First shave w. pics of razor/kit

Well I did my first straight shave, it felt amazing holding the sharp instrument to my face, and see the result. It's however another matter to feel the result. Not that close, but three passes don't make me veteran, I know that, so I'll stick to it and work on the technique.
The razor felt so small when I first opened the box, somehow I imagined it would be larger, and heavier, but I'm pretty accustomed to it by now, but I know I wanna try a 7/8 sometime.

Started shaving according to the wiki, and general advises on the forum. That means on area at the time and WTG. I got a little to excited so i nicked myself once.
The second time i simply repeated my first go, and flawless (if I myself should say so)
Third time I took my time, and slowly did a full face, but it's here the result got a bit... less than smooth, some places ;) I blame my inexperience. Perhaps I was a but to cautious, I only nicked myself two times *yeah*

I also waited to strop until the third time, I took some advice given here, and practiced my wrist turn technique, so I think I did a pretty decent job. Did the hanging hair test before and after, and when finished the hair didn't stand a chance! (I know that the test isn't a proof of anything, but I felt pretty good afterwards)

And finally a few pictures i took when unboxing my straight razor starter kit, as you can see I went for the cheep, basic. The razor is "Made from skilled craftsmen in Solingen, Germany" (it says so on the box), with plastic scales.

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Congrats! I think thats a pretty nice set up. cheap basic kit or not. compared to sweatshop made disposable plastic beard rippers and a spray can of sludge, You are lookin pretty dandy my friend. he haw! I got to go to bed. my mind is in no shape to be at a keyboard. night night.

That's a great starter kit, and it sounds like you did your homework good!

Well, I did feel pretty good about myself when I started shaving yesterday, so it's obvious I cut myself then. I forgot to stretch the "canvas" so I cut my cheek, not just a nick but a real cut. Too bad.
So now I was wondering, should I shave that spot again next time, or wait for it to heal properly? Will the passing of the razor reopen the cut?

You have to wait, or shave around it. Buy some Neosporin, it's does magic for wound recovery.

Okay, thanks. Just did a google search for Neosporin, seems it's illegal to import, so I'll go look for something more.... legal... :)

Hello Winther,

You have chosen a good set up to start with, Best of Luck

Sam

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Originally Posted by Winther

Okay, thanks. Just did a google search for Neosporin, seems it's illegal to import, so I'll go look for something more.... legal... :)

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I bought mine on eBay from the UK. It's just an antibiotic cream... :)

Looks like a really nice set you have. I am also a newbie, and am getting great advice from everyone here on this site! It is a great place to learn.

That's a nice setup you got there.

I have this setup, it's steve's starter kit from the Invisible Edge and is a great kit. I still use this razor in my rotation and have only just upgraded my strop.

The Razor isn't cheap, it's made by Dovo for steve, and if looking at the blade is anything to go by, it's exactly the same as used on some of their higher end models minus fancy scales, gold wash, engraving etc.

Good choice!

Doesn't look cheap and basic, it looks like a mighty fine set up! Wishing you excellent shaves all the way!

About the only thing i would change about the kit would be to have his new wooden bowl and a different soap. The bowl only because of the way i make my lather, would retain heat better and be easier to hold ( i warm things up with boiling water), and the soap because OSMA is a "get along with" or a "don't get along with" soap. I don't but i've read a lot of reviews where people love it. I still have it and use it from time to time, but it's not in my regular rotation. I wouldn't buy any other brand of alum block now. and the strop is about to be converted to a pasted strop now my new one has arrived. these are all quality items indeed.

I tried the OSMA once, but don't yet know what to feel about it, it sure doesn't smell as nice as my other soaps. But the alum block is worth it's weight in gold!

Well actually the razor is cheep, as in inexpensive, I feel it's the perfect beginner, I've been looking at many much more expensive razors, but ultimately decided to go for this. And as an added bonus, I keep getting more and more fond of it's looks everytime I take it out for a shave.

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Originally Posted by Winther

I tried the OSMA once, but don't yet know what to feel about it, it sure doesn't smell as nice as my other soaps. But the alum block is worth it's weight in gold!

Well actually the razor is cheep, as in inexpensive, I feel it's the perfect beginner, I've been looking at many much more expensive razors, but ultimately decided to go for this. And as an added bonus, I keep getting more and more fond of it's looks everytime I take it out for a shave.

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You are acquiring a nice feel for your razor which is great because you are comfortable with it; it'll help your shaving skills become more deft. I get the feeliing your razor is a great fit for you. That's how I feel about my two Dovos.

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Originally Posted by Winther

Okay, thanks. Just did a google search for Neosporin, seems it's illegal to import, so I'll go look for something more.... legal... :)

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Any broad-spectrum antibiotic ointment will do. In the US we can buy these over the counter, but laws in Denmark may require a prescription. My daughter ran into this when she was studying in France this summer (not for antibiotic ointment, but something on that same level).

yea, some of the drug laws are very strange from an american POV. Neosporin is UTC in some parts of the EU, but the allergy meds I'm on that are ~10USD/pill here in the US are OTC and ~.5USD/pill.

go down into germany, I'm 90% sure they sell something very similar to it over the counter Austria does for sure... I bought some while I was there.try the DeSpar store. they have pharmacy stuff there as well as Groceries.