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I'm still new to using a straight razor (about 40 shaves). My technique is getting better (no more nicks!) but I find that I get the best shave by going with and then against the grain with my straight razor...and then going across the grain with a safety. I just can manage to get a good across the grain cut on my neck with a straight razor. Am I alone in this regard?
I use both, but the DE only comes in for touchups. If I've done 3 passes and realize I missed a spot or I'm just not getting the results I want in a particular spot, when I'm all finished I'll lightly take a Gillette Superspeed to the patches I missed with a tiny bit of very wet lather. I tried single edge blades for this but either I don't know how to use them or they're not for me at all. I don't do a full pass with the safety razor unless I'm in a hurry or i'm travelling.
btw, cool name, eflatminor.
Nope, you're not alone at all. In fact when you're a newbie it's recommended that you finish with your usual razor instead of tearing up your face chasing a perfect shave. Proficient shaves will come in time, you just have to find the right method of attack and then you'll be shaving with a straight like a pro.
Thanks guys, good to know!
I use both. Mostly use straights on the weekend and DE during the week. But I also sometimes do a touchup with a DE even when straight shaving.
I use both though after nearly 6 months of trying I can finally get a complete shave from a straight without needing a DE for touch ups. I'm much more likely to use DEs during the work week when I'm pressed for time, or have other reasons I don't feel like using a straight (e.g. not awake enough yet, etc.). I generally always use straights on weekends and days off.
I use both as well. Mostly the straight, but if I'm limited for time or just want to mix it up a bit, I'll use a DE.
I am one who loves both straights and safety razors. They provide very different feels to the shaving experience.
My normal procedure is to do the first two passes (WTG & XTG) with a straight and then finish with an ATG with a DE. However, to ensure that my straight razor technique continues to develop, I try to use a straight for all three passes a couple of times a week.
I have 35 straight razors, as well as a Gillette Fatboy, Slim Adjustable, Tech, and Aristocrat, and an Edwin Jagger DE89L, all of them great razors. This week, I just got a Muhle R41 in the mail. This increases my ambivalence because I want to see how the Muhle compares to the Gillettes and the Jagger.
I just take it one day at a time and enjoy every one of my shaves, whether with a straight, a DE, or a combination of the two. Having a good time is what it is all about.
My greatest issue is that I love all my razors for their unique qualities. I keep considering reducing my collection but I enjoy each one of them too much to get rid of any of them.
Remember, it's your face and there are no "shaving police." Do whatever makes you happy.
Happy Shaving!
:rock:
I use a DE only when I am in a hurry(about twice a month). I can shave in about 5-8 mins, 3 passes with a DE, and get an amazing shave. It takes about 15 mins to do it with a straight + stropping + cleaning blade etc, so keep your DE.
I use a DE on occasion when I'm in a rush or when I feel like shaving in the shower.
I reserve Saturdays for the DE I got from a very nice fellow from here. I quite like the DE shave, but feel like a traitor every time I use it :-(
I HAVE considered (as I drive to work feeling that very slight prickle on my left lower jawline) using a DE to make it all perfect, but then remind myself that only God is perfect and it doesn't really matter...
Like the others, I usually will use the DE for touch-ups. Then again, I've found that for shaving my head, the DE works a lot easier! I'm not wearing down my straight as fast and can easily get Baby Butt Smooth.
I haven't used a safety since -06, though i only need to shave every 3rd day or so.
I haven't used my DE since I tried the straight, though I think I might throw it into the rotation from time to time, just for variety.
I have primarily used the straight for a long time now. When I travel and particularly with air travel, I will take a DE along. I still have a ton of DE's and find them to be fun and still a very nice shave. My favorite for a while has been the old Schick Injector razors, but I still like the Gillettes and Merkurs and a few others.
Have fun.
Gentlemen,
I use the double edge as well as the straight, mostly the straight. I, however, don't use the double edge to augment my straight shave. I use them separately, and love both. The double edge is usually reserved for once or twice a week, or when I am short on time. A double edge is also part of my travel wet pack for backup to the one or two straights I pack.
Like others, I use my DE for travel and I also use it to shave my head.
100% brother. For a long time I reserved Sundays for the D.E. and always felt I was letting the side down! Not so bad on B&B but here......Straightrazorplace??!! The clues in the name.Quote:
Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider
I used to think there will come a day when I can say goodbye to buying safety blades but to be honest I still enjoy a D.E. shave. Today I used an old Brit Tech. Haven't used it for a while. Lovely mild razor. (Used to be my hangover razor back in the day!)
Back to the OPs question.....Yes I use both and am quite happy to do so.
Oscar
This is a second post.
About a week ago, I shaved with just my Jagger DE89L, making three passes. It felt great and it gave a great shave. However, I could feel a little stubble coming through after just 6-8 hours. When I use a straight, I generally don't feel stubble for at least 12-13 hours. Of course, this could simply be a reflection on my DE shaving skills. LOL!
I am interested in testing my new R41 to see if it can match the straights. To give it a full and fair trial, I feel like I need to avoid shaving for a couple of days. I can't believe I have owned this razor for a full week and it has yet to touch my face.
Is this a fun hobby or what?
Happy Shaving!
I love using my DE and finish with if after two passes with my straight even if the first two passes got a very close shave. Sometimes it feels like I am taking almost nothing off with the DE and other times it means I will have a great shave even though the straight was not shave ready or my technique wasn't right.With the DE as a finisher I ALWAYS get a BBS shave and that's nice. Plus like DLB and others I really love my Merkur DE and DE shaving. It's so easy to get a great shave with a real blade. But when the straight is working right it's magic too.
THere are no shaving police so whatever makes you smile when you finish is good :))
eflatminor,
Yep, i am still using my Edwin Jagger DE89 as i just started wet shaving and am practicing with a straight and a Kamisori, so i need to finish with the DE. i will probably need at least a year to get comfortable with the straights before leaving the DE.
Good luck and happy shaving.
I've been using a DE with warm lather for years. My favorite is a Gillete Fatboy with a feather blade. I'm about 1 month in SR shaving and I really enjoy it. I too have not mastered the ATG shave with a straight so I use my DE for that. The DE is aso good for me if I'm on the road or just in a hurry in the morning.
Each time I use the SR I learn alittle something and get better. We just need to hang with it and we'll figure it out.
Good Luck.
You are not alone.Quote:
Originally Posted by eflatminor
This is just shaving we are talking about.
Switching from an electric to a straight... it makes sense to
pick up a bag of good tossable razors. Concentrate the open
razor (str8) learning to the easy bits and tidy up with a tossable
or DE razor.
You will have graduated when you reach for the str8 to tidy up
after a DE or tossable shave.
By tossable I mean a throw away razor with a single blade.
BiC makes one with a yellow handle that is mild enough
to shave many a tender face and inexpensive enough
to toss after two or three shaves.
Way back when folk learned to shave with an open
blade as their whiskers came in. First on the sides
then a bit here then a bit there... over a year or
more. Adults trying to learn all in a week end
are taking on a big task, but not an impossible one.
By keeping an inexpensive backup solution handy you will
not suffer when you strop badly or hone badly
as we all do from time to time.
Karlej,Quote:
Originally Posted by karlej
You are correct! We will eventually get the hang of using a straight razor with time. i too use a feather blade as they are the smoothest for shaving, but still very sharp when you are not concentrating or in a hurry! Since i started wet shaving, it seems as though i am never in a hurry anymore as this is the most important thing to concentrate on!! i have compounded my learning by trying a Kamisori at the same time and it is double the challenge.
Happy shaving!
For a BBS I need the DE razor. Only SR shave is pretty good for a daily shave, but not for special events.
Salu2.
Indesio.
I use both... actually all 3 including the Mach III. I always start with my straight, usually do touch up with my DE, or the Mach if I want to complete my shave in the shower. I'm almost to the point of getting a BBS with my straight, so the other two might be put aside soon, I hope.
Been straight shaving for about 4 months. I still haven't mastered the area around my Adam's Apple. I have hair growing every which way there, and I haven't yet figured out how to hold my straights to get that area BBS. If I want to get that area perfect, I finish with my Fatboy with a Feather. Don't bother all the time. Many of the above entries suggest a one year learning curve, so I'll by patient. Thanks to everyone who posted their experiences.
I "touch up" on the left n right side of my neck where the hair grow right to left inward..til I can figure out which way to get em with my straight razors..I will be DE'ing lightly...also a tiny spot in the middle of my neck..eitherside of my adams apple as well.
I consider "progress" to mean that I need my safety razor less and less. Yesterday I had a shave that I didn't feel needed a safety touchup (GEM SE or Gillette Superspeed...depends on my mood I guess). It wasn't BBS but it was almost. I know that when I can consistently do it without needing a safety razor, then I'm doing well.
I keep the safeties around for either when I need to travel or I'm in a hurry. It's really a backup option.
I own more DEs than straights, and I still throw in a nice DE shave every once in a while. They're both great :)
I think getting too carried away with an absolutely perfect shave in all areas with only a straight can be hazardous to one's health. I guess that's easy for me to say with a lightish growth, though. The other day I obsessed about one particular spot on my neck that grows E to W and ended up cutting myself. I think maybe that is what we see some VERY odd looking beards on Victorian fellows. I mean, really. A neck beard, what's THAT all about?
Attachment 82147
Seriously! I'm itching thinking about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider
