Thread: THIS is why I shave with a straight razor!

Shaves like this morning's. No nicks,no cuts,no errors. Got my whole face strongly and I felt like I had almost as much control over the blade and my face as I do with my DE.
Finally.
went through a bit of a 'shaving groove slump' and I'm very happy to say that I'm out of it. Getting my beard mapped out helped a lot but so was going with how things felt and not trying to "think my way" through the shave helped more.

Also slicing and dicing myself for 3 days straight taught me to REALLY respect this thing, just like a loaded weapon( which it essentially is). The frustratiing thing last week was that I was cutting myself in places where my beard isn't even that tough; on the transitions between placements!

Concentration is key and now I really get that. Not letting my mind wander for a second,especially on the second and third passes where it's easy to let down my guard and think I've "got it".

This is truly the Zen of it for me; things like this that FORCE me to concentrate or suffer the consquences.

Awesome! Just wanted to share to tell other newbies there is hope,lol. Hang in and practice practice practice.

Blade: Boker Edelweiss 5/8"
Soap: Proraso

Always good to hear good news. Keep up the good work mate.


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

Always good to hear good news. Keep up the good work mate.


Mick

thanks Mick, it's just nice to know it really is possible )

Rogue, 'Grats!

Anyone experienced w/ a str8 that can't remember these wonderful shaves has a faulty memory. Savor each one.

Other shaves that'll put a smile on your face is when the Mrs or gf touches your face and remarks how smooth it is. When that happens the morning after a shave, its particularly pleasing.

'Hope you have alot more of these shaves. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by pinklather

Rogue, 'Grats!

Anyone experienced w/ a str8 that can't remember these wonderful shaves has a faulty memory. Savor each one.

Other shaves that'll put a smile on your face is when the Mrs or gf touches your face and remarks how smooth it is. When that happens the morning after a shave, its particularly pleasing.

'Hope you have alot more of these shaves. Enjoy!

thanks man I certainly will savor this.it just sets the stage for a what I want from each shave.finally learning to strop the razor has helped as well ) I have a brand new Bridle leather strop for SRD that I won't let myself use untilI can go at least a month on my old one without adding any new nicks to it.

one thing I've realized is that all the time I've spent( no tmuch really but for me)lately honing and stropping has really helped me feel much more comfortable with the blade inmy hands and the fine motor control I need.

Congratulations! Sometimes, after much trial and error, something just clicks and you get the shave you have been striving for all this time. Enjoy as they only get better in time, but also don't get discouraged if you have a minor set back in the future. I think it happens to us all at some point, and if does happen to you, just remember to focus on the basics and you'll be fine.

And you thought it wasn't possible at some point, I bet. As said before, we all regress at some point, but do your best to relax and keep moving forward.

Originally Posted by GeauxLSU

And you thought it wasn't possible at some point, I bet. As said before, we all regress at some point, but do your best to relax and keep moving forward.

lol, I was starting to have my doubts;especially when I was cutting myself in "easy" parts of the shave. I do expect there will be some setbacks in the future but I am that much closer to actually figuring out how to do this well.It's said Mastery requires 10,000 hours of practice so I have a ways to go.

Grats! I'm still working on my "best shave," to be honest. I usually feel like I'm almost there, and then lose it somewhere along the way. I completely agree with you on concentration- it's totally key. That, proper angles, and no pressure.

As an aside, since you posted about it- I love Proraso, especially in the morning. That stuff really wakes me up.

Originally Posted by Hubsche1

Grats! I'm still working on my "best shave," to be honest. I usually feel like I'm almost there, and then lose it somewhere along the way. I completely agree with you on concentration- it's totally key. That, proper angles, and no pressure.

As an aside, since you posted about it- I love Proraso, especially in the morning. That stuff really wakes me up.

thanks, I agree with you, it's very easy to be very close then lose it from the concentration standpoint. especially if you are going well,lol!
angle are crucial obviously, as is finding the right angle for yourself on each pass. I'm finding the that angle for the first pass is different than the subsequent ones, when the rough stuff has been mowed down already.

the proraso is great as is the Razorock line.

I have a russian blade from Sham coming and just won two vintage russian blades on ebay so my hungarian blades willl have their counterparts in the set(s),lol.