Dont be scared to try a straight razor!

[DanInFla]

Hi there, i have been shaving with a DE for over 2 years now. just recently ventured into the straight razors, put it off for a while because i was nervous about trying them and apprehensive. well, i wished i would have bit the bullet a lot sooner! great shaves and success so far. only 4 shaves in, but i can tell a big difference, especially with my neck. i always had to be very careful with my neck and could never go XTG, let along ATG. never got a DFS or BBS on my neck without a ton of irritation. last night i did a WTG and a XTG on my neck with the straight. BBS and absolutely NO irritation. amazing!

I have had a few mishaps with the straight, but the cuts were maybe a little worse than with a DE just starting out, but nothing i worried about

i think the DE was a great learning experience, and it really helped me focus on prep, lather, etc. but i really wish i would have tried the straight razor sooner. there is something much more rewarding to me shaving with a straight...plus, yes i will admit it, it feels SO much more manly.

anyway, thought i would just drop a quick word of assurance for some of the newbies who might consider switching and have apprehension.

[Bimmerman]

...plus, yes i will admit it, it feels SO much more manly.

Haha! I have a new Dove that is waiting for me, but I cant get the thing honed to pass the hanging hair test, so I haven't put it to my face yet.

[keysort]

I want to try to straight soon. My mom still has my papa's old straight razor somewhere...I need to see if its fit to be honed into working order....but I should probably master SE first...

[DanInFla]

Haha! I have a new Dove that is waiting for me, but I cant get the thing honed to pass the hanging hair test, so I haven't put it to my face yet.

i would say just pay the $15 to $20 to get it honed. and then buy a vintage or used one for cheap to practive honing on. thats what i am doing now. i was able to get a shaveable edge on the 5th attempt at honing which i continue to use. but i got another one getting done so i have something to compare.

[Optometrist]

Dan, I can only echo everything you have said! I switched after 18 months of DE and will never look back. I'm just over 3 months in and it is so satisfying. I recently shaved with a DE again and was somewhat underwhelmed by the experience. If anyone here is tempted to try a straight and is uncertain, don't be. You'll be hooked!!

[DFSDAILY]

Next week will be the 2 month mark for me, and I'm here to tell ya that it beats DE shaving the way DE's beat multi blade carts. While using a DE for a year and a half I was able to greatly reduce my razor bump problem but not eliminate it. Straights have completely eliminated the problem. It's also a whole lot easier to learn than is being perpetuated on the forums, I feel.

[kiwichris]

Hi Gents

This thread intrigues me. Legion recently had a beginners straight set for sale at what looked to be fantastic value. I was tempted, but chickened out ... I've been DE shaving for over 14 months now.

The biggest question in my mind is this: how much more time does it take for a straight shave compared to a DE shave (which I currently do in the shower to save time)?

Answers and opinions please!

Thanks

[global_dev]

Haha! I have a new Dove that is waiting for me, but I cant get the thing honed to pass the hanging hair test, so I haven't put it to my face yet.

hht is not a great test for a new honer.. your edge cut be craggy and it could pass because it tears... my head hair passes less than my chest hair and my wifes hair passes differently also. plus the angle of the edge, it's a fun test, but not a true test.

[simmonds]

I agree. I tried my hand today at my first straight shave with a garage sale Dubl Duck that was put into shave ready service by forum member Wid (thanks!). It was not nearly as difficult as I had imagined and the shave was nearly DFS for a first try...good enough that I felt no need to finish it off with a DE. That said, it was "funner" than DE shaving for sure but I love my DEs and see no reason to give one up for the other. I will be enjoying both for the rest of my days. Cheers friends,
Chris.

[Proinsias]

Yeah, the DE does build a good a base for learning the straight razor.

Might not be for everyone as it does mean a little more effort as you need to strop and possibly hone, but it's worth it.

I still get more consistent results with a safety razor but the straight always provides a presentable shave and when everything clicks it surpasses the safety.

There is a great deal more satisfaction not only in using a straight but also in the level of edge customisation. It's nice to know I can get an edge that surpasses my dwindling stock of Gillette Swedes using a little elbow grease.

[DanInFla]

Hi Gents

This thread intrigues me. Legion recently had a beginners straight set for sale at what looked to be fantastic value. I was tempted, but chickened out ... I've been DE shaving for over 14 months now.

The biggest question in my mind is this: how much more time does it take for a straight shave compared to a DE shave (which I currently do in the shower to save time)?

Answers and opinions please!

Thanks

as far as starter straights, if you want more info go to the straights section of the forum, they have a specific area for newbies. my opinion, and what i did, was get the sight unseen deal from Larry Andro (whippeddog.com i think), its $48 and includes a restored razor that has been honed and is shave ready, a beginners strop, and some pastes to keep it sharp. you could use that setup for a few months with no further investment. eventually you will probably want to get a hone and do it yourself or restore older razors. if you buy the kit and decide you dont like straight shaving, then you can post the items on BST and get more of your money back i am sure.

as far as time goes, it does take a little bit longer. i kept reading about people taking 45 minutes to shave, but thats not my experience. i also remember poeple saying their DE shave would take 30 minutes. not me. i usually shaved with my DE in around 10 minutes, including prep, two pass shave and cleanup. my straight shaves are typically around 20 minutes. you take an extra minute or two to strop before, and a few more minutes to clean the blade and make sure its dry. plus the shave is taking longer since i go slow, but i think that will go down as i get more comfortable.

i dont think anyone would recommend using a straight razor in the shower, that could lead to some issues with one slip!

if you are really concerned about time, then the straight maybe wont be your day to day shaver...but maybe a special treat on the weekends or special events.

[DanInFla]

Yeah, the DE does build a good a base for learning the straight razor.

Might not be for everyone as it does mean a little more effort as you need to strop and possibly hone, but it's worth it.

I still get more consistent results with a safety razor but the straight always provides a presentable shave and when everything clicks it surpasses the safety.

There is a great deal more satisfaction not only in using a straight but also in the level of edge customisation. It's nice to know I can get an edge that surpasses my dwindling stock of Gillette Swedes using a little elbow grease.

i agree, it is more satisfying, especially shaving with a razor you have restored and honed yourself. somethign about using a blade that is 2-5 times older than yourself. it does take more concentration, but if i have a good two pass shave with a straight, it is much better than any two pass shave with a DE in my opinion, and i am only 5 shaves in...so i bet it gets even better.

[johnnyxxl]

I keep wondering about it
I may be able to get my great grandfathers straight it is broken my grandmother has it in the box right now it is one of the treasures she has of his that and his wallet with his license etc. I may ask one day just not right now.

[rajagra]

Haha! I have a new Dove that is waiting for me, but I cant get the thing honed to pass the hanging hair test, so I haven't put it to my face yet.
I made the same mistake when I bought my first straight.
Shave with it already! As long as you don't use brute force to try and make it cut you will be fine. If the beard remains, it remains; fall back to your normal method of shaving. You will learn something from the experience.

[MarkStar]

...

The biggest question in my mind is this: how much more time does it take for a straight shave compared to a DE shave (which I currently do in the shower to save time)?
...

It takes me no more time than a DE shave. Maybe 10 minutes for a 2-pass shave...

[shakin_jake]

Originally Posted by Bimmerman

Haha! I have a new Dove that is waiting for me, but I cant get the thing honed to pass the hanging hair test, so I haven't put it to my face yet.



I made the same mistake when I bought my first straight.
Shave with it already! As long as you don't use brute force to try and make it cut you will be fine. If the beard remains, it remains; fall back to your normal method of shaving. You will learn something from the experience.


~~~Yes, agreed...do not let the fact you have not passed a HHT (w/a good result) keep you from using your razor. Since you are new at using a straight Bimmerman, your goal should be to get all of the practice with a straight as you can get, that is if you want to progress (learning how to shave with a striaght razor). FWIW, I picked up and used my 1st straight razor in March of this year. At that time I kept using DE and SE safety razors, trading off (straight one day, safety the next). I didn't see credible results (real progress) uisng a straight razor until I put all of my safety razors in a drawer and forgot about them, so to get back to rajagra's point, do not let HHT results keep you from STR8 razor shaving as you may have other things going on with the edge but you can still learn how to use the razor, even if it is not up to it's fullest sharpness potential

i started honing at the same time I started using a straight razor. If anyone had a difficult time learning how to hone it was me ( And I am not naive enough to think I have it all down pat in wood). I had horrible results in the beginning, but I'm sure glad I pressed on. Do not expect tangible honing results at first. It is a learned art, so start studying

In regards to using HHT, have you read this Bimmerman?- http://www.coticule.be/hanging-hair-test.html I have to agree with Bart's (he's the author) explanation of the hows and why of using this test *during* honing, and not necessarily using HHT to be conducted for razor shave worthiness. Admittedly, I did not use this test when I first started learning my hones. Someone asked me once in a honing thread i participated in @ coticule.be if I used HHT. I hadn't, and knew this person was practiced at the art of honing, so I tried it out. I use coticules exclusively, except for badly chipped razors, I use a 1 K syn stone at the first stage of bevel correction. Anyways, when I first tried HHT I used this test at the finishing stage. After the last progression using dilucot (no tape on spine), I found I would routinely get HHT2, then after stropping, I'd get HHT3, so for me, I was seeing results using this test but what really convinced me that HHT was a worthy probing test, when I taped the spine of a razor using unicot honing techineques, which is nothing more than adding another facet to your edge, which makes it sharper, my HHT2 at honing and HHT3's at stropping went to HHT3's after honing and HHT4 after stropping. Clear evidence HHT will enable you to see results of changing up technique

That said, I don't use HHT everytime I hone. I know what my hones/technology can deliver. One more thing. although you can use HHT at the various stages when progressing through various hones, if you aren't using one stone only (from beginning to end), at the bevel correction stage, I prefer to use the arm hair shave test to to probe my edge. Even if I start with the 1 K syn stone, I always follow with a coticule before ending bevel correction and not only must the edge shave arm hair, I make sure I run this test on the toe, heel and the middle of both sides of the blade before I move on

One more thing for you to think about...http://www.coticule.be/edge-probing-and-assessment.html ...especially edge uniformity testing...do you have a magic (permanent) marking pen? do like the author suggests, doting or drawing a line with the marker along the edge of the bevel, then hone a few laps. Is any part of the line or dots still there? If so, and you read the article, you'll know what you need to do:001_005:


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.