Thread: does a straight razor give the closest shave??

hi there please bear with me im new to the straight razor world.i bought a straight razor a few months ago it shaved most of the hair off my face but when i ran my fingers upwards on my face i could still feel stuble.i tried shaving atg and other ways but i could still feel stuble .I also went to a turkish barber incase it was me that was doing something wrong but when i left his shop i could still feel stuble . Can someone tell me if its possible to shave with a straight razor or a shavette and get a smooth shave like i used to with my mach 3 by the way my name is gary and i live in scotland i am very impressed with your site ny help would be appreciated thanks

Welcome to SRP,

Straight razors certainly have the potential to do that. But it takes patience, skill, and good equipment to get there. A good intermediate step can be a DER razor, which will let you develop your preparation skills (lather building, skin stretching), without having to deal with the extra challenge of handling a straight razor.

Regards,
Robin

First of all, welcome to SRP! We're glad to have you with us.

If you havent already, check the SRP Wiki, especially the FAQ and Getting Started sections as they are full of useful advice.

Straight Razor Place Wiki

In terms of the closeness of the shave, in my experience the best shaves I have ever had are with a straight razor. But there is a caveat, and that is that you wont get great shaves right from the start as there is a learning curve to using a straight razor.

Because the angle of the blade on your skin is determined by you (unlike a safety razor which has a set angle), when you first start you will need to work out the various angles, direction of movement and beard growth in order to get the best possible shave for your skin and your beard. This can take a bit of time, but is well worth the investment..!

I actually now get better shaves with my straight razors than I get in a barbers, just because I know how to attack my beard to get the best results, and I know which way my beard grows and how to stretch the skin. I didnt figure this out overnight, no one does, but it was definately worth the effort IME!

Where did you buy your razor from btw? Was it honed by a pro before you got it, or was it straight from the factory? Its possible that the razor is not shave ready, and that will mean you are not able to get the best possible shave.

There is a gentleman here in the UK, Steve Dempster, who owns a company called The Invisble Edge and he offers razor honing via his site. He is also a member here, blueprinciple, and is very helpful and his service is excellent! I have several razors from him and they are all ludicrously sharp.

There are four elements that you need for a great shave:

- A shave ready razor
- Good stropping
- Good beard prep and lather
- Good shaving technique

There is information here available on all of these elements, so you are in the right place..! If you have any questions, please ask and we will do our best to answer them for you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Yes it is possible to get a bbs smooth shave with a straight. and you will get less irritation than with the mach 3. It all comes down to good angle of razor and good prep. These are the things you need to master first.
Also comes down to how sharp your razor is.
The wiki is full of good advice have a read.
also tells us about your setup and prep and we might be able to help a bit more.

i bought the razor from ebay i know a big no no ive learnt that now. Thats why i was thinking of buying a shavette because theyre shave ready and giving that a try thanks for the advice guys

Well it depends on what the razor was you bought on ebay and the condition it might not be a total write off just might need to send it to be honed.(sharpened)

guys i know im goin onto something different here but i bought a waterstone its a 12000 grit stone will that b able to get my razor sr??

A 12k stone is really a finishing stone thats used at the end of the honing process for the final polish, or for touching up a blade thats starting to pull. You wont be able to take a blade from dull to shave ready with a 12k stone.

Have a look at this article from the Wiki:

What hone(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

And, TBH, learning to hone and shave at the same time is a pretty tough challenge, especially if you are already having problems with the closeness of the shave.

If you hone a razor yourself and shave with it, you wont know if the poor shave is due to your honing or your shaving technique. I'd recommend sending the razor to be honed by Steve, and then learn with that.

That way you are starting with a truly shave ready edge and can learn how to shave first, and then learn to hone later.

I would say proberly not but again this depends on the razor you bought and the condition nothing might make it shave ready we really need a good description or picture.

Can you post pictures of the ebay razor? That can help us tell you what you need to do to use the razor.