Thread: First STR8 Shave

I got my sight unseen Str8 and poor man's strop kit from whipped dog yesterday. He puts a lot of care into his product. Love all of the directions he includes with the kit.

I got a 4/8's razor and all the fixins with the strop kit. I've been shaving with a DE razor for a few weeks now. I'm using VDH soap with a Badger hair brush.

I lathered up and as advised shaved cheeks only. I can tell this is an art to be learned.

I started with the blade angled just under two spine widths away from my cheek. I had to reduce the angle to get it a little smoother, but think I started getting the feel for it.

I'm looking forward to trying again in the morning.

Congrats on getting your first shave down. May you have many more to come!

Welcome brother..we've been expecting you. Lol Great job on your first shave, they only get better with time, and I haven't been doing it that long.

Welcome to the party. You've showed great restraint following the advice to shave just the cheeks for your first shave. Take your time and learn good shaving habits and smooth full shaves will come. Continue reading and after each shave if you have any questions or problems just ask. We are here to help you succeed.

Larry's great to work with! Good choice. The most helpful tip I've gotten here is to use as little pressure as possible. For me it was a hard concept to grasp coming from cartridges. Might save you some razor burn.

Nice job. How is the whipped dog strop? I am considering getting one as my own DIY version has taken many nicks on the ends.

I just got the Rich man strop... Very happy

Originally Posted by scott85

Larry's great to work with! Good choice. The most helpful tip I've gotten here is to use as little pressure as possible. For me it was a hard concept to grasp coming from cartridges. Might save you some razor burn.

The challenge I found was with the amount of pull to use. Obviously it doesn't just cut through my beard like butter. It is a completely different feel. I like the challenge!

Originally Posted by HaiKarate

Nice job. How is the whipped dog strop? I am considering getting one as my own DIY version has taken many nicks on the ends.

It is the first strop I have eve owned, so I have nothing to compare it to. It worked for me.

Lynn has a few videos on YouTube and there's tons of info on here. There's a lot of personal preference in the sport. Do a lot of research and try different suggestions to see what works for you. Swmbo picks on me for how much I'm on here...