Thread: First Straight Shave

Hi guys,
First straight razor shaving today, surprisingly my dominant hand side wasn't as good as my non-dominant. Think it might of been better skin stretching and more care with my weaker hand. Used a 5/8 blade Puma but I think I'd find a short heavier blade easier to use. Would a Kamisori suit me better? Or is it the only way to know is try it, kinda suck it and see approach.

Thanks

There is nothing like a successful start, congrats. Couldn't tell you anything about a Kamisori as I don't have one. If you think you might like a heavier blade you might want to give one of the heavier grinds a go. Something like a 1/4 hollow to near wedge grind. In the end the only way to know what is your preference is to try different things.

Bob

Congrats on your first successful shave. I wouldn't worry about a different razor until your technique has developed to the point where you can have close shaves consistently. Wait till you've passed the hundred shave mark. Enjoy the trip. Even though you'll learn many things about each shave you'll always remember the first one.

I don't know about successful. Went a little point first into my cheek starting off and just under my nose. I hate those guys who have smooth perfect first straight shaves lol

Welcome to the world of straight razors. You have come to the right place for advice. There are many great folks here.

Shaving with a straight is a two handed operation. One hand guides the razor and the other hand stretches the skin, but there is no set rule as to which hand does which for any portion of your face. Use whichever hand works best for you. As you gain experience, you will find that both hands become adept at both roles. I started off shaving with the razor in my dominant hand for the entire shave, but now shave well with either hand.

I started with two 5/8" wide vintage blades, but I never learned to like them. They are too light for me. I now use 6/8 and 7/8 blades. My most recent purchase is 15/16", just shy of 1". I love the bigger, heavier blades. If you were to survey the more experienced members here, I suspect your would find that a large percentage of them started with 5/8" blades but moved on to the larger blades, just as I did.

While some folks like shorter blades, I have a couple that have full 3" length. Most modern German blades are about 2 3/4" length. With any blade, especially the longer ones, you do have to be careful of the point so your will not perform surgery on your ear lobe every time you shave. That is simply a matter of practice and remaining alert of the position of the blade relative to your face at all times. I have no more issue shaving with the longer blade than I do a standard length.

Since 5/8 blades are too light for you, I would suggest you find a 6/8" blade from a quality manufacturer and a quality vendor. I have a 6/8" Ralf Aust that I got from Straight Razor Designs. It is a superb shaver and a many forum members highly recommend Ralf Aust razors. All razors sold by SRD are honed by Lynn Abrams before shipment, so you know you will get a shave ready razor.

Since you are in Ireland, you might want a vendor closer to your location. Perhaps other forum members from Ireland, UK, or EU can recommend good vendors in your area.

Welcome. I would not change blades until I had more experience. It's easy to chase razors rather than working on technique. You have a nice razor. Use it for a few months before trying a different style. Have fun!

Originally Posted by Mrchick

Welcome. I would not change blades until I had more experience. It's easy to chase razors rather than working on technique. You have a nice razor. Use it for a few months before trying a different style. Have fun!

This is good advice that I would have been better off to follow. I kinda got the "let's get this one and try it out" bug early, and learning good technique suffered a bit. It all good now, but it just took me longer to get comfortable since I was changing too many things up at the same time.

Congrats on your first straight shave!