Thread: First Straight Razor for Beginner

Originally Posted by Scareface

My personal opinion is that if you have a course beard is to not start with a full hollow blade like a Bismark.
The size and shape are great.
Start with a quarter hollow, round point and 5/8 to 6/8.

I started out with a Bismark and hated the shave, then I bought a quarter hollow and it shaves me smooth in two passes. The Bismark takes me more passes 4-5. To get the same results as a quarter.
Check out the Classifieds up at the top and buy a cheaper blade. You'll spend less just incase the type of blade doesn't suite your beard or shaving style.
Spend the rest on a great soap and strop. Just my two cents, that now costs more to make than it's worth.

^^^This. Steve at The Invisible Edge UK sells a quarter-hollow 11/16 TI that is great for coarse beards.

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

Weak lather will cause irritation like you won't believe. I've had irritation to the point where I couldn't move my head to the left or right. Lather is very crucial in a smooth, comfortable shave. Make sure the blade is stropped well then really focus on technique. I would also agree with the other that 30 degrees max is a good rule to follow. It took me 6 months to get my lather skills up to par. 6 months of ( I could do better with a Gillette) shaves. They only get better with time keep at it

^This. Make sure your lather, is stable, dense and slick.

Originally Posted by MikekiM

As Grazor said, Canvas first, then Leather.


What do mean by "I was much more aggressive this time" ?


Typically, less pressure = less aggressive.


Scratching my head here my friend. How a

By aggressive I mean more pressure or force on my skin when shaving. I would press much much harder than I originally did.

Also I feel like it would be a waste of money if I were to go to a professional and have a straight razor shave, This is because (A) I'm very young and I'm not even close to a full grown beard and (B) I have allot of acne on my neck- so the only places which they could shave are my cheeks and my mustache area

PS- The Art of Shaving charges on average $55 near me and they shave you with a Dovo Shavette

Originally Posted by noy99

By aggressive I mean more pressure or force on my skin when shaving. I would press much much harder than I originally did.

More pressure/force is pretty much EXACTLY what you shouldn't do. If your razor is indeed shave ready (don't take this lightly) the strategy should be to use the least amount of pressure you possible can. One thought that helped me early on is shave the lather, not your skin. That is to say, float the edge above and just barely touching you skin so that you can, essentially, lift the layer of lather off your skin without actually touching skin. In practice, this isn't possible of course, but your touch should be that light. The more pressure you add the more... Well, you are experiencing where more pressure will get you. It's not good. Your chances of doing facial damage go up in step with the amount of pressure you use.

Originally Posted by noy99

Also I feel like it would be a waste of money if I were to go to a professional and have a straight razor shave, This is because (A) I'm very young and I'm not even close to a full grown beard and (B) I have allot of acne on my neck- so the only places which they could shave are my cheeks and my mustache area

PS- The Art of Shaving charges on average $55 near me and they shave you with a Dovo Shavette

I'll agree $55 is a chunk of change and personally, I stay clear of AoS sales people. However, the AoS barber's might be worth a visit, if only to chat. Or maybe you can find a local barber shop that provides straight shaves. I have a really cool vintage barber shop that does straight shaves for $20 and use Feather razors. You might opt just to have a conversation with a barber (AoS or otherwise). Most of the time, a barber who does straight shaves is a classic kind of gent who would likely help you long. Or find another gent near you who can mentor you. The search function on this and other wet-shave forums is your friend in this regard. Additionally, you need a frame of reference as to 1) how little pressure is needed to render a close a shave and 2) experience a clean good shave from a straight. It's REALLY hard to explain or understand how much pressure is the right amount when we communicate via the web. Firsthand experience is the only way to go. Case in point..NO PRESSURE has been suggested a handful of times in this thread and you opted for MORE. There is likely enough whisker area on just your cheeks and lip to learn how much pressure is needed.

Next, don't poo-poo the shavette. If you close your eyes while someone else is shaving you, you won't know if they are using a shavette or an ax.. the pressure used on a shave ready implement is going to feel the same to you.

I will offer you this... in my opinion, the two greatest obstacles to a good straight shave are too much pressure and a razor that is not truly shave ready. If you are unwilling to go with the paid shave route, or don't want to seek out a barber or local straight shaver to help you, try the balloon trick.

If you razor isn't truly sharp, you will be forced to use more pressure and/or a steeper angle to remove whiskers. Both of these actions will likely further degrade the edge and then...you're in a downhill spiral. A razor that is too dull to shave with is still going to be one of the sharpest instruments in your house. A box-cutter razor is crazy sharp, but it would shave worth a hoot (at least not comfortably). Send your razor out for a proper hone so you know that variable is neutralized. Yes, it will cost you $15 - $20 to get a proper hone. If you feel the $20 isn't money well spent..well, then I suggest you stick with DE's or carts.

Originally Posted by MikekiM

More pressure/force is pretty much EXACTLY what you shouldn't do. If your razor is indeed shave ready (don't take this lightly) the strategy should be to use the least amount of pressure you possible can. One thought that helped me early on is shave the lather, not your skin. That is to say, float the edge above and just barely touching you skin so that you can, essentially, lift the layer of lather off your skin without actually touching skin. In practice, this isn't possible of course, but your touch should be that light. The more pressure you add the more... Well, you are experiencing where more pressure will get you. It's not good. Your chances of doing facial damage go up in step with the amount of pressure you use.



I'll agree $55 is a chunk of change and personally, I stay clear of AoS sales people. However, the AoS barber's might be worth a visit, if only to chat. Or maybe you can find a local barber shop that provides straight shaves. I have a really cool vintage barber shop that does straight shaves for $20 and use Feather razors. You might opt just to have a conversation with a barber (AoS or otherwise). Most of the time, a barber who does straight shaves is a classic kind of gent who would likely help you long. Or find another gent near you who can mentor you. The search function on this and other wet-shave forums is your friend in this regard. Additionally, you need a frame of reference as to 1) how little pressure is needed to render a close a shave and 2) experience a clean good shave from a straight. It's REALLY hard to explain or understand how much pressure is the right amount when we communicate via the web. Firsthand experience is the only way to go. Case in point..NO PRESSURE has been suggested a handful of times in this thread and you opted for MORE. There is likely enough whisker area on just your cheeks and lip to learn how much pressure is needed.

Next, don't poo-poo the shavette. If you close your eyes while someone else is shaving you, you won't know if they are using a shavette or an ax.. the pressure used on a shave ready implement is going to feel the same to you.

I will offer you this... in my opinion, the two greatest obstacles to a good straight shave are too much pressure and a razor that is not truly shave ready. If you are unwilling to go with the paid shave route, or don't want to seek out a barber or local straight shaver to help you, try the balloon trick.

If you razor isn't truly sharp, you will be forced to use more pressure and/or a steeper angle to remove whiskers. Both of these actions will likely further degrade the edge and then...you're in a downhill spiral. A razor that is too dull to shave with is still going to be one of the sharpest instruments in your house. A box-cutter razor is crazy sharp, but it would shave worth a hoot (at least not comfortably). Send your razor out for a proper hone so you know that variable is neutralized. Yes, it will cost you $15 - $20 to get a proper hone. If you feel the $20 isn't money well spent..well, then I suggest you stick with DE's or carts.

I would like to begin by thanking you for your very generous reply along with the many others in this thread. My Ralf Aust 5/8 was sold by Straight Razor Designs.
My biggest issue is achieving a perfect angle. I will be shaving yet again but I this time I will focus as much as possible on maintaining little to no pressure and trying out different low angles to see which ma work best.
I'll most likely try the balloon trick, (once I purchase some balloons), and next time I pass by AoS I may just ask if I can speak to the barber about shaving angles

Again thank you very much for all of this feedback! I have no clue where I would have been without this supportive forum.

-I will report back after my shave

You likely purchased your straight shave ready, but after just a few shaves at steep angles, it's probably far from where it should be at this point. You're in DC.. I am in NY. If you want your razor honed, send it up to me. Cover the postage and I'll give a fresh edge..

Good luck!!

Originally Posted by MikekiM

You likely purchased your straight shave ready, but after just a few shaves at steep angles, it's probably far from where it should be at this point. You're in DC.. I am in NY. If you want your razor honed, send it up to me. Cover the postage and I'll give a fresh edge..

Good luck!!

Thank you very much for the kind offer, but I will have to respectfully decline due to my Stropping skills getting significant better.
To start off I must apologize for the long wait time there has been for me to post.

Ok sooo back to roughly a week ago when I shaved...This was possibly the best Straight Razor shave I've ever had. I applied light pressure and I had better performance on my neck rather than my sideburns and mustache. I payed close attention to my angle while testing strange ones too. I essentially trimmed all of my facial hair to a low profile look. Except for my neck which I had 1 or 2 patches towards the corner where I almost had a successful shave.

After the shave I had no need of using the Alum Block because my face felt refreshing and I had ZERO redness on my face and this is only with 3 shaves!

NOW towards sharpening: I originally stropped my blade incorrectly and with my handyman skills I came to the realization that the blade's point was leaning more towards one side and was a bit dull. So I began testing out different techniques on my strop with my straight razor and I finally got the X pattern down on my 2inch strop! My blade is at a near even point and the blade feels as sharp as the day I received it.

PS- I also have a block of Chromium Oxide but I wont be using that for about 2-5 months

-Due to my facial hairs slow growth, It takes longer than usual until I can perform my next shave...Will be posting again soon with part 4 shave!

Progress is good!!