Thread: Best Razor Point Style For A Beginner

In a discussion elsewhere, I've encountered someone who claimed that the oft recommended round point razor is not the best choice for a beginner.

So, what do you think? What razor point style is best for a beginner, and why?

I believe for a beginner I'd say the typical round point. Or even a spike point as long as the spike is muted. But mostly round point, there is so much going on in the beginning why have one more variable to consider i.e. nicking an ear or cheek.

A round point razor since you don't have to pay equal attention to the tip while learning all the other variables that come with shaving with a straight razor.

As a new shaver myself I just would like to add my two cents. I have two "round" points that are very different a Ralf Aust 5/8 that has a steep curve, and a Dovo best 5/8 that has a rather "flat"curve, and the point is also very sharp. I feel that as a beginner I have to pay equal attention to the point no matter which razor I use, whether it be a square point, french point, or round. As always YMMV.

If the new user "feels" more at ease with a round point then a round point should be used.

I really don't think it matters. A round point will cut just like a spike if used incorrectly.

I think a normal round point is best for a beginner. While it is possible to nick an ear or give yourself a dueling scar with one, it takes quite a bit more effort to do so. Any edge that is at or close to the point of the toe will be easier to damage yourself with.

Bob

While I won't dispute that a round point may be the best choice for a beginner I think that this advice is taken far too often as gospel.

I personally started with a muted square point and after six months of shaving I haven't done any major damage with any of my razors. I think one advantage of starting with a square point, or a muted spike for that matter, is that you start by paying close attention to where the toe is. The worry I would have is that if I had begun with round tips I may have developed a certain amount of complacency that would have come back to bite me when I finally stated using a square or spike.

My foundation for this is my first experience with a non-muted square resulted in a not particularly pleasant shave. I didn't clip my ear or anything nasty like that but the sharp and unyielding toe certainly caused some unintended damage as I carried on with the lax habits I developed with my muted razors.

I think everyone's first shave should be with a 13/16 slanted spike wedge. You'd learn REAL quick...might need reconstructive surgery, but you'd learn!

Having to be contrarian, I started out with an unmuted Dovo square point. No real problems apart from the usual mishaps in starting out. After that, I stayed with a few generic American square points from the first half of the twentieth century. Never really had a problem until a couple of years later, when I accidentally rolled the tip of a square point by running it off the stone in honing. That thing left a scratch like a squirrel's claw. Luckily, no Prussian dueling scar though. Since then, I've been very careful in honing the tip of any razor, muting tips of square points as a matter of course, whereas before I was a purist. In any case, with an non-muted square point, it's best to use a straight up-or-down or heel-leading pass, avoiding a toe-leading pass lest the toe dig in there.

Round point.