Man with a mission

[comrade]

I'm new here. I like to go by "Comrade" because I believe in solidarity, not because I believe in communism. I try really hard to treat everyone as if they are (distant) family. It doesn't always work, but I think it's a good policy.

I've been shaving for about 10 years now, went from cartridges to electric and back again a few times until I switched to DE about a month ago. I had some problems with razor burn and ingrown hairs, so for the past couple of years I'd fallen into a routine of shaving no more than twice a week--usually about every 4-5 days.

My goal is simple: nothing less than a true BBS shave every day, with no visible irritation. I'm shaving with a Merkur Classic (smaller and lighter than an HD) and a Classic Brand vintage style safety razor from Classic Shaving. I'm still experimenting with blades/technique, but out of Merkur, Derby, Gillette, and Feather blades, the Feathers work by far the best for me. I have yet to cut myself with one at all, and they glide smoothly through my fairly thick beard.

I'm vegan, so I've been using the Body Shop synthetic brush and shave cream, plus some Pacific Shaving Oil for prep. No complaints there, so long as I take care not to let the cream dry up on me.

Status: right now I can shave every other day, and generally get a great shave after about 3-4(!) passes. I go WTG, XTG, (semi-ATG), ATG. It seems to take forever, maybe 25 minutes or more, but the results are usually very good.

Last night I ordered my first straight razor: a pre-honed Dovo Classic 5/8 from Vintage Blades. I also ordered one of Tony's vegan strops (barber style with canvas).

Question: in one week I will have a shave-ready straight and a double-sided strop, but no hone. Is a plain, untreated strop good enough for the next couple of months (provided I don't damage the blade somehow) or should I get some kind of paste and/or a second strop to carry said paste? Remember, I love my Feather DE blades, so I'm thinking that the pinnacle of sharpness is what I'm looking for.

[crankymoose]

Welcome to B&B :thumbup1:

you made some good choices on equipment and getting your straight pre honed as well, to answer how long the sharpness will last with just a strop well it will vary generally if that is your only straight somewhere between a month and a few it will start pulling and you will know when it needs refreshed or rehoned, a 4 sided paddle strop from Tony Miller is great for refreshing the blade until it needs honing, if you looking for BBS everytime I will say you can get that easier with a DE then being new to a straight, you can get BBS with a straight just the learning curve is much longer

check this out if you haven't already http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=33718

good luck and enjoy

[Thebigspendur]

You can't compare feather DE Blades to a straight. They are a totally different animal. They are machine made coated blades designed for maximum use a few times and then to be disposed. If you tried to hone a straight like that the edge would not last very long at all.

Your edge on a straight will last depending on your beard, your technique and how you strop. Some get about 10 shaves out of a straight before needing to refresh the edge and some can shave for months so you'll have to see what happens. I would definitely get a pasted strop. You'll need it sooner or later unless you decide to use a hone for touch ups.

[comrade]

Thanks for the advice, crankymoose! A four-sided paddle strop sounds great, except for the fact that they don't seem to come in a non-leather form. I'm pretty dead set on avoiding animal products, so I'll probably just pick up another one or two of Tony's vegan strops and some pastes.

As for learning curves, well, I practically live for learning curves. I love picking up new hobbies and skills and overcoming that initial intimidation when everything seems complicated and arcane. I'm still experimenting with different ways of shaving, combinations of blades/creams/etc., and I'm willing to invest some serious time (and blood, if it so happens) into straights to see if that may be the best option for me and my unusually soft skin.

[comrade]

Bigspendur, your contribution is also greatly appreciated. I've heard over and over again that honing needs to be done about 1-3 times per year, and stropping needs to be done every day. Somehow in all my reading I managed to avoid finding out that some people need to refresh the edge on the blade as often as every 10 shaves!

Given how few shaves I tend to get out of DE blades (~2 on average), I could well find myself in that extreme end of the spectrum that you mentioned.

[Ookla The Mok]

A four-sided paddle strop sounds great, except for the fact that they don't seem to come in a non-leather form.

I'd wager a phone call to Tony would cure that problem. I am about 99% certain he could craft you one out of his vegan strop material or balsa wood. The guy is really a top notch fella, and his customer service is the best in the biz. There's a reason his store stock is perpetually depleted on the day it hits the shelf.

[comrade]

That's a great idea, Ookla. I'll ask Tony and see what he says. I mean, vegans have to strop just as much as non-vegans, right? So maybe this is a product just waiting to happen.

[ouch]

A strop alone should keep you going for awhile if the blade has been adequately honed and if your stropping technique is good. Make sure your don't lift the spine prematurely, as that can round the edge.

A quick question, though, and I'm not being sarcastic here (I say that for the benefit of those who know me, and expect it)- it's fine that you want to eschew animal products, but does that really have anything to do with being a vegan? I thought that was strictly a dietary philosophy. :confused:

[Unit 91]

Vegan is more than just a dietary choice, it's a lifestyle choice. At least for most people. I was vegan for half a decade (later less strict vegetarian) and the choice for me was a protest of the cruel way animals are treated. Youthful angst. I'm no longer a vegan, in fact quite the opposite which baffles my wife to no end. I suppose I just got older and started to care less. Plus I really like steak and hamburgers. So there's that. Uh, back to the question - all the vegans I knew/know were vegan for other reasons than diet.

Sorry for butting in. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

[comrade]

Thanks for the question, ouch. I concur with Unit 91: for most vegans that I know, it's essentially a very broad boycott strategy.

For some vegans, it's about boycotting the unnecessarily cruel methods used by slaughterhouses and dairy farms (i.e., they might consume products from more ethically run farms). For me, however, it has to do with the fact that I do not think that animals should be farmed period. The unifying idea is that animals are worthy of consideration as moral objects (that is, the objects of moral and immoral actions). The law, by and large, treats farm animals as if they are no more intelligent or capable of suffering than trees.