Newbie's first shavette shave

[Atomic F]

Hi folks, i am sure you get a lot of these newbie threads but here goes

I stumbled over this great forum after ordering a shavette and i have read numerous post here and learned a lot, so thanks for all the advice

today my shaving factory shavette (yes i am a cheap bastard) arrived and i just finished my very first shave. I took a towell soaked in hot water and wrapped it round my face while i made the lather with was quite easy due to all the videos and advice i got from this page. Put the lather on my face and started and it vent very well again i was surprised who "easy" it was that said i took my time an didnt apply pressure and so forth. I proceeded and got the shave done with only one minor cut on my cheek. ironically i got that cut seconds after i thought "wow this is easy" but i guess thats a rookie mistake

Now i am already wondering if i should by a real straight i am just not sure about all the honing and stuff that goes into a straight razor (call it lazyness but i know myself and i really doubt that i will get i done)

thx for a great forum

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[hig789]

Congrats. If you can shave with one of those things a regular straight will be a piece of cake. Straights are much more forgiving than the ultra keen edge of a shavette blade. And before you ask get you a sight unseen deal from whipped dog it will be all you need for a while, and maybe another professionally honed backup blade for when yours gets dull and you send it out to be honed. Or when you fall into the dark hole of honing you will have a good edge to compare your honing to.

It might not be as bad as it looks in the pics but that looks like a pretty healthy gash. it happens.

[Atomic F]

yeah i noticed the whipped dog deal just now. that might be the way to go.

the cut is not as bad as it looks most of it is dried blood. I became a little to bold and the corner of the blade just catched the skin.

thanx for the advice

[hig789]

Yeah it doesn't take much with a spike point. I have a wade and butcher that has a Spanish point and it has bit me good one time. If you want to go with straights Larry's deal is the way to go

[ladykate]

As Hig789 sed, if you can shave with a razor blade, you can shave with a real straight without apprehension - although you might find it is a learned set of skills and you won't get a great shave until you work at it. Shavettes are evil compared to regular straights...

Your attachments didn't open for me. Bummer. I wanted to see blood - makes me feel better... ;-}

[Slash McCoy]

Straights are easier. Not because the disposable blade is sharper, because a well honed straight can be just as sharp. But the rigid, monolithic nature of the blade and the extra heft give you better control.

Stropping you have to learn right away. Fortunately you will have about a hundred shave-daddies here to coach you. Read the threads, watch the videos. You can do it.

If your buy your first razor already honed to shave-ready condition, and you never damage the edge, the only honing you will ever have to do is maintenance honing. This can be easy and cheap if you go with lapping film. You can get by with only one grade of film, 1u, though if you let your edge get really dull you will save time if you go with 3u and then 1u.

If you get a nice big piece of balsa and paste it with .5u diamond or CrOx, you can strop on that, about a dozen laps after each shave, and go a VERY long time, possibly and theoretically forever, before needing to hone again.

Larry at www.whippeddog.com sells his "Sight Unseen Deal". You get one of his vintage razors out of the whippeddog bucket, honed nice and sharp. You also get a pasted balsa block and a small supply of CrOx and some red iron oxide powder. You also get the Poor Man strop, which is a very basic strop that you will soon outgrow but will suit you well for learning, because you will probably slice it up pretty good learning to strop, and no sense destroying an expensive strop. I think $55 gets you this kit. I assume you already have a brush... he sells very cheap black badger brushes ideal for your first brush. Much better than a cheap boar, if that is what you are using now.