Thread: I was sure this wouldn't be me

Glad things went better for you today Lawrence.

I have a set of Chroma Type 301 "Porsche" kitchen knives that came with a Japanese water honing stone and a guide to put on the knife to keep the honing at a 15 degree angle. I was quite surprised at how little 15 degrees actually is. It helped me to refer to this when I started shaving with a straight razor.

I have a feeling that a lot of beginners wind up using more like 45 degrees when they first start. At the beginning, I had to lay the razor on my cheek and then barely lift the spine to keep between a 20-30 degree angle. After four months, I now find I can more easily determine a 10, 15, 20, or 30 degree angle by feel. There is no one perfect angle when dealing with an imperfect face. I find myself constantly changing the angle to keep the razor moving smoothly.

I forget how many years ago I gave up trying to convince people that a shavette was not an adequate tool to use to learn to shave with a straight razor. But, I'd say, after probably 20 posts on the subject, I gave it the old college try. But, then, it only takes one more post, from someone that doesn't even use or own one, to nullify any potential gain from typing them up. No matter how you look at it, there are straight razors, and there are Shavettes.

I won't defend Shavettes as a way to start straight shaving, except to say this: They only cost $30 bucks and so are an inexpensive entry point into using a straight blade. Also, the blades are certainly sharp, so that takes the "Is it me or the razor?" stuff out of the equation. They do help you refine your technique because you either start to get it right or pay a big price in cuts. Having said all that, it was certainly a relief to move from the Shavette to a proper straight, and my face thanked me for it.

I still like my shavette. It's my crutch. What you both said is true. I got the shavette as an intro to something other than a multi blade. I asked for a straight for Christmas but ended up with the shavette due to price. I truly expected an easy transition to a real straight. After 3 months of the shavette it was rough. 2 months later I'm just getting the hang of not being in pain at the end of my shave. Except for the upper lip where I still use the shavette because I was dumb and got a big wedge to shave with and it doesn't fit in that area too well...

So like ace and afdavis said, start with a regular straight and save yourself some later pain. Or at least some future razor burn.

That's advice I will heed myself.