropping a straight razor to maintain that edge and of shaving with a straight razor to optimize it’s use. Check out the beginner section on the SRP home page for some specific suggestions.

---

If I were starting out, all over again, I'd follow these rules:

• Learn to face-lather. Learn to do a proper three-pass shave. Learn your beard. Until you do, keep shaving with a DE.
• Stick with a single straight razor, brush, and shaving soap.
• Learn to shave with both hands.
• Buy an inexpensive, 3" strop.
• Always buy "used" razors.
• Don't buy any hones!

Smooth shaving!

Hello Matt and welcome. Yes it is true that there is a lot to learn for it to go smoothly but it goes faster than it sounds. Before you know it things start to improve and then you realize that you're getting good results and wonder how you didn't always. Just take your time and don't get frustrated. You'll get the hang of it. Definitely read the beginners section and definitely watch some videos but be careful about which ones. There are some clowns on YouTube that will steer you wrong. Pretty much any you see recommended here will be helpful

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matt84

... I'm quite sure that this is a hobby I might have to be careful not to go too crazy with it. But one or two more razors wouldn't hurt, especially when I'm more experienced in using them. And some of them just look oh so beautiful to me already.

---

That's what I said about 180 razors ago. :rofl2: Be sure to watch out for the various acquisition disorders like:
RAD: razor acquisition disorder
HAD: hone acquisition disorder
SAD: strop acquisition disorder and soap acquisition disorder...

You get the idea. And don't count on anyone here to save you from these maladies as there are enablers around every turn here. Basically, we will help you fall down the rabbit holes every time.:tu

Enjoy your stay and feel free to ask questions because someone is always here to help.

Hi Matt and welcome to SRP.
Enjoy the learning process and your time here on the forum.

Pete <:-}

Welcome to our site.

You've gotten some really great advice here.

The only thing I would say is to get that razor honed by a pro who does razors and preferably shaves with one too.

Then I'll second learning to use that strop. Start with a butter knife to learn pressure and position. You can ruin an edge on a strop very easily if you are ham handed with it.

Other than that it just takes practice, a lot of practice.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rolodave

Welcome to the forum
Enjoy your time here p

---

Thanks rolodave!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobH

Welcome to the forum. Yes, you are jumping in to the end of the pool by going quickly to shaving with a straight razor. I would read what is in the forums library before going any deeper into it.

It takes time to learn how to make a good lather which helps immensely in getting a good shave, it takes time to learn how to strop a razor properly where you don't degrade the edge while doing it and about 100 shaves with a straight razor before you get consistently decent shaves. While learning to shave with a straight razor you will dull the edge faster too. Be prepared to send the razor out to be honed more frequently than normal or learn to touch up the razor yourself. If you elect to learn to touch up the razor yourself, that leads to another learning curve too.

All that is said not to discourage you but warn you what you will have to be prepared to do. It can be a long and at times frustrating journey that needs a lot of patience to get through. When you do get through it there is a great deal of satisfaction to be had in the end.

Bob

---

Thanks Bob,

I will definitely go through the forums library to educate myself. I also watched a couple of how-to videos before I gave it a try.

Good point on the stropping and the lather. I will try to hone the razors myself at some point, I already have some stones for knive sharpening. But I will start with cheap razors and also will send my Dovo to someone who's good at honing to have a reference and a feeling for how a decent edge should shave.

Thanks for taking a moment to give some valuable advices. Not discouraging at all, if I wanted it easy, I would have taken a different route for sure. We'll see how it's working out after another 97 shaves.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STF

Hi Matt,

Pleased to meet you.

I was stationed in Paderborn for 5 years.

I don't understand not going too crazy with it, course you should :rock:

---

Hi STF,

thanks, pleased to meet you as well.

I would be lying, if I said I know Paderborn very well. I'm from the south of Germany and I've been to Paderborn only once. I hope you had a good time there and enjoyed staying in Germany for quite a long while.

Also, thank you for your service.

You know, trying not to break the bank. Already got some razors on my wishlist, some seem to be unobtainium.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DZEC

Dovo razors recently have had a poor reputation as far as their factory edges being shave ready. There is a difference between sharp, even tree-topping sharp, and honed properly enough to be termed shave ready.

You have to start with a properly honed razor. The Dovo you purchased is a good razor and should provide excellent shaves for a lifetime once honed. properly. I suggest you send yours out for a professional honing. We have members from Germany and elsewhere in Europe who can offer some suggestions.

Then you have to master the techniques of stropping a straight razor to maintain that edge and of shaving with a straight razor to optimize it’s use. Check out the beginner section on the SRP home page for some specific suggestions.

We have a lot of members with a lot of expertise who are qquite willing to share it with a new member.

Welcome and enjoy the experience.

---

Hi DZEC,

when I said my first shave with that Dovo didn't go as well, I meant it wasn't as easy as with the Merkur. But that was to be expected. I wouldn't blame the factory edge, tho. I like the brand. Don't want to feed the poor reputation, when the real problem was me not knowing how to shave.

The areas that were the easiest for me to shave actually went smooth and felt really good. Areas where I did too many passes and where I had some nicks of course not. But the blade was cutting cleanly without tugging or pulling, even against the grain. Just wanted to clarify that.

After my first stropping attempts and the three newbie-shaves it definitely decreased in keenness, that's why I certainly need to let it get honed.

thanks for the welcome and taking your time to help a newbie find his way

Cheers

Welcome to the forum. Unless you were told the DOVO was shave ready it was most likely factory edge. Maybe there is someone near you that hones professionally. If so have it honed and you will know what shave ready is. Go slow with stropping. Start by laying it on a flat surface and make sure the spine and edge are in constant contact with the strop. Light pressure. Poor stropping can ruine an edge very quickly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JBHoren

If I were starting out, all over again, I'd follow these rules:

• Learn to face-lather. Learn to do a proper three-pass shave. Learn your beard. Until you do, keep shaving with a DE.
• Stick with a single straight razor, brush, and shaving soap.
• Learn to shave with both hands.
• Buy an inexpensive, 3" strop.
• Always buy "used" razors.
• Don't buy any hones!

Smooth shaving!

---

Hi JBHoren,
thanks for sharing! 3" strop is on its way

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Hello Matt and welcome. Yes it is true that there is a lot to learn for it to go smoothly but it goes faster than it sounds. Before you know it things start to improve and then you realize that you're getting good results and wonder how you didn't always. Just take your time and don't get frustrated. You'll get the hang of it. Definitely read the beginners section and definitely watch some videos but be careful about which ones. There are some clowns on YouTube that will steer you wrong. Pretty much any you see recommended here will be helpful



That's what I said about 180 razors ago. :rofl2: Be sure to watch out for the various acquisition disorders like:
RAD: razor acquisition disorder
HAD: hone acquisition disorder
SAD: strop acquisition disorder and soap acquisition disorder...

You get the idea. And don't count on anyone here to save you from these maladies as there are enablers around every turn here. Basically, we will help you fall down the rabbit holes every time.:tu

Enjoy your stay and feel free to ask questions because someone is always here to help.

---

Hi PaulFLUS,

thanks for the encouraging words. I'm pretty optimistic that I'll get the hang of it. Will definitely read the beginner section.

180 razors !? Like...do they have their own room?

But I know how it is. Got about 50 flashlights. With knives and watches I kept it at bay.

RAD? I could see myself owning 5-10 razors, max.
HAD? Well. I have some Naniwas from 400-10K, for razors I might need something to finish.
SAD? I'll stick to what's needed here. I don't see any aesthetic aspects in strops.yet. ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by petercp4e

Hi Matt and welcome to SRP.
Enjoy the learning process and your time here on the forum.

Pete <:-}

---

Hi Pete,
thank you, I will.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Welcome to our site.

You've gotten some really great advice here.

The only thing I would say is to get that razor honed by a pro who does razors and preferably shaves with one too.

Then I'll second learning to use that strop. Start with a butter knife to learn pressure and position. You can ruin an edge on a strop very easily if you are ham handed with it.

Other than that it just takes practice, a lot of practice.

---

Hi thebigspendur,

thank you for the welcome. Good idea with the butter knife, I think I will do that. Even though I got two gold dollars coming from china, It might be a better idea to use a butter knive first in order not to ruin the strop.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by STF

I was stationed in Paderborn for 5 years.

---

Mannheim (Coleman Barracks), 1975/76

This is where they live, most of them at least.
Attachment 340712
My current rotation lives in a barber's box on the counter next to the sink.
Attachment 340713
Also, there are razors in various stages of restoration in different places around my workshop.
But even though that sounds like a lot there are guys here who have several times as many as I do.

Also, be forewarned, you will nick the first strop. I don't think I know anyone who hasn't nicked their first one. That's why it's best to get a good inexpensive one. That way you have one that will do the job but will not draw tears if it gets a cut or two. That warning especially goes for heirlooms. We get lots of new members who have received razors or other shaving paraphernalia from a father, uncle, grandfather and even great-grandfather and they want to restore it. Most of us here will encourage them to put it away until they are proficient and even then have it restored by someone who really knows what they are doing. It would be a crying shame to lose great granddad's razor because in your zeal to restore it you damaged it

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome, Matt.
The guys are steering you right so go with what has been said and
BUY MORE RAZORS.
When you have to start a Spreadsheet to keep track of them then you are a newbie. Until then...
:beer1:

Welcome aboard

Willkomen,
Guten rasieren

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by matt84

Hi JBHoren,
thanks for sharing! 3" strop is on its way



Hi PaulFLUS,

thanks for the encouraging words. I'm pretty optimistic that I'll get the hang of it. Will definitely read the beginner section.

180 razors !? Like...do they have their own room?

But I know how it is. Got about 50 flashlights. With knives and watches I kept it at bay.

RAD? I could see myself owning 5-10 razors, max.
HAD? Well. I have some Naniwas from 400-10K, for razors I might need something to finish.
SAD? I'll stick to what's needed here. I don't see any aesthetic aspects in strops.yet. ;-)


Hi Pete,
thank you, I will.



Hi thebigspendur,

thank you for the welcome. Good idea with the butter knife, I think I will do that. Even though I got two gold dollars coming from china, It might be a better idea to use a butter knive first in order not to ruin the strop.

---

I cut my first strop up pretty good but as long as it's not cut in half, they can usually be repaired.

I'm still using that first strop today. It's an English Bridal leather and it's been repaired a few times. It's not the prettiest but it still works well.

@CrescentCityRazors is our resident Gold Dollar expert. Most of the guys will probably warn you off Gold Dollars. Their not great but I got one shortly after I first started learning to hone my own razors to practice on, I have it in my rotation at the moment and it shaves well.

CrescentCityRazors has a foolproof method to hone those GD without expensive stones because you do know those GD's won't be shave ready when they arrive eh and I doubt you want to send cheap Chinese razors that only cost a couple of Marks out for honing. That's assuming you can find someone willing to hone a Gold Dollar, a lot won't.

You have a couple of GD's coming, that's OK but you really should go to our B/S/T (Buy/Sell/Trade) section and get a cheap vintage razor there, you can be sure it will absolutely be shave ready if the seller say's it is and it won't cost an arm a leg.

My guess is that you will be very suprised the first time you shave with an actual shave ready razor.

Welcome to the forum! Nice to see new members from other countries. Looks like you've already gotten good advice.

Merkur 23C was my first safety razor. Unfortunately the plating is coming off now. :/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matt84

Thanks Bob,

I will definitely go through the forums library to educate myself. I also watched a couple of how-to videos before I gave it a try.

Good point on the stropping and the lather. I will try to hone the razors myself at some point, I already have some stones for knive sharpening. But I will start with cheap razors and also will send my Dovo to someone who's good at honing to have a reference and a feeling for how a decent edge should shave.

Thanks for taking a moment to give some valuable advices. Not discouraging at all, if I wanted it easy, I would have taken a different route for sure. We'll see how it's working out after another 97 shaves.

---

Do a lot of research on honing straight razors and ask questions here on the forum. Do not think that sharpening a knife is the same as honing a straight razor. Approach honing a straight razor as an entirely new subject. Generally the hones for straight razors begin at a grit level where most knives finish at.

Bob

Matt, you might want to contact Peter. He is in Germany although I'm not sure exactly where. He is a member here. His screen name is hatzicho and he is very knowledgeable about grinding and honing in particular he is the go to guy about historic Thuringian stones and also about razor grinding in Germany.

Here is a thread of his with a link to a website of his.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/vendors...ml#post1938894

I think he might be of help to you at least as a place to get your razors honed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

This is where they live, most of them at least.
Attachment 340712
My current rotation lives in a barber's box on the counter next to the sink.
Attachment 340713
Also, there are razors in various stages of restoration in different places around my workshop.
But even though that sounds like a lot there are guys here who have several times as many as I do.

Also, be forewarned, you will nick the first strop. I don't think I know anyone who hasn't nicked their first one. That's why it's best to get a good inexpensive one. That way you have one that will do the job but will not draw tears if it gets a cut or two. That warning especially goes for heirlooms. We get lots of new members who have received razors or other shaving paraphernalia from a father, uncle, grandfather and even great-grandfather and they want to restore it. Most of us here will encourage them to put it away until they are proficient and even then have it restored by someone who really knows what they are doing. It would be a crying shame to lose great granddad's razor because in your zeal to restore it you damaged it

---

Seems like a neat place to live for so many razors. Didn't know there is a thing called a barber's box, but now that I know, I think I want one. :-)
Oh nice, you got a workshop and restore them yourself? Sounds like fun to me.

Yes, me, I will definitely knick the strop. :rofl2: I ordered a strop on ebay: 3" Duke City Buffalo Straight Razor Strop Black + Dual Linen
Not too expensive and looks quite nice.

Thanks for the warning about the heirlooms, I will limit all my experiments to the gold dollars first.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gasman

Welcome, Matt.
The guys are steering you right so go with what has been said and
BUY MORE RAZORS.
When you have to start a Spreadsheet to keep track of them then you are a newbie. Until then...
:beer1:

---

Thank you Gasman!

Already ordered some...

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by coachschaller

Willkomen,
Guten rasieren

---

Vielen Dank, dir auch einen schönen, scharfen Shave!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by STF

I cut my first strop up pretty good but as long as it's not cut in half, they can usually be repaired.

I'm still using that first strop today. It's an English Bridal leather and it's been repaired a few times. It's not the prettiest but it still works well.

@CrescentCityRazors is our resident Gold Dollar expert. Most of the guys will probably warn you off Gold Dollars. Their not great but I got one shortly after I first started learning to hone my own razors to practice on, I have it in my rotation at the moment and it shaves well.

CrescentCityRazors has a foolproof method to hone those GD without expensive stones because you do know those GD's won't be shave ready when they arrive eh and I doubt you want to send cheap Chinese razors that only cost a couple of Marks out for honing. That's assuming you can find someone willing to hone a Gold Dollar, a lot won't.

You have a couple of GD's coming, that's OK but you really should go to our B/S/T (Buy/Sell/Trade) section and get a cheap vintage razor there, you can be sure it will absolutely be shave ready if the seller say's it is and it won't cost an arm a leg.

My guess is that you will be very suprised the first time you shave with an actual shave ready razor.

---

Yeah, those gold dollars will be guinea pigs. If one survives my honing and actually takes a good edge it qualifies for some rescaling- or laser-experiments.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to buy in the B/S/T section as a newbie, have to check that.

I already ordered a "Fully restored HAMBURG OSBOURNE & GARRET " from a gentleman on ebay who really seems to know what he's doing.

Next big thing on my wishlist would be a vintage japanese SR. There are some that look so freaking good to me, it's crazy. Seems hard to find one in a good condition tho.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JP5

Welcome to the forum! Nice to see new members from other countries. Looks like you've already gotten good advice.

Merkur 23C was my first safety razor. Unfortunately the plating is coming off now. :/

---

Thanks JP5! I think the Merkur will be kept around for when I'm in a hurry.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Matt, you might want to contact Peter. He is in Germany although I'm not sure exactly where. He is a member here. His screen name is hatzicho and he is very knowledgeable about grinding and honing in particular he is the go to guy about historic Thuringian stones and also about razor grinding in Germany.

Here is a thread of his with a link to a website of his.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/vendors...ml#post1938894

I think he might be of help to you at least as a place to get your razors honed.

---

Thanks for the info, I just checked his website, good stuff! I think I might have read some posts from him as I was reading through forums, researching all kinds of hones.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobH

Do a lot of research on honing straight razors and ask questions here on the forum. Do not think that sharpening a knife is the same as honing a straight razor. Approach honing a straight razor as an entirely new subject. Generally the hones for straight razors begin at a grit level where most knives finish at.

Bob

---

Thanks Bob, I've already done a lot of research and will do more. At least it's easier to hold the angle with a razor ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matt84

I ordered a strop on ebay: 3" Duke City Buffalo Straight Razor Strop Black + Dual Linen
Not too expensive and looks quite nice.

---

Duke City!

Thats Micheal Slater, he's a mate of mine in New Mexico.
I have several razors from him, he knows his stuff and his razors are shave ready for sure, he can be trusted.
I actually have one of his black buffalo strops too, except he made mine 2 1/2" for me. Their fast, he said they settle down to a medium draw but i use mine for 100 laps daily. I've had it a while and it's still fast which I like.

Hi Matt,
welcome to SRP! Have only read through - so you might have mentioned that but - which area in Germany are you from?
If there are any questions concerning razors or hones, beside posting here and get best information also don't hesitate to contact me. I live near Frankfurt. So if you are near, there might be a chance for a visit to discuss things in personal, get a honing or have a look how striaght razors are ground.
Enjoy you stay here, you can't find better infos on all things related to straights than at SRP!

Best regards Peter

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by STF

Duke City!

Thats Micheal Slater, he's a mate of mine in New Mexico.
I have several razors from him, he knows his stuff and his razors are shave ready for sure, he can be trusted.
I actually have one of his black buffalo strops too, except he made mine 2 1/2" for me. Their fast, he said they settle down to a medium draw but i use mine for 100 laps daily. I've had it a while and it's still fast which I like.

---

Hey, thanks for the info, cool thing that you know that guy. So it seems like I purchased a decent strop, I'm quite happy to read that you like yours. Mine just has to arrive here and I have to learn how to use it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hatzicho

Hi Matt,
welcome to SRP! Have only read through - so you might have mentioned that but - which area in Germany are you from?
If there are any questions concerning razors or hones, beside posting here and get best information also don't hesitate to contact me. I live near Frankfurt. So if you are near, there might be a chance for a visit to discuss things in personal, get a honing or have a look how striaght razors are ground.
Enjoy you stay here, you can't find better infos on all things related to straights than at SRP!

Best regards Peter

---

Hi Peter,

thanks for stopping by and for the welcome. Your reputation precedes you.

I live near Stuttgart, not too far. Maybe I could really pay you a visit sometime. Would be awesome to see some of that equipment, the cool stuff you show on your homepage! Thanks a lot for the offer, really appreciated! Echt super nett!

Beste Grüße

Welcome to the forum Matt.

Thanks Charlie, nice to meet you.

Hi and welcome aboard.

Welcome to SRP sir!
Glad to see a new member starting straight forward with a straight razor. You will learn to shave in no time.
What we have to learn to do we learn by doing!

Welcome Matt. :beer1:
Look forward to seeing you around on the boards!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eddy79

Hi and welcome aboard.

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Hi eddy, thanks for the welcome.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slur

Welcome to SRP sir!
Glad to see a new member starting straight forward with a straight razor. You will learn to shave in no time.
What we have to learn to do we learn by doing!

---

Hi Slur, thanks for the welcome and the kind words. I think I'm already improving from shave to shave.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Welcome Matt. :beer1:
Look forward to seeing you around on the boards!

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Hi sharptonn, thank you for welcoming me.

I'm also looking forward to seeing you guys around, pleased to meet you.