Thread: Greetings from North Carolina

Welcome, Don to the world of cut throat shaving. I remember the first day antispating my first straight razor shave boy was it something else a couple nicks here and ther but so worth it. It gets better with each shave and even smooooooother Before you know it RADS taken hold of you.. Enjoy and have fun

Thanks for the replies guys…

Hi Don,
I can relate to the Christmas feeling, i was even bummed my wife opened my box from SRD before I got home from work! I started just like you: DOVO BEST/ Latigo strop... I did get the 6/8 and a 3in strop. The little things like that, I am learning, dont matter a whole lot, we will all try other sizes of razors, and I pretty sure my first strop will be toast pretty quick (watch LOTS of stropping videos!) One tip i have as a beginner. Like Speedster said dont do anything to razor but shave, I am told Lynn's honing is the absolute best. I knew this, but forgot one thing before i started: i didnt really pay attention to how the razor looked, felt, sounded when i touched the edge (carefully...Im used to knives so....). Do the hair popping test away from the skin (but dont do ANYTHING that may change the edge). Pay attention on your very first stroke and all of first shave. This will help you know when it's time to think about working on the edge. None of this is that big a deal really, i just wasted alot of time thinking "Is this sharp enough still? Is my angle off or is it the edge?" etc.
Hope Santa brings your goodies soon! Your pretty far from me, but if your ever in Knoxville...you get the idea. Take care!

Okay guys, my Dovo finally came in the mail today and I started my first straight razor shave this morning… I went against the beginners advice I found on the site and tackled my entire face because I felt like I had good control of the razor. I'll have to keep at it for a while because my initial shave wasn't that close. I got a couple of nick's and a bad case of razor burn near my jaw line. I'm guessing the razor burn is because of either of the angle or the pressure on the blade. When I got to my chin, which is the most coarse hair on my face, it seemed like the razor did not want to cut the hair and the shave wasn't close at all; surely it has to be my technique somehow, because this Dovo was honed by Lynn Adams.

Glad you got started, Don. Sounds like you did well for first time. Keep at it! Those shaves will get better, day by day...and more fun! Now is where we start reading about the thousands of technique tips offered here at SRP, and figure out which ones apply to each of us! I will have Straights mastered tomorrow, or maybe the next day, or month, or year...most likely decade. There in lies the fun.
I am only couple months into it, but my shaves have gotten better and better. So, keep at it buddy!

Originally Posted by IronMonkey2772

Glad you got started, Don. Sounds like you did well for first time. Keep at it! Those shaves will get better, day by day...and more fun! Now is where we start reading about the thousands of technique tips offered here at SRP, and figure out which ones apply to each of us! I will have Straights mastered tomorrow, or maybe the next day, or month, or year...most likely decade. There in lies the fun.
I am only couple months into it, but my shaves have gotten better and better. So, keep at it buddy!

Yea I definitely see how it improves over time. I figured I'd still be finishing with my electric for months before I got the hang of it; but I finished shave #6 this morning and got it pretty smooth on my cheeks and closer than my electric on my neck with no razor burn. I did three passes and a few hours later I went back and did some touch ups around my chin and upper lip with no irritation. I wish I had started this a long time ago, I could have saved on tons of carriages over the years.