Thread: Shaving lesson from "art of shaving"

Like others have mentioned before -- this all boils down to whether or not you want an extra razor. I have the AOS 5/8 TI full hollow and it shaves really well. I even got one of their "promotional" lessons from the barber and to be honest, it wasn't helpful at all. He went over basic positioning of the razor and charted the areas of the face (something you can easily find on this site). I was also advised not to strop AT ALL, and that stropping is only to be done to sneak an extra shave or two before taking it to the hones. Bottom line, if you're looking for a new, relatively inexpensive razor, go for it and take whatever the barber says with a grain of salt. Otherwise, you can find everything you're looking for online.

Hmm, that's good to know that the "barber" told you not to strop. The guy in the store told me you should strop before and after each shave both on the cloth side and then the leather side and that you will put 4 drops of a conditioner on the strop every so often to keep it fresh etc.... he also told me not to store it in the bathroom..

Which AOS did you go to? I stopped at the one in GCT...

Originally Posted by mcgyver74

Hmm, that's good to know that the "barber" told you not to strop. The guy in the store told me you should strop before and after each shave both on the cloth side and then the leather side and that you will put 4 drops of a conditioner on the strop every so often to keep it fresh etc.... he also told me not to store it in the bathroom..

Which AOS did you go to? I stopped at the one in GCT...

HA! I think the guy you spoke with in GCT needs to share his pointers with the other stores.
I went to the one on Madison Ave a couple of blocks up from GCT. After the useless lesson I'd say that location is only good for a quick restock on cream.

Hmm, I dealt with Roy over at GCT AOS. Nice to know that I should avoid the Madison Ave one

I would definitely go with the TI for $135

Originally Posted by mcgyver74

Hmm, I dealt with Roy over at GCT AOS. Nice to know that I should avoid the Madison Ave one

I wouldn't avoid it completely -- the ladies in front are nice and knowledgeable about their products, but they definitely focus more on the treatment of the skin rather than the cutting of whiskers. I wouldn't expect them to know too much about the world of straights as it seems they only sell them to accompany the amount of shaving products they make (all worth the price tag by the way).

Getting back to the razor, either the TI or the Dovo would be a reliable addition, especially if you choose to send out your for honing and need a backup in the meantime. Pricing between the two is pretty negligible so it really boils down to personal preference. I went with the TI and am very happy with it.

I guess I'll just have to hold both and see which feels better in my hands