Thread: First Kamisori

I took the plunge and picked up my first Kamisori. It is a NOS Henkotsu 42 mm represented as shave ready. I have been using western straights exclusively for about 5 years and I assumed there would be a steep learning curve to get the best out of a Kamisori. I was very pleasantly surprised when it delivered one of the closest, smoothest, most comfortable shaves I have ever experienced on the first go. I have now shaved with it two days in a row using both sides of the blade and I could not be more pleased. I can't wait to see what kind of results it gives as I actually learn how to use it.

Hello,

Are you using a bench strop with that or a hanging strop?

- Mike

Originally Posted by Lazarus

I took the plunge and picked up my first Kamisori. It is a NOS Henkotsu 42 mm represented as shave ready. I have been using western straights exclusively for about 5 years and I assumed there would be a steep learning curve to get the best out of a Kamisori. I was very pleasantly surprised when it delivered one of the closest, smoothest, most comfortable shaves I have ever experienced on the first go. I have now shaved with it two days in a row using both sides of the blade and I could not be more pleased. I can't wait to see what kind of results it gives as I actually learn how to use it.

Excellent. Took me a few days to feel at home.

@ mbrando - Hanging Kanayama.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Excellent. Took me a few days to feel at home.

No doubt. I am far from feeling at home with it. I think I was lucky to get the razor from somebody that had the edge dialed in.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

@ mbrando - Hanging Kanayama.

Nice, a Kanayama! :-)

- Mike

Originally Posted by mbrando

Nice, a Kanayama! :-)

- Mike

Indeed. Seems particularly appropriate for a Kamisori.

Hi there,

I've been a straight razor shaver for over a year now and I love it. Glen gssixgun and I talked about me maybe trying out a kamisori because I have a beard. I really like the idea of using one for my daily shaves.

I know there's probably endless forums on getting into your first kamisori blade, but any advice on just starting out? I'm not a collector yet, and got into straights because I like the idea of keeping one tool for a long time. I'll probably poke around SRP first, but I saw this forum and thought I'd throw it out there to get the ball rolling!

Thanks!
Darren

Originally Posted by Lazarus

@ mbrando - Hanging Kanayama.

I have three Kamisoris (note the plural, I don't subscribe to the usage that says it should be kamisori), but do not use hanging strops because of the cupping problem and leaving scratch marks. I bought some travelling strops about 1" wide or maybe a little more, and they are ideal.

Have to say that I'm still not totally comfortable with the grip, but then again, if we wanted a simple life we would go back to cartridges I suppose.

Originally Posted by MrDarrenMo

Hi there,

I've been a straight razor shaver for over a year now and I love it. Glen gssixgun and I talked about me maybe trying out a kamisori because I have a beard. I really like the idea of using one for my daily shaves.

I know there's probably endless forums on getting into your first kamisori blade, but any advice on just starting out? I'm not a collector yet, and got into straights because I like the idea of keeping one tool for a long time. I'll probably poke around SRP first, but I saw this forum and thought I'd throw it out there to get the ball rolling!

Thanks!
Darren

I can see why Glen would suggest trying a Kamisori. I have a mustache and it is great for detail work. I think most of the normal advice for starting with a straight applies. Get your first one from a trusted source so you know it is shave ready as I understand that getting the edge dialed in can be a bit tricky. If you need a good source PM me and I can tell you where I got mine. If you have been using a straight for a year you should be fine. I know I just picked mine up and instead of over thinking all of the possible differences I just started shaving and it went fine. One tip might be to be sure to start with the spine against your skin not the edge and ease into it. A sharp Kamisori is pretty sharp.