Random thoughts after a year of straight razor shaving

No great insights or originality here, just some observations I'd like to share with other beginners after my first year (give or take) of shaving with a straight razor.

• Proraso pre-shave smells nice, and that's about all it does.
• Pre-shave oil does make a noticeable difference.
• Alum block is God's gift to the straight razor shaver.
• A blade needing to "rest" for 24/48 hours is a myth.
• I'm pretty sure that "rolling the edge" is a myth too.
• Stropping has gone from being a chore, to a pleasant activity, to an addiction.
• Trying to strop with "just the weight of the blade" is ineffectual.
• A $200 silvertip badger brush offers no noticeable performance advantage over a decent $10 or $20 boar.
• The best thing you can do between passes is to (carefully) strop the razor on the palm of your hand, Mastro Livi style.
• The hanging hair test is NOT a parlor trick; other than actual shaving, it's the best single indicator of shave readiness.
• Unless your razor is stainless, never wet it. Even a droplet of water left unnoticed for a minute or so will leave a stain which you'll then have to polish out.
• There isn't much correlation between the price of soaps/creams and their performance. I know this because some of the expensive creams you get as free samples when you order stuff have been absolutely terrible.

I'm glad you have had an interesting, enlightening year of shaving,,,, I wish you a hundred more.

I would like to add from my experiences:

-Don't shave with a straight if you are tired or distracted
-try different grinds, you will be surprised how different they shave

I enjoy my shaves more and more as time goes on, this is an addictive habit!

Good observations, EV2.

Yes leaving a non-stainless (or even a stainless) blade wet after shaving is a good way to get stains or even orange rust. With careful drying after each shave a carbon steel razor won't usually get water spots, but over time will develop a gray patina. That patina can actually help protect the blade a little from rusting, sort of like the bluing on a gun barrel.

I only wipe it on paper and/or cloth towel. I used to rinse it under running water then dry it off, but found that once in a while despite my best efforts a stray droplet would still get on the blade anyway and leave a mark, so I stopped doing it.

BTW, one more observation I should have made earlier: SRP is by far the most gentlemanly forum I've ever encountered on the web.

Thanks, EV2. I was being a bit thick-headed. Your explanation of wiping the blade makes sense. And evidently works quite well.

As you undoubtedly know, spots on the blade like that are often caused by water getting in between the scales. I give them a glance after wiping off the blade and, finding any evidence of water run a folded over tissue between them to remove it.

I used to be pretty much a "duck" when it came to getting water all over things. What I do now to rinse the blade so that no soap residue that can also cause tarnish or rust remains on the blade is to open the razor so that the blade and scales are lined up,. I then pinch the tang between thumb and forefinger, wrapping the scales in the palm of my hand, and move the toe blade in a straight line into a stream of water running from the faucet, stopping at the point where the water splash against the blade is just reaching the heel. I then rotate the razor about the axis of the straightened blade and scales by rotating my wrist, thereby rinsing all parts of the blade only, my fingers and palm protecting the rest of the razor. I remove the razor from the water stream by moving my hand straight back, keeping it away from the faucet and side of the sink, afterward drying the blade by - you probably guessed - wiping it on a towel with a stropping motion. This whole process may sound complicated, but it takes perhaps five seconds from start to finish. I rinse the blade during the shave the same way. I have never dinged the blade on a sink in the nine years that I have been using an open razor for shaving.

Good on you for using a "proper" razor for an entire year. Here's hoping you enjoy shaving with an open razor for many more years!

Jeff

Wonderful tips for a newbie like my self. I especially enjoyed the bit about the 200 to 20$ brush comparison as well as expensive soaps because it makes it that much easier to start and not feel the envy of the luxurious items that are being posted around here

Thanks EV2 for sharing your observations! I'm still in the "addicting chore" phase for stropping ;)
^2 in regards to SRP
Cheers!

Here I was, nodding repeatedly, until I reached that sacrilege comment about badgers vs boar... Aiaiai.
J/K looks like you're enjoying the ride:)

Badger and Boar are different animals...there's plenty of love to go around.
We change over time.
I applaud the 'scientific' approach even if it isn't scientific. Don't forget to blaze the trail.

Well, I nodded most of the time.

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Originally Posted by EV2

• I'm pretty sure that "rolling the edge" is a myth too.

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Sorry, but a rolled edge is not a myth. I'll get around to proving it under the microscope for you some time later. In the mean time, realize that stropping would be completely unnecessary if a rolled edge were a myth. Stropping realigns the edge that has rolled over in minute areas in both directions away from the edge.

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Originally Posted by EV2

• Trying to strop with "just the weight of the blade" is ineffectual.

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Well, that one is a bit more nuanced, but stropping is done to re-align the edge and so the force is almost entirely along the length of the strop and very little toward the strop.

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Originally Posted by EV2

• A $200 silvertip badger brush offers no noticeable performance advantage over a decent $10 or $20 boar.

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There are differences between boar and badger brushes. Their performance with some soaps/creams can be quite different. I like them both but for different applications. The price difference does not need to be $180-190.

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Originally Posted by EV2

• The hanging hair test is NOT a parlor trick; other than actual shaving, it's the best single indicator of shave readiness.

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It is not a parlor trick but also causes way too many problems for beginners. For someone who knows how to do it and, more importantly, how to interpret it, the HHT can be a viable tool.

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Originally Posted by EV2

• There isn't much correlation between the price of soaps/creams and their performance. I know this because some of the expensive creams you get as free samples when you order stuff have been absolutely terrible.

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Yes, some would be terrible. There are so many soap-makers popping up and many probably figure a higher price will denote a higher quality. There are plenty of recommendations for great soaps in this forum, so you do not have to try them blind. Unfortunately, many of the better quality, and highly recommended, soaps do in fact tend to be more expensive.

The infamous rolled edge...

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Originally Posted by Wirm

The infamous rolled edge...

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Looking at the scale, the edge is still only 2 micrometers wide. A human hair is about 100 micrometers thick...would it really have much of an impact when shaving?

Nice edge picture! I know it's still not very big, but yes that edge is not going to cut as well as a straightened edge.

Cool, so I stand corrected on rolling the edge then.

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Originally Posted by Surlyduck

Wonderful tips for a newbie like my self. I especially enjoyed the bit about the 200 to 20$ brush comparison as well as expensive soaps because it makes it that much easier to start and not feel the envy of the luxurious items that are being posted around here

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Yes I really can't see paying a really outrageous price for a brush, it has always been in the back of my mind why anyone needs a $200.00 brush anyway, I doing just fine with one I think I paid $8.00 for and it is a badger.
If anyone uses a $200.00 brush please enlighten me on it's betterments.

As with much things, but not all...you get what you pay for if you shop around. Thater brushes like the SRP group purchase done several years ago is absolute awesome brush & all the others I have don't quite hold a candle to it.

All that matters is that you are enjoying the sport...just don't become stagnant thinking you know it all...you don't & neither does any of the rest of us. If you limit yourself to growing and learning, then I have to say: what a shame.

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Originally Posted by pundi6446

Yes I really can't see paying a really outrageous price for a brush, it has always been in the back of my mind why anyone needs a $200.00 brush anyway, I doing just fine with one I think I paid $8.00 for and it is a badger.
If anyone uses a $200.00 brush please enlighten me on it's betterments.

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As I lather my face with my $200.00 + custom brush, I feel a light euphoria begin to flood my entire body, starting on my face & extending to my nether regions.

I have never felt this with my cheaper brushes,,, I just can't explain it,,,:shrug:

In the "$200 brush club", you weren't supposed to tell about the nether regions. :matrix::jedi::rant:

OMG !!! I was never good at keeping secrets,,,,,,:fim: :cry:

I can still see the scars from the times I shaved after having a few drinks or after pedaling the bike for 3 hours.

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Originally Posted by Ernie1980

I would like to add from my experiences:

-Don't shave with a straight if you are tired or distracted

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