Hello all,

In my first 30 years of shaving I only used Gilette Contour. The results were always so-so. It was smooth with razor burn or no razor burn but still whiskers. Never having thought that DE shaving was still around, I knew no better than to plough on with the double-blade marketing nonsense. Only three months ago someone pointed me to the DE.

The hot-towel treatment, pre- and after the shave, I tried and included in my usual shaving routine with a DE Gillette Slimboy. Also using a decent soap, I now have Proraso (green) and Taylor (Sandalwood), added to the joy of a good shave. Having had a couple of months experience with that and getting BBS shaves I knew I wanted to go and try straight razor shaving. But I also knew there was a lot to learn

I started out with reading a lot on this forum and also on Badger and Blade. Then I started with a buying Lynn’s DVD and after more reading on every site I found, I quickly became hooked on the whole straight razor experience. I got a Dovo Best Quality 5/8 razor, a Maestro Livi custom loom strop and a Belgian Coticule at Lynn’s and Don’s at SRD.

At the same time I ordered a small strop, with canvas back, and the Norton 4000/8000 combo stone. Reading about how to lap the stones with waterproof sandpaper on a flat surface I got the Norton and the Coticule as flat as I could and nicely chamfered on the edges. I was ready to go.

Now the Dovo came Lynn-sharp and straight out of the box I gave myself my first straight shave with it, phff! I was sweating like old steam engine, afraid to get myself injured. After I finished I checked my face and going to the E.R wasn’t necessary but a nick or two couldn’t be avoided. But I had completed it, tada.

After a first few shaves only doing WTG strokes, I took the plunge and also did XTG strokes on the cheeks and ATG on the neck. I couldn’t believe the result. Never had I felt so smooth and so good for so long. I was truly amazing!

Meanwhile I also had ordered a Revisor 6-0004 because I thought this just looked great. I will soon add to the review of that one in the review thread. But my first shave with that one wasn’t all too comfortable. So I took the blade on a Lynn-style pyramid on the Norton 4000/8000 starting with 10/10 down to 1/5 and after that 10 laps on the Coticule and then 60 or so laps on the strop. Now this reads like I knew what I was doing but I didn’t, it was my first honing experience!

Then I took it for a shave. The shave went not as smooth, as the blade snapped on every whisker. Then I took it for a couple of laps on the green side and then the leather side of the loom strop and then had another shave and guess what, smooth like I couldn’t believe. Yesterday evening I got again a magic-all-around-BBS shave with my own honed straight!
Hurray for the straight razor.

Thanks,
Paul (serious rookie)