Thread: Just no luck with straights

To me it doesn't seem stropping is the issue, as he says he's 'taken professionally honed razors straight to his face'.

I know you say you don't like pre-shave oils, but have you tried Proraso Pre/Post cream? I found it very handy when I first started SR shaving. I don't want to sound like a negative nellie, but it's probably true that beards were quite common 150 years ago, and even those who shaved did not always shave ALL of their beard.

You can still have a lot of fun with a nice vintage DE if you want to ditch the Shavette and you really can't get a SR to work for you...

I do though hope hooking up with a mentor will help...

If you've bought a professionally honed razor and taken it straight to your face, it occurs to me that it almost has to be a technique issue. I think Lynn mentions it in that video above, but shavettes are used at a different angle than straights. If I recall right, he says straights are used at a more acute angle. Muscle memory could be shanking you here. Pay careful attention to the angle and make sure you're keeping the spine 1-2 spine widths away from your face.

That's a very helpful video although I feel I just watched a video of Jimi Hendrix playing the star spangled banner and now I think I can play it. He did mention a couple times blade angle can be different from shavette to a straight. I will definitely focus on that. And I noticed I hold my strop with much more tension than he. I feel loosening tensions can only cause problems.

I do get incredible results with my merkur futur, I just don't like doing it. I'm not ready to give it up as this does feel like an art form for me and although I get made fun of by everyone I know because I'm 32 and shave like i was born in 1932, I love it. This is me about 10 hours after a clean shave. if you can look past that cute little bundle of joy with me you can see it's no easy task to get "bbs". I also want to thank everyone who commented. I don't know of anything else in the world where guys are so willing to help out rookies as the world of straight shaving

I've only used a disposable blade straight a couple of times and I think it is more difficult than with a 'real' straight. Could be a number of things converging to make a 'perfect storm' of inadequate shaves. Stropping and skin stretching, or the lack of stretching are the two things that come to my mind. Are you doing more than one pass with a straight when you use one ?

Looks like you definitely have one of those beards. But, I promise, when you get your technique down and have a truly shave ready razor......putting the two together.......you'll get a great shave. It'll last longer than a DE or Mach whatever!! They may feel the same right after the shave, but the straight will outlast the others.

That's a good looking bundle!! Enjoy it while you can. Mine are grown and my eldest grandson, 21, is enlisting in the Marines. And, I used to change his diaper, well, once anyway. But, that was just last month in my minds eye!!!

Edit: There's sometimes a little confusion here on taut. Now being a Type-A old Marine.....taut, well that means you bounce a quarter off the strop. I find now that taut, for me, is just enough pull that the strop doesn't sag under its own weight, but will flex with the very light pressure of the razor when stropping. i.e. What you saw in Lynn's video.

Regards,

Howard

I shave with straights and shavettes pretty much interchangeably. I don't have a dovo shavette but do have a Parker, weck sextoblade and a knock of feather fixed blade. All of these have a couple things in common. They will cut with the slightest twitch of the hand and you can shave with a really steep angle. Your issue really sounds like a technique issue. I have always told guys switching from shavettes to straights that the shaveete is great for teaching the proper pressure, learning how to hold a straight and learning how the hair grows on your face. But you will need to relearn your angle of attack. You need to really start over with the angle of attack of your shave. Place the razor flat on your face and slowly lift it up till your able to cut hair. The straight needs a much less aggressive angle and really once you get it down you will find it also improves your shave with the shavettes. Give it a try and you should be getting good shaves in no time

Definitely not the taut I've been using. Still doesn't help the putting a new razor on my face. I've actually bought about 4 new razors because it's about a month quicker than getting one honed. And who doesn't like buying new razors. So concluding even after a year of straights my technique is probably really flawed. Ok, new question, do I give up cleaning up with a shavette and do so with my futur since a shavette can promote incorrect angle?

If you can be slightly unshaven I would say go cold turkey switch. Will help you figure things out quicker. If you can't either the shavette or de should work. Just if you going to use the shavette keep concentrating on using a lower angle of attack.