Thread: First Safety Razor - did I leap too soon!?

Just a suggestion: go to YouTube and check out some of Mantic59's videos on using a DE--he's like a major dude in that area and his videos are very helpful. He's also got a site called the Sharpologist or something.

I hope your next experience is much more pleasant; I like to use my straight but I like my DE shaves very much too.

If this is you first shave with a DE then other than the razor being very aggressive it is probably down to poor technique. DEs ,I think, are much less forgiving than cartridge razors as far as technique/proper blade angle goes. A good lather and the proper angle, like with a straight razor, makes for a smooth comfortable shave. Even aggressive razors will perform smoothly if you can dial your technique in with them. Hope you get better results with practice.

Bob

Thanks all, really helpful. It most likely is technique, though that razor is vee aggressive. I'm terrified to practise again!

I've heard shaving with cartridge razors is like driving a car with an automatic gearbox. Stick the gearshift into "Drive" and off you go, no worries of messy or clunky gear changes. Use a DE, and you're using a manual gearbox. Practice is needed to get smooth gear changes.

With a cartridge razor, all you need to do is drag the handle down. The blades are set at the optimum angle in the cartridge, and that's held flat to your skin automatically. With a DE, you have to find the angle all by yourself. The angle can be found by starting by holding the handle horizontally, then gradually angling the handle downwards whilst moving the handle downwards.

If you're still suffering, then reassess your preparations. Shaving cream; good. Shaving soap; good but can dry the skin out. Shaving gel; about the lowest you can go without really suffering. Shaving foam; forget it. Also, make sure your beard's wet, before slapping the lather on.

Don't forget, water hardness is important. If you live in a hard water area, you might be better using a shaving cream.

Finally, to round off the car analogies, when you have a bump or a scrape in a car, you have to get back in the car and drive again. If you don't, you'll get put off by the memories of the accident.