Thread: New to safety razor :)

After watching many YouTube videos and reading many post I decided to go to THE ART OF SHAVING store to pick up my first safety razor... I initially wanted to pick up a safety razor and a straight razor but they were all out of there dovo 5/8 for 100 everything else was out of budget if I did not learn to shave lol so got the merkur long handle safety along with a starter kit cream brush etc.. Got home shaved loved it... I do not have much of a beard but maintain a chin strap look was wondering how does a straight razor compare to a safety in getting a crisp line on angles ... Also I had tried a (cheap) shavette and was very difficult felt like my hands were fumbling around... Alls I know is cartridge shaving is a thing of the past for me :-)

Welcome Max,
Glad to hear you made the jump.
Spend time learning the forum & enjoy your journey.

I keep a goatee and mustache and sideburns, and don't have any problems trimming w/ a straight. Just like anything else, you gotta learn how to use it for what you need it for.

I've maintained beard lines with several types of razors. A DE is pretty good, but a straight razor is still tops in my book, especially if you're trying to maintain long crisp lines.

With a DE, the edge of the blade (and the corner of the blade) are not visible when they're actually cutting hair, so there's always a little bit of guesswork involved.

With a straight, it's easy to see _exactly_ where the edge is on your face, and where the blade ends. For really precise work, you can't beat it.

Having said that:

. . . I keep a goatee in pretty good shape, mostly with a DE.

Either one is more precise than a cartridge head.

. Charles

Welcome to SRP, Max.

I used a cheap shavette (Parker SR1) while transitioning from a safety razor to a straight razor. It took a lot of practice to get used to the shavette. It is much lighter than the safety razor or straight razor, so it will feel uncomfortable to a beginner. You can easily get cut or nicked while shaving with a shavette. When I finally got a hold of a straight razor, the grip and shaves felt so much better.

Thanks for the tips .. I hope for the straight razor soon as far as my safety the hardest area to get for me is the moustache

Wow thanks for the info Henry, I took a look at that shavette you used it looks way better built than the one I picked up a a local store feels cheap like plastic not even a brand ... So do you think It would be a good idea to get a better shavette or jump for the straight and learn with it ?

Sorry guys I'm new to forum so not to accurate on replies lol but thanks for all the advice and tips @cpc I know there's some guessing with the (de) I hope to learn to use a straight in the near future any recommendations on starter ones that will last? Not to expensive? I know either way is better than the 5 blades one miss swipe with the old fusion would take a patch and ruin my whole beard

Get yourself a vintage blade. Check our classifieds. An alternative is check our vendors and get a basic new blade like a basic dovo. Just stay away from brands on our do not buy list. A basic straight can shave just as good as a custom costing a grand.

If you want a straight bypass the shavette. They can actually be harder to use than a straight and are less forgiving. Of course you don't have the maint. issues like a straight so it's a tradeoff. Feather makes some very nice shavettes which would be the closest thing to a straight.