I was anxious too, but it was a rewarding experience. Don't be too intimidated, take it slow and mind the point and you'll be just fine.
Good luck and enjoy!
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I have a razor with the same markings (kanji) stamped on it.
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I picked the General up this morning from the post office. I probably won't get a chance to shave until next week sometime. I'll report back on how it goes!
I just finished my fist shave with the General. It went fairly well. I struggled to find a comfortable grip on the razor, but I managed to shave my whole face with only one tiny nick. I enjoyed the stiffness of the razor and the feedback it provided. I plan on working on my grip with the razor before my next shave so I'll be better prepared. Overall it was a good experience and I'm looking forward to improving my technique.
Were you able to shave with just the side with the writing? Or did you flip it over like I did? I just could not find it comfortable to shave the right side of my face with the writing side and had to flip it every time.
I was able to do almost all of the shaving with just one side of the razor. I did flip it to see how the other side shaved though. I'm under the impression that I want to have the markings on the razor facing outward towards the mirror while I shave, is this correct? Also, I forgot to mention, I did go back and clean up with a DE after the shave. I'm hoping by the end of my time I won't have to do that anymore.
The whole question of what side to use has been discussed over and over here and on other forums. At this point it's all a matter of what you believe until some one comes up with an old Japanese Shaving manual. Personally, I use the writing side towards my face. Many use the other side. Someone posted a video at B&B of someone getting a haircut and shave in Japan and the barber is using a kamisori and is supposedly a second generation long time barber. He uses the non writing side but then again he uses the same razor to cut the guys hair without even restropping so I don't know about him.
I just finished up my second shave and it went better than the first. No nicks and I was able to get a close, comfortable, smooth shave for the most part, except for the underside of my chin. I found that I prefer shaving with the marked side against my face. I'm really enjoying the shaves, and I'm hoping to continue my progress into week number 2!