Thread: Is this how it's going to be?

I had an interesting experience this morning. I'm a real beginner, five shaves in, and have been using only my straight this week to get the practice time in. This morning, I was feeling lazy and decided to use my safety razor.

I have three safetys with variously-used blades in them. I took one, cut, and it was so rough and pulling, I figured the blade was dead, and moved to another razor. That one, too, was awful. I went to a razor that had just one previous use, and that sucked, too. So I put a new Gillette Yellow in and that was fine. Previously, I'd have used any of them, and it would have been fine for me. This morning all of the used ones were intolerable

Here's my question: I'd heard that straights aren't quite as sharp as DE blades, but I thought it was maybe a larger difference. Today, it seemed that an unused DE was sharper, but any of the used blades duller. That puts the straight's sharpness at about 1.5 shaves on a DE.

Part of my indecision on all of this is that I have a couple of straights, cheap from Ebay, that I honed up myself. I do a lot of critical sharpening in my work, so it didn't really feel too esoteric to me (though I did need some new equipment), but I had no idea where the job I did had fit in. I had been thinking that after the holidays I'd find someone experienced in my area, and have them check my sharpening. In today's context, it seems like I'm OK on that, maybe

My question is, does that sound about right? My face is feeling sort of raw now from the first three used blades, and that's something that hasn't happened all week with the straight. I nicked myself once or twice, but had no razor burn at all. If this is the way it is for everyone, I think I'm going to be locked in to using a fresh blade every time I use the safety razor, if I use a safety razor at all, which I might be deciding I don't want to do.

Might it be your technique?
Using straights, then shifting gears with a safety there are differences in technique. It seems for me I do the most damage with a safety, because in my mind I think I can cut corners.
Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For myself I dont think a new blade per shave is necessary but I'm sure there are a few people who would swear by that practice. Some blades like Feathers are sharper then the average blade.
Good luck

Could have been too much pressure...

I noticed when going from my DE to Str8 and back to DE, that I had to be very careful with my DE.

If I wasn't careful it felt like I was trying to perform a self inflicted skin graft.

I do think I was being careful. Maybe not careful enough.

Any comments on the relative sharpness of blades and straights?

For myself I get a better shave with a straight. Thats not to say my safety razor shaves are crap.
If the better shave is the final benchmark for all of us, then the sharpness of blades for which you speak, can only be judged by the quality of your own kit.
I think it's totally up to the user to determine which is the better (sharper) shaver.
The question is just too subjective.
Sorry

I think that there are too many variables to give a useful answer. I can get several days out of virtually any DE blade. I mostly use Indian and Russian Gillette branded blades. Cutthroat sharpness and smoothness varies from razor to razor, some are nicer to use than others. Skill level, technique, sharpness, face profile and beard type mean no two people will have the same experience.

With the right razor and blade you can get very close to a straight shave using a DE.

Whether a razor blade is sharper than a straight is immaterial because you're not cutting like a knife you are shaving and for cutting a beard once you are able to cut the whiskers effortlessly you're at the pinnacle. I think the reason the straight gives the better shave is because the blade lies directly on your face and you can continuously adjust the angle as you go. With a DE you are more limited with blade angles and you have that bar in the way. With a razor like the R-41 the blade is closer to you and that is why it shaves closer than other DE's. Of course as you expose the blade more and more you cease to have a safety razor and really have a disposable shavette type instrument.

Most find they can get at least 3 shaves from a DE blade before you can start feeling the decrease. Even then to begin to get some damage you would need way more shaves than 3 to get that. That's my experience anyway.

straights are just as sharp, depends on technique

I think your experience is about right.

I can get 5 shaves out of a Feather blade, less out of others. My _opinion_ is that a Feather is sharper than my (self-honed) straight razors. I think a fresh Derby is duller than my straights.

But it's hard to judge -- shaving angle may be different, and the length of the blade is different, and the angle of pull is different.

If you want to improve your straight-razor edges, try using 0.1 micron FeOxide paste - - "jeweller's rouge". That's after you've used 0.5 micron CrOxide paste. . .

Those DE blade manufacturers make millions of blades, and they've gotten really good at it. When I saw that the Feather has a triple bevel (you can see it under 10x), I realized there was some real technology at work.

. Charles