Thread: Poor results of straight shaving - very disappointed

That was the main reason I went to an electrical shaver instead of using cartridges, which yielded poor results (my face felt like a 100 grit sandpaper). Now, I plant to go straight but worrying about the addiction to acquire too much unnecessary equipments. For now, I have ordered 6 blades, four strops, and 5 honing stone (all on the way). call me pathetic. I may buy another one to make a 7 day set.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

When cartridges reach $18 a box you'll re-think it. Oh, wait, they already cost that much.

Don't give up. As a newbie myself (when does one not become a newbie anyway?) for a few months it will all come together. There is quite a bit of information to absorb and feel is one thing that can not be taught. Experience can be handed down and hopefully we can learn and listen. It took me awhile to finally get a small grasp of what the boards have to offer. It's amazing what's here.

Perhaps just start small and shave only your cheeks. Go lightly and try not to force it.

One last thing is there someone near to you that you can meet and get some advice or try to get to a meeting that some groups have once and awhile?

Just stay with it and you will finally sort it out

Originally Posted by remingtonmarlin

That was the main reason I went to an electrical shaver instead of using cartridges, which yielded poor results (my face felt like a 100 grit sandpaper). Now, I plant to go straight but worrying about the addiction to acquire too much unnecessary equipments. For now, I have ordered 6 blades, four strops, and 5 honing stone (all on the way). call me pathetic. I may buy another one to make a 7 day set.

You're _worrying_ about the addiction? You've got it already!

charles

I have 2 straight razors honed by a hone meister . . .

I won't claim to be a "hone meister" until I've done a lot more sharpening. "Hone beginner" is more truthful.

One of those razors (the Gold Dollar) is not very good -- I tried it, and didn't like it. Just not sharp enough.

But the other - a "Ski" brand Solingen razor, made by ERN -- is a nice blade. When I shave-tested it, it wiped the hair off my face very smoothly.

It takes _time and experience_, as everyone has said, to get a good shave with a straight razor. A strop will also help. Without a strop, each time you use a razor, it gets a little bit duller.

Wnen I started using a straight razor, I also wondered:

. . . "Why am I doing this ?"

I was trying to figure out how much of the trouble was _me_, and how much was _the razor_. A little bit of each. When I got a Dovo that Lynn (of Straight Razor Designs) honed, I knew that whatever trouble was left, was _my_ trouble.

Charles

[QUOTE=cpcohen1945;742986]
Hi cpcohen,
You need to venture further and that journey is all the excitement you gonna get.Str8 razor shaving is not a run by nite business,otherwise it will become Crooked Razor Shaving.We all went thro the same if not some of the stuffs you have experienced.Give a little bit more time,patience,perseverance and look at the bright side of it,rerun and do a post mortem of your shaving routine,reread the Lynn's guide to beginners.In no time you will definitetly enjoy your Str8 razor shave.
May the Str8 be with you,
cheers,
(moonbeam

I have not yet even begun to shave. I have immersed myself in this forum to
make sure I have the fundamentals before I put theory into practice. It is
evident there is a lot of skill in this art of shaving with a straight.

A guy I train with had a tattoo on his inner forearm after swimming the English Channel which reads, "Nothing Great is Easy."

I love this as it can be applied to so many things.

And to repeat a quote already mentioned... if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

And lets face it... there is something 'bad-ass' about shaving with a straight
and you should plan to display the equipment proudly so when friends come
over and use your bathroom... they will be like,"You shave with a cut-throat!"

Thank you for sharing your frustration as I will no doubt be there soon!

They guys on this forum are great and this for his the best I have come across in terms of activity and advice from experienced gents.

Listen to their advice and keep pushing on, you will be glad you did down the track!

Baldie
P.S In this instance, don't heed to the advice of my signature below!

The learning curve with a straight is much greater for many of us than a safety razor. After 9 months shaving a few times a week I still can't get quite as close with a straight as I can with some of my DE or SE razors. However, that's partly due to the awesome results I can get with them!

It does however get progressively better, albeit quite slowly in my case, patience, practice and perseverance pays.

It took me 3 months to get a shave that I was completely satisfied with and that left my face smoother than it's been after ANY shave. I get similar results much more frequently now, but every shave is not great. Everyone is different, and I've seen tell on here of it taking others 6 months, 8 months, a year, etc. to start getting great shaves. What you need to keep telling yourself is that the great shaves will come, and when they come, they will be all the sweeter because you worked for them and earned them. It's tough working towards that hump, but trust me, once you are over it, things get much easier. Also, remember that you don't need to do a shave from start to finish with your straight razor, you can always finish with your DE.

You are not expecting to much at all....a straight will go way beyond the gillete fusion's limits....you need more practise and patience ...keep at it...It WILL come to you

I started shaving with a straight in December and I am now getting comfortable using my left hand. I use a light pressure and take short strokes and do two passes and i get a beautiful shave. Stretching the skin is important. Keep trying and if you need to touch up an area with your old razor don't worry, it take time to learn!