Thread: Learning to shave

What straight razor did you lurn to shave with?

I don't know the name of it. It was a very old , very well used, but it shaved very well. It was given to me by a member on this site when I joined. Since I didn't have a SR he sent me one for free with no strings attached. He just asked me to do the right thing. I don't quite know what that means. I have had it honed by Lynn Abrams. I will someday give it to someone in the same position as I was 3 months ago.
The right thing.

A broker bros 5/8ish razor that os sold me just after I joined the site, it has since been rehoned and sent to pinklather who was the first member to greet me on the forum. I had some pics but I think I that they are long gone. It had bone or ivory scales (I never found out which, and os didn't know either) that had a lot of small but stable cracks in them. I hope it stays looking like it did and eventually finds its way to another deserving person.

I am still learning with a DOVO 5/8 round point Pealex. It is a beautiful razor but the more I see of Dubl duck Golden edge razors I am really wanting one! Shave on!

Dovo Inox 5/8

Same for me.. And still learning.

I got my first straight when I was about 15. Saw it in an antique store and thought that looks fun.
I didn't know anything about them at that time, and luckily it was sharp enough to shave the young beard I had. Naturally after a few goes it didn't cut so well and I think I threw it out or lost it and moved on to DE's which were still pretty commonly available 25 years ago. Then about 10 years later I was living in Japan and found disposable Kai and Sayuri straights in the supermarket so started using them. I loved the risk and never did much damage. Not too long after that I stumbled onto this site and bought a remodelled Chinese razor off Ken Rupp. I then went through quite a few different makers and styles until I got my restored 8/8 Wosty chopper in Mammoth bone and it's pretty much been my main razor since then. I guess we just click together.

Started with a Ralf Aust 5/8. It gives a great shave and is the easiest razor that I own to refresh.

When I got started I made the typical newbie mistake of simply buying as SR from a knife shop with the assurance that it was plenty sharp based on the merchants confidence. It was a Boker. Needless to say I didn't learn much but that it really needed honing. This was before I discovered SRP so I didn't know who to consult about getting it honed. I was determined. So I looked online and found a reputable vendor that said he made razors shave ready before he shipped them. Fine. So I bought a DOVO Best Quality. And started my journey. It was miserable. It was pulling like mad and the only thing it cut was the edge of my ear. So I set that one aside again. Then I found SRP. I posted asking for advice and I was told that it was my technique and that I potentially ruined it stropping. My technique was surely in question but I didn't even own a strop yet. But I was convinced it was not sharp enough. So I said F it, I'm buying AGAIN. I went to the classified and found the razor below, a NOS Eirene Solingen. The man selling is said it was NOS and was not sharpened but would hone it if that's what I wanted. Turns out, he's also one of the guys that offers honing services. Ah-HA. Yes, pleas hone it for me. And be sure to include your mailing address because I have a Boker and a Dovo that I think need your help. So the razor arrives and suddenly......I can SHAVE. Yeah, there's still a learning curve but the blade is actually cutting hair. Finally I'm up and running. When the DOVO comes back, it not only wasn't shave ready but I was informed it had honing wear and a FROWN. At this point I didn't own a strop, never mind a hone. I didn't do this to it. But this initial experience always makes me more sympathetic to new guys that are having a rough go of it. And sometimes I think that we don't actually listen to what they are saying but fall back on the "you rolled the edge" dismissal and move on. Typical newbie mistake will continue to be typical mistakes. So for that they should be mentioned frequently. However we owe it to them to listen to what they are saying consider the possibility that something else might be wrong. Here's my razor. I still use it frequently.

This GEM was my second razor.