Thread: One word, WOW!!!!

I completed my first shave with my new Jstr8, thanks O_S. When it arrived I tried it and it seemed not quite shave ready, I was trying to use the Ura side though. I spent some time last night trying out my new shoubu asagi which I got from a discount source(not 330mate). I took my time and followed the directions I have found around here for honing a Jstr8, not religiously but they did give me a starting point. I payed more attention to the photos as they seem to contradict the words below them. I did drop back to a 1k just to blunt the points a bit, just to make me feel a little safer. Today I went for another try and it shaved great. I used the Ura side towards my face on my left face, the omote side on my right face, then the neck I did omote on left, and ura on my right neck. I did three passes WTG(N-S),XTG and an opposite XTG. Alternating between the ura and omote each pass. When I was finished I had a very comparable shave to my Wstr8, not bad for a first try and even better in some spots thanks to the smaller size (#1). The areas where I used the ura more were smoother and more comfortable than the areas where the omote was used more, imo, but that could of just been better angles I guess. I also thought the razor felt better and easier to manuever while shaving with the ura towards my face. Next shave I am going to go for an ura only shave, the one after that an omote only shave, that is if I can figure out how to get both sides of the razor to every spot, and do another comparison. I love the way these razors shave and wish I would of found them sooner, the description I have seen comparing them to a sports car is spot on. If you havent tried one yet, I say go for it. On a side note this was my first razor to get shaving sharp, talk about satisfaction, shaving with a razor you sharpened yourself feels like a quite an accomplishment, I havent been able to get the smile off my face since, , see.

Congrats. They are indeed a joy to use & not difficult to hone.
I do find the Omote is the preferable side to use but with care the Ura can get you into an otherwise difficult area to access.

omote? ura ?

Originally Posted by onimaru55

& not difficult to hone.

Well thanks so much for down playing what I thought was an accomplishment. , kidding It was easy compared to the western str8s I have tried so far, I havent succeeded at any of those yet, now that I have my new favorite razor it might be quite a while longer.

If you think of a woodworking chisel. The flat side is Ura & the bevel side is Omote

Originally Posted by nessmuck

omote? ura ?

Omote is the wedge side, Ura is the stamped side.

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

Well thanks so much for down playing what I thought was an accomplishment. , kidding It was easy compared to the western str8s I have tried so far, I havent succeeded at any of those yet, now that I have my new favorite razor it might be quite a while longer.

LOL.. I meant to say they are really difficult to hone

The extra length & often irregular grinding or warped spines etc in Western straights can be more of a challenge. Hang in there.

thanks, i will have to use those words the next time i play boggle with the wife.

Originally Posted by nessmuck

thanks, i will have to use those words the next time i play boggle with the wife.

You might like the words on this page too.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...Japanese+razor

Well yesterday I went for my second kamasori shave. I did a WTG pass, then did one XTG pass(from right to left, so I didnt need to contort too much(arm over head)) and for the first time ever went for a full ATG pass. My left side was easy for the first two passes and the right side was easy except for about a 1" strip along the far right side, I think I just need to get a little more limber, I couldnt quite get my arm to pull back far enough to easily get the sideburn area and where the jaw meets the neck. Those spots were a little raw and had some stubble left thanks to the trouble I was having properly getting the razor in place. For the ATG I cheated and used my left hand but I did keep my previous intentions and kept the Ura against my face for the whole shave. I sat the spine right on the skin and went slow, using long continuous strokes instead of the short strokes, which really gave me a close shave but I did have a little irritation. The more time I spend with the kamisori the more I like it though. Tomorrow will be my omote only shave and judging by the video of JimR(thanks) it will be a challenge to complete the shave with just the omote side used, he made it look easy, but I feel that beard growth should guide my shave and not the ability to get the razor to reach every spot so my experience will probably differ from his. So far I am liking the Ura side against the face, it seems intuitave that way, tomorrow might change that though. My first shave seemed so easy when I wasnt trying to use just one side but to do what I needed to do to reach whichever spot and shave in the right direction. Luckily I have already spent my shaving allowance(actually have gone way, way over it ) or I would probably be ordering a left handed custom Jstr8, since imo that would make this an easy task to conquer. Just when I thought I had RAD under control, I find a new type of razor to tempt me(one that cant be found on ebay for under 20$), just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in.

On a side note I have noticed that the finish is a little rougher on the Jstr8s. Yesterday I noticed that from the time I started shaving to the time I ended(it was quite a bit of time ) I had a couple spots of rust starting to form. Do you guys oil your Jstr8s more or the same as your westerns? I havent had to oil a western in my climate yet, have you guys seen this too, or is it just me? I came across a thread about adding a patina finish, I like the look of a good patina, is there any protective qualities or is it just for looks?