Hello from North West England
Hi all.
My sister-in-law bought me a pot of TBS Maca Root shave cream and a TBS shave brush for Christmas. I really liked it but felt that following it up with a King of Shaves cartridge shave was a bit of an anticlimax. I watched a stack of straight razor videos on YouTube. Then a quick visit to Amazon and a Bluebeards Revenge shavette was ordered. I've had 3 shaves now with it (using Derby blades) and today was nick free. I've gone for full face straight away and apart from the obvious awkward bits under the chin and along my jaw my shave is a lot closer than with the cartridge.
However, I've also read that shavettes are not the best thing to be shaving with and so I've also spent a bit on the Bay. I've bought a strop from someone in the UK who just makes leather stuff. I've got a couple of natural Welsh slate hones (one approx rated 8-10k, the other approx 12k). And yesterday won an auction for a Carl Wusthoff, Solingen, razor which needs honing but has been sold as having the bevel set. I have a very cheap chinese oil stone in the garage that I've used for sharpening chisels in the past. I have no idea what grade that is and I think I will steer clear of using it with this razor.
I've got quite a bit of razor burn. It's not too uncomfortable but I can feel my face through the day. I shall keep working on reducing pressure and hope that my real straight will be better.
I've really enjoyed looking at the forums and watching the videos various members have posted. Thanks for all the advice so far!
Mark