Thread: 3rd time ever ... first with a kamisori-style

As you may have seen from earlier posts - I'm still new at straights ....... that being said -

This morning I use three razors ... First the new kamisori
I don't have a base from which to do a review, but here goes (from someone who looks up to people who know next to nothing):
I did a essentially the same prep as I do for my DE and SE shaving ... which, by all accounts, is minimalist. I wet my face. I fill the sink and get the brush really wet, then I squeeze out 90% of the water and load the brush (this morning I used Proraso white soap) Then I face-lather. For DE/SE shaving ... that has always been enough and then I do a 2-pass shave and walk out of the bathroom with a very acceptable shave.

So this morning was the same. I started with the left hand on my left sideburn upper cheek. I think that should be one of the easiest places to shave, as it is pretty 'flat' and the skin there is not overly sensitive ... but no matter how I hold my hand and position the razor, I cant really see what I'm doing there - like I can with the lower cheek. Anyway - I have found that going 'north to south' on my face is not quite 'with the grain' and not quite 'across the grain'. At the sideburns my beard point's pretty much 'south' but when I get to the cheek, it grows nearly pointing at the corners of my mouth (from the ear) .... but for the shave I went N-S.

I wear a van-dyke (mustache and goatee) so I am lucky that I am not trying to learn the contours of the chin and under the nose.
I am also left-handed and that's why I started on the left. I mentally divide my shave into 4 quadrants at the e-w line being at the nose and the n-s at the jaw-line.
First area - left, above the jaw. I feel most comfortable there ... so I was moving a lot slower than I was with a DE, but a little faster (as I would later see) than other areas of my face. I've heard of the 'hanging hair test' (and that it is considered 'subjective' at best) and that the best 'test' is the shave test. I would submit that the 'Damn - I didn't even feel that - where is that blood coming from?' is a good test for how sharp a blade is too. I nicked 4 times on that side alone. I think the first three were due to the tip of the french tip. So I decided to stay away from the tip and the heel and stay in the belly of the blade - for now anyway ... I can imagine the tip is useful for right next to the goatee, but with a very light touch - and I just don't have it yet.

Second area - left, below the jaw. The neck was fine, but the actual jaw line was problematic. No cuts but I was a little gun-shy too.

Third area - right, above the jaw. I switched hands and I did not feel comfortable at all. But I go it done and with only one more nick.

Last was right, below the jaw. I had my parotidectomy (removing the parotid gland) on that side in 1988 and I have some uneven skin and a scar there already ... and I didnt want to add to it, so I did the lower neck close to the adams apple and didn't even try the area back under the ear.

I then did a second lather and went to town with this little one that I restored


It's a Thiers P. Noalhat and it had broken scales. I gave the blade a matte bead-blast finish and made new scales from maple.
This felt 100% different. Having the scales out about 90 degrees from the blade sure made it easier to control the angle. I may like a traditional better than a kamisori ... but I will learn and master the one I got ... too ...

Next time - I know that next time I commission a blade (and there will be a next time) I believe I may forgo the french point ... I really like the look of them, but the slightly rounded corner seems more forgiving. If I got another kamisori-style custom, I think I'd like a thumb-notch to compensate for the lack of the scales and I would likely feel more in control.

Oh - I said three blades ... when I rubbed my hands over my face, I wasn't liking the end-result ... so I went back and shaved with my DE ... that's allowed here on SRP ... right?

Originally Posted by 1981Eagle

So this morning was the same. I started with the left hand on my left sideburn upper cheek. I think that should be one of the easiest places to shave, as it is pretty 'flat' and the skin there is not overly sensitive ... but no matter how I hold my hand and position the razor, I cant really see what I'm doing there - like I can with the lower cheek.

Oh - I said three blades ... when I rubbed my hands over my face, I wasn't liking the end-result ... so I went back and shaved with my DE ... that's allowed here on SRP ... right?

Not an 'expert', by ANY means. BUT, this works for me:

((disclaimer: I use a 8/8 W&B, which has a slight smile))
For the 'start' of my N/S, at the top of the sideburn, I always go from front to back, with the front 1/8 or so of the toe. This gives me an area of about 3/4" that my 'holding hand' is out of the view. Then I can go true N-S, starting at the lather, which is now about the middle of my sideburn.


And as to using a DE afterward. I, too, wear a goat-tee. Regardless of which SR (grind or size), I cannot go N/S dead center of my throat (adams apple). I can S/N, but top down, I cannot without cutting the chicken-like skin on that area. So, I do a quick 2 swipe with my DE on just that area. Also, since I've used a DE for 20+yrs, I feel more comfortable edging my goat-t. Not in fear of nicking, but in fear of slipping and screwing up the line...which would result in having to shave the Goat-T completely off. And, even at 46 yrs old, I still look 12 with no goat-t of 'stash.

I love the look of the French point. It can be a bit daunting though. What you can do is to "mute" (dull) the tip so it won't bite. I started with the standard straight razors and picked up a few kamisoris. I like the both. Some kamisori's come with a straighter handle than others.


Mike