aaahhhh! that freakin' hurt...

... not sure how many new guys say that after their first shave w/ a razor. I did.

Just got a DOVO Renaissance for Christmas and I tried to shave w/ it. It felt nothing like I expected; the pain I imagine was close to getting your skin ripped off...wait that almost did happen.

Anyway, I joined this forum to try to get some feedback and learn how to properly shave with a razor. I admire the old school ways of doing thigs and this method of shaving is definetely one i'd like to learn.

After reading different threads on this forum, i'm guessing the reason my first shave hurt like hell was because the razor was "factory sharp" (correct me if i'm wrong here). I looked at getting a 4000/8000 honning stone vs sending it in to get it done by someone else. I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seems like buying the stone is much better than spending $30 for each time i have to get it sharpened. Any thoughts?

Thank you gents!

Your best bet is to send it out to be honed...at least the first time...then you'll have a benchmark to go by and time to improve your technique. The Norton 4/8k combo is a good starter though for hones.

Ditto the above advise. Honeing is an art in and of itself, so for a beginner trying to learn to shave and hone at the same time is asking for frustration. Check out the classifieds here to find someone who can hone it up properly. (Don't even think of taking it to a knife shop, sharpening straights is much different).

Getting a good shave out of a straight takes more than simply a sharp razor, but solid technique as well. Take the time to read through the wiki, and when you shave focus on the basics of beard prep, stropping, and shaving. You will get sub par shaves for the first dozen shaves or so, but if you focus on technique you will be getting the best shaves humanly possible before you know it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by markevens

Ditto the above advise. Honeing is an art in and of itself, so for a beginner trying to learn to shave and hone at the same time is asking for frustration. Check out the classifieds here to find someone who can hone it up properly. (Don't even think of taking it to a knife shop, sharpening straights is much different).

Getting a good shave out of a straight takes more than simply a sharp razor, but solid technique as well. Take the time to read through the wiki, and when you shave focus on the basics of beard prep, stropping, and shaving. You will get sub par shaves for the first dozen shaves or so, but if you focus on technique you will be getting the best shaves humanly possible before you know it.

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+10 on this post.

Thanx for the advice guys. i'll send it to a pro first before i buy anything.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gamec0mmander

.... I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seems like buying the stone is much better than spending $30 for each time i have to get it sharpened. Any thoughts?

Thank you gents!

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Time will come you will understand why sending out your first razor is better idea.
if you are willing to cover shipping charges i will hone up your blade and send back to you.
it is free offer.
send me pm if you accept this.
gl.

Hello, gamecOmmander:

I agree with the other gentlemen that initially you should have the razor honed professionally. Yes, honing requires skill. For now, I suggest concentrating on honing your straight razor skills. There is plenty of time for honing your own razors.

Regards,
Obie

The offer from Sham (hi bud gl) is very kind and I think you should take him up on it. I have shaved off of his edges and they are hard to beat.

Sounds like your shaving woes were due to a non-shave ready edge and lack of technique. Of course this is not your fault for being a newb, but it does get better with the proper tools and experience. Much better.

Oh, and welcome to SRP :)

I'd like to offer an alternative. Please send out that razor to be honed by a known honemeister just as recommended before. In addition, you might want to buy a cheapie from whippeddog.com for about 15 bucks (I think Larry calls them "As Received"). The cheapie won't win any beauty pageants, but it will serve as a good benchmark for when you want to check your own honing skills. After you hone your Dovo the first time, shave with the cheapie just one cheek, then finish with your self-honed razor to compare. Obviously, it will help to get a similarly ground razor to compare as closely as possible. FYI, Larry is a senior member at SRP.

thank you all for the great advice!