I'm wondering how long it took before your shaves were consistent and smooth. Not necessarily BBS, unless you require no less.
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I'm wondering how long it took before your shaves were consistent and smooth. Not necessarily BBS, unless you require no less.
I will perhaps be an exception, but I honestly got a very decent shave right from the start. My wife was amazed, because I never was that smoothly shaved during my DE days.
I did read one book about straight razor shaving, and one manual for a straight shaving course, before I even touched my brand new Dovo. I spend a week reading over and over, stroking my face with an imaginary razor in my hand, memorizing what I was supposed to do.
Finally, I locked myself in the bathroom on a Wednesday morning (I remember it as if it were yesterday:)). I used a shaving brush for the first time ever. I stropped while the lather was on my face. Relathered. I did a North to South pass, and a South to North pass (Up front, I made a deal with myself that I would decide about that after doing the first pass).
I had one small nick at my right sideburn, and was reasonable smooth (at the time I found it very smooth).
Never shaved with anything but a straight razor since that day.
That's my story.
Bart.
It took me a two to three weeks to put the DE away using it less and less to finish. It hasn't seen any use since and the shaves progressively improved as time went on. They still are improving as time, practice and experience goes on.
Bart,
I guess the quote in your sig doesn't apply to you. ha
:)Quote:
Originally Posted by JonnyBoy
I'm the kind of person that finds it easy to learn from written instructions. The first thing I do when I buy a tool, is to read the manual, even if it's a wooden spoon to stir food being cooked.
Electric shaving devices never worked on my beard and my DE didn't came with a manual. Lucky for me, my straight razor did. I really was the lousiest shaver on the Northern hemisphere. Perhaps I wouldn't have been so happy, if I 'd already been a competent Mach3 user.
As long as I managed not to cut myself up, my shaves with the straight razor could only be better.
During my DE days, I used a tube of Gillette shaving cream. I smeared that stuff on my face with my fingers, without using any water. (I really had no idea.:o) Just like buttering a sandwich. Then I scraped away with the DE. It was always a bloody mess. I certainly didn't became an avid shaver overnight, but that first straight shave really was a big improvement. How could it not?:hmmm:
I was getting good shaves pretty quickly. I'd say after the first week or so I was getting really good shaves, but over time things improved as I learned about the contours of my face and direction of hair growth. That took considerably longer.
Bart, I had a similar experience with straight shaving. I attribute it to the fact that before taking up straight shaving I had once actually shaved with my pocket knife, so I kinda knew what I was getting into. I never went back to my Gillette Fusion once I tried a str8 because I would ALWAYS cut myself with my Fusion, but I've probably cut myself 3 times with my str8.
Just for the record, took me about nine weeks. Stropping was the main problem, I dulled my razors faster than I could buy new ones.
Which is why we spent so much time putting together the beginners guide. I wish it had existed when I started ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bart
I would say that on the first shave I was as smooth as with a DE, and by the second shave better. It only takes me a few minutes longer than a DE, so I have retired them all together and only use straights now.
That would be an interesting poll. How many switched from a DE/SE vs from a Cartridge Beast.
It took me a few weeks. I was thinking I did a great job until a got a true BBS one week into straight shaving. It took me a few more days to figure out what I did differently that time and to get to repeatable success.
For me I got an excellent shave after about the third time, disposibles never shaved my neck well because the hair on my entire neck grows west to east, so getting a clean shave always meant severe razor burn, that is untill I switched. I guess because my wiskers are soft they shave really easy with a straight, on the weekend I slept in and used a disposible to quickly shave and had awful razor burn, never again.
It probably took a month for the first really good shave and probably six-nine months for consistently good shaves (75%) and 1 year for 95% great every time. At first I would use a DE to finish it off.
My beard has swirls on the neck area and it was pretty tricky for awhile plus it's very stiff and wiry. Practice makes perfect!
It was right away for me. It only took 5 shaves with a straight to get a BBS shave, and no nicks or cuts. I also started out with full face shaves, right from the get go. I also strarted with a pre-honed shave ready razor that Lynn himself honed. A Dovo Bergischer Lowe 5/8 with a spanish point. I think that helped alot. I was already used to wet shaving with DE and cartridge razors. I also had a very good badger brush, and was using pre-shave oil, and shave soaps and creams. Stropping just came quick for me. Straight razor shaving has been a great experience, for me personally.
The second shave.
My first shave the razor was pulling a bit, so it went to the CrO strop.
I think I just have a bit of knack for the straight shave. I have no problem using both hands never had to really learn ambidextrous shaving.
My first razor a Dovo was the only one I have ever nicked myself with. I switched to better blades, and I have not had nicks since.
That is a very difficult question. If you asked me after one week I would say I got great shaves straight away more or less. After one month I would say it took me three weeks. Now I would say it took longer.
I think I was probably right, and I did get good shaves almost right away. However, as I've got better, I've got more consistant and am probably getting much better shaves than I was then.
I would say you can get really good shaves pretty quickly, but to get great shaves takes longer, fortunately, unless you slice your self to pieces the improvements are more subtle than the first 4 or 5 shaves, and you go a long the whole time thinking how great your shaves are.
It probably took me about a month until I was getting consistantly good shaves.
I had a comfortable shave on my third shave, a good shave after around 10 shaves and superlative shaves after around 20 shaves which is when I started using both hands.
I suppose I should reveal my reasons for asking. I've been at it for about 6 weeks, and my shaves are still less than wonderful. It doesn't help that my beard is extremely thick and curly, and grows in many different directions. I am usually an extremely quick study, so I find it slightly disconcerting that I still can't get a great shave. Practice, I guess. 10000 hours later maybe I'll get a great shave. :shrug:
The problem is that as you progress your standards go up accordingly. The shaves that I got a month out were really great, compared to an electric or a cartridge razor but crap compared to what I am obtaining now. After almost 2 years of shaving with a straight the shaves that I am getting are almost perfect every time, kinda nice!
Take Care,
Richard
Gentlemen,
I have shaved with a straight razor for quite sometime and am still looking for the rainbow. I still cannot claim the perfect shave. I like it that way. In a way, I prefer to prolong my search as long as it is possible, because part of the joy of straight razor shaving is the daily discovery of new things.
Say you listen to the Fourth Symphony by Johannes Brahms 50 times. Just when you think you know the symphony relatively well, on the 51st hearing you'll hear something in it you haven't heard before.
And so it goes with straight razor shaving. What fun to learn something new about the razor, the shave angle, the patch of stubborn hair, the daily play of the blade against the beard on the 50th shave, the 100ds, and so on.
Regards,
Obie
It took me a few tries before I could get a smooth shave.
I still can't shave against the grain though.
Thanks for those guides btw :). Because of what I read online I jumped in with both feet and didn't really have any problems picking it up pretty quickly. My first shave I went against the grain (which I actually rarely do now) and I got a better shave than I did with my crappy mach 3. I do agree with some of the others that it takes longer to learn the contours of the face and a proper stropping technique. Now that I switched to a much larger razor I feel like I'm trying to relearn both.Quote:
Originally Posted by BeBerlin
First shave with a shave ready razor from SRD! It was not completely BBS, but my face was totally clear. just had issues with neck. I have not used a cartridge, not even for touch ups since. It has now been about 1 1/2 months.
Thank you to all the SRP members. :beer2:
Lu
My learning curve was fairly shallow but I chalk that up to reading all the information I could get my hands on before taking the plunge.
I was getting pretty good shaves within a week. Within a month, my shaves were BBS :cool:
About 100 shaves before I consistently got BBS and never need a DE to clean up.
It took me about a month to get good shaves but I was tackling honing at the same time w/ 5 straights I purchased about 20 yrs ago. Thinking back it was quite funny but it was a rough road. Add another several weeks before I could shave w/o thinking about every stroke and getting consistent BBS shaves. At that time I was honing up to 8k. About a year ago I got a C12k and added a new level of sharpness to my razors and this past spring I got my Escher. Always learning new stuff. I finally got some expert honing lessons from 'THE' expert Lynn this past weekend and expect my honing to take another jump in quality once I find time to play with the hones. Maybe this weekend, I hope.
About 3-4 weeks of every day shaving, but the reason could be as well within this time I tried 3 straights before I found the one, which suited me the best
I got close and smooth shaves really early. The problem was that most times I was stinging and sore for at least a couple of hours, one time I remember being sore to the touch for almost a week.
So, since the question was how long to a good shave, I chose the longer time. Since close, smooth, and painless = good shave in my books.
I started getting an acceptable shave within the first week -- by "acceptable" I mean that I could walk out of the house without my face looking like it had been mauled by an angry cat, and with enough whiskers gone to where I could go to the office. But it took me at least a month to get a really decent shave. And, now, many, many months later, I'm getting consistently good shaves, but not BBS. Because of the nature of my facial growth, I'm not sure that I'll ever get BBS shaves, but that's OK, I don't have to get great shaves in order to enjoy using straight razors . Just "good" shaves are good enough. And, who knows, great shaves may eventually come.
Well, against what I thought was my better judgement, this morning I skipped my xtg pass, and tried an atg for the first time (aside from the one that left me with a major rash a week into learning how to shave,) and surprise surprise, it worked wonders. Parts of my face are actually BBS with no irritation for the first time ever. I even tempted fate by doing a fool's pass on my 'stache. :hmmm:
I start my new job on monday, and now I won't have a five o'clock shadow at noon!
I was getting decient shaves from the begining. But i also would do multiple passes. I have also been switching between different razors. That could be slowing my learning process. some days are smoother than others. Neck is the hardest to get consistant. My cheecks always seem to come out good. I am on my 5th shave.