Thread: IM NEW AND NEARVOUSE

My dear Chargernewshaver,

The one thing you will notice soon is that straight razor shaving becomes an obsession. A powerful but worthy obsession.

When you begin to feel that big emotional wave, you will find yourself at the starting line for one of life's greatest joys: a good shave with a dazzling blade.

Please forgive a simple advice from a straight razor pilgrim: Take your time. Go about learning the art and craft of straight razor shaving slowly, methodically and gracefully. The schooling is worth it.

And by the way, there are enough gracious and thoughtful straight razor experts on this forum to field a Roman legion. Ask and ye shall find the answer before the fifth breath.

Good luck and welcome to the world of gentlemen shavers.

Regards,
Obie

Welcome to a very close and comfortable shave. I remeber being in the service in order to get a shave that pleased my superiours I had to shave against the grain which with the mach3 which of course would cause ingrown hairs. Now I get a closer shave without the irritation and I nick myself less than I used to with the mach3, too bad I'm not in the service anymore. Just give yourself some time to get used to the new method of shaving.

If you decide to go with the classifieds option hi_bub_gi is a pleasure to deal with and if he says it's shave ready he means it.

Dear Obie,

Thank you for your wise words. i have been studying all the articles on shaving and how to hold the razor. I am planning on buying one by christmas so i can learn everything i need to know about the great art of shaving . If i ever need any help or guidence ill let you know.

Originally Posted by BeBerlin

Friends don't let friends buy from online auction houses. It takes patience, practice, and a good deal of knowledge (and, of course, luck) to get decent razors from eBay, especially at the price you mentioned. Whereas your chances of getting a decent razor at a decent price from the classifieds here is a lot higher (there is still a risk, though).

Straight Razor Place Wiki:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki is still the best place to start in my opinion. There is a shopping list in there as well, and basically everything you need to get started. Read it.

I will admit that I got bit on a couple razors off auction sites. One was a double duck with extreme hone wear on one side, so bad the included angle was down around 11 degrees. I was still able to hone and shave with it. That DD is now the one I use to shave my wife's legs. Of the twelve razors I bought to use as shavers, all were solingen or sheffield made, and only three were not in good shape. All the razors have been sharpened and shaved with. It is information I gathered from SRP Forums that made me a more concious and informed buyer, as I now know what characteristics to look for when looking at vintage razors. I am not saying not to buy from the classifieds but that online auctions worked well for me, that is how I started.

What I would like to say is that the moderators, mentors, and other guys that have been doing thus for years should pride yourselves on passing along hoardes of info to us newbs who just want to try a new way of shaving. If it wasn't for the bay I would not be straight shaving now. I would like to say again thanks for a great and informative forum.

well thats what i was waiting for some one that knows the pain and irritation of shaving your face down to the blood vessels just to get a prik-7 off your back. do you still shave every day or is it every couple days. cause when i start straight razor shaving i will have to do it every day. i am still confused on how advanced we are as a nation and all these new razors and creams and people are going back to 1900 methods i am very excited to try it and sucseed at it. i really hope one blade will please me cause 3 or 4 is just rediculous all those ass wholes making a monopolly well thank you all for your input.

My dear Chargernewshaver,

Thanks for acknowledging the humble advice of a pilgrim straight razor shaver. My level of expertise, however, is zero compared to that of the experts on this forum. I am astonished at how much these gentlemen know about the straight razor word. Just pose the question and you'll have your answer almost instantly. I continue to learn from them daily. You will, too. Again, I wish you the best.

Regards,
Obie

use scything motion every shave only with WTG AND XTG you will be fine. gl

hey i got a fusion i only cheated at my first straight try tho as it made the burn much much worse now that i can get a decent "sharkskin"im not even considering it anymore
the reason i didnt go full atg last time was that i was a bit sloppy and i didnt want too shave the cuts

i just live with them as i newer got annyone scarring yet and when the blade is sharp it dont really hurt either

Being in the military, I would go about it this way. BTW, I'm a newbie, and I've only been at this two weeks.

Stop throwing your money away on Machs and get your hands on a DE razor. It's way cheaper, and since you are already wet shaving there isn't much of a learning curve. If you don't already have one, get a nice badger brush and some shaving soap.

Now, get yourself a decent razor and strop, it doesn't have to be expensive. A lot of people like the kit from RupRazor, or an inexpensive, shave ready Dovo or something from the classifieds here.

When you get a long weekend dive in and follow the advise in the wiki, go slow and do a section at a time. You can finish off with the DE so you look presentable. Over time you should find yourself using the DE less and less.

I've seen people shave pretty fast with a SR, but in the beginning make sure to give yourself plenty of time to learn.

BTW, thanks for your service.

HEY ZIGGY thanks for that info im new to this too what is a DE. I think your talking about a safety razor with one blade but just to make sure im asking you. . i am also wondering since there is a lot of debate about shave ready razors and i do not know how to strop or hone. could i buy a razor and have it shipped to one of the more experienced shavers and have him gaurantee of sharpness. ive read two stories of people buying shave ready SR. and choping there face up and quiting. i dont want that to be me.