Thread: If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?

I don't think I would change a damned thing. I could not know what I know and do what I do if I hadn't the experience that I had.
I started in the early ninety's. I collected 2 razors from a local antique store. A Thistle cut and a razor called THE FLEEMAN and about a month later I picked up two more razors from a local antique store. A W M Elliot & co and a Wester Bros. Steel King . At this point I told my mother I was going to learn how to shave with a straight. She immediately introduced me to her next door neighbor who happened to be an 80+ year old barber who spent an hour showing me how to strop, sharpen, and shave. Then he gave me his first strop he received at his first job as a barber. he told me that when he received it it had been well used. I still have that strop.
The next two years I spent frustrated and pulling my hair out trying to shave with a straight. It took at least two years before I was getting consistent shaves.
For all the hell I went through I can't see changing a thing otherwise I dont think I could really understand what is required to shave with a straight...or maybe I just enjoy the pain of beating my head against the wall ...who knows?

I was pretty lucky actually. I got a shave ready DOVO Black Star from Trumpers and a decent strop which set me off in the right direction.

I definately went down the route of "more razors", so I have a reasonable collection now. I love the way they look, they're little works of art IMHO.

I got a set of hones (shaptons) a while back and I'm getting really good edges off them, but I was finding the edges felt a little harsher than some of the edges I was getting on shave ready razors that I'd bought.

Practice, practice, practice.... Better edges? Yes, very sharp and I'm happy with them, but they didnt have that "soft" quality that I really love.

I started asking around and finding out what other people were using, and looking for particular hones that people found gave good edges. Naniwas were often mentioned so I've got the 8k and 12k, just waiting on the 1k and 5k now. I got a coti/BBW combo as well, and I like that one. Managed to snag a Charnley Forest on eBay yesterday, and I have a Japanese Natural on the way as well, as they were also mentioned.

I dont think that any of these hones will make me better at honing, but I love to experiment with them and find out the different qualities the stones impart on the edge. Its the search for that elusive "perfect edge" I guess. As I hear of a new technique or method, I'll try it. I'm really into that in a big way at the moment, and each time I hone a razor, things get a little bit better. New ideas, new stones, new razors, its all so much fun..!

What would I do differently? Not much, other than start earlier! I wish I'd started with straight razors right from the off, it would have saved me a lot of pain and grief!

It probably wouldnt have saved me any money though!

If I could start all over again I would probably be just as clueless as I was 27 years ago

If I could start it all over again I would've have given up so easily and wouldn't have went back to DE razors for a brief period back in November-December of '09.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Well, if I could do it over again I would have started robbing banks before I started straight shaving that way I could have gotten the best stuff in the world from the getgo and by now I would be the worlds greatest shaver, honer, stropper,etc, right?

That sounds like a plan, we should get together somewhere, let's call it SRP.

Started with a Diane 21 disposable "hair shaper". The price was right to try straight shaving. Then I bought some Col. Conk soap and thought, "now that is some shaving soap and life is great!"

Roughly 20 shaves later, the straight shave performance exceeded the performance of the Mach 3. Then I got out the big money and bought a Dovo Tortoise, 3" Strop, and 4 sided paddle strop with three sides pasted.

A little later, I picked up a few more quality straights, Robert Williams, Dovo No. 55, Dovo Best Class, & Wacker and some quality soaps, creams, and aftershave balms, along with a Silver tip badger brush.

What would I have done differently?

a) Started straight shaving 18 years earlier and bought many straight razors when they were cheaper.
b) Read SRP Wiki thoroughly before buying any straight shaving stuff.
c) Bought Mama Bear Soap instead of Col. Conk. Soap

Yet, I have no regrets as I was determined to straight shave and get BBS shave after BBS shave and I accomplished this within three months and with a good understanding of honing razors

Pabster

Well, I would buy a Prima Klang instead of a Renaissance.
I've come to realize (using a King Cutter with a blade thin as a razor blade and a Wosti extra hollow) that the blade I prefer is a 11/16 and the thinner the better.

I feel with lighter blade that my muscles control the cutting while with bigger ones, my muscles work to prevent the blade from cutting under it's own weight and momentum.

I also feel I get a closer shave and love the feedback from the blade.

Still I have a not so thin Bengal that I like a lot. A question of balance and feel of the blade, maybe.

Regards,

McKie

What would I do different?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I would not go out and buy razors until I knew what I was doing. I shaved with a straight for 30 years before I found this site. Had no idea there were so many types of razors.

I had two razors for years, now I have 16 and need to get rid of about 10 of them. I went out and paid $150 for a razor worth $75 and paid $45 for a razor worth $125, etc.

What I would not change would be the people I met and what I learned from them:

I remember a hot August day in the early 70's when I walked into The Honeymoon Barber Shop in North Birmingham, Alabama and met Mr. Ray who told me his shop was the oldest continually operating barber shop in the city. It was something like out of 1920 and I was probably the first white person to walk in there in decades and I told him I was learning how to shave with a straight. The next thing I knew there were six or eight old black men gathered around me all trying to impart their knowledge at the same time. It was one of many afternoons I will never forget.

I remember the World War II vetern who was in the 1st Division, "The Big Red One" who talked about when they took a town he would go find a barber shop, locate a razor and strop and shave himself. He said the Army made him send his razor home when he arrived at boot camp.

I remember a one chair barber shop in a small south Alabama town I visited one rainy day and the barber who was also a Pentecostal Minister and I discussed sex, religion, politics and razors all afternoon over coffee that if you spilled any of it, it would have probably ran throught the world and killed Chinese folks.

I remember a 77 year old barber who told me he chopped and picked cotton all summer to get up enought money to order a begilners barber kit from Sears and Roebluck when he was thirteen. He cut hair under a tree in the front yard in the summer or on the front porch. He cut hair in barns and by fireplaces until he could get up money to rent a building and open a shop. He charged a dime for a haircut when he started out.

I wish I had kept notes on all the people I met and their personal stories.

It was a personal journey for me. I am thankful for it.

Let's see here...

I am starting early, at 19 years old, I bought a Dovo "Best Quality" set that will come shave-ready thanks to Lynn, and I found and joined this forum early on. I certainly feel fortunate for all of these things, but if I did have one regret, it would be not getting rush shipping on my first set! Patience, Wolf... It'll come today.

A good post to read through for a newbie like myself, everyone. Thank you for all your insight.

Sorry to add a negative post, but if I could start over, I wouldn't.

3 months ago was my first, very disappointing attempt, as I thought that a rough as guts 1st pass was a reasonable expectation, given more than a few people manage to do this and I've become a proficient DE shaver over the last 9 months. I didn't manage that then, and I still haven't 3 months later. It's even more discouraging to read so many posts about completely opposite experiences to my own.

I ditched the vintage I bought first up, which was not good, nor truly shave ready, and started over with a Dovo special 6/8 from SRD/Lynn. When I got this, I knew my gut instinct was right, and that the vintage wasn't a good razor. And you have to consider, if some people are selling off some of their starter razors cheap, they're not letting the good ones go.

Granted, I'm not using the Dovo everyday, as I have 3 pre school kids and getting up early doesn't actually give me more time to shave. I decided to look at it as a long term project, and shave whenever I could, which turns out to be 2-3 times a week. So all up, I've about 25+ shaves down.

Things improved a bit when I quickly got to grips with the razor and my angles, but I still can't do anything but a rough WTG pass; my beard simply will not cut in any other direction, no matter how low I get the blade. Also, I can't get going on that WTG if my beard is more than 36 hours long. Then, even the cheeks, which are usually the only easy shave, are rough and tuggy, requiring baby cuts that take way too long, creates irritation and my lather dries up.

I'm not a complete Gumby – I'm a handy home cook, I handle knives and do kitchen prep well. So I know about angles, slicing, sliding, rolling, and straightforward cutting, with a blade edge. I've got a little bit handy with incorporating these various blade manipulations as I learnt – if I can call it that.

I can deal with slow progress, but not no progress. In 3 months I've not been able complete a full WTG pass that would be acceptable to walk out the door with.

So I don't post this as a rant or looking for advice – I don't see any tips that will help me, that I haven't already read or watched for myself. I post for the newbs because when I read this forum, the news is all good - people slowly getting to grips with this thing, or even starting out months ahead of my own results, with their first few attempts.

It's not for everyone. No matter how much you look forward to trying it, coupled with the expectation, financial and emotional investment you put in, the acceptance of setbacks and frustration - that doesn't mean it's going to be something you'll 'get' or enjoy. I really wish I could say it was, but zero progress is not a learning curve.

That's pretty much where I'm at now. I stuck at it and reduced my expectations significantly, but when you simply don't move from point A to B, never mind Z, then sometimes you've got to admit you suck at something.