I am wanting to try a straight, but I have no idea where to begin. Didn't want to invest a lot of coin in it until I knew that it would be something that I could and would do. What size, shap blade would you recommend to a beginner? Should I try a shavette first, or would that be a bad place to start? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Clueless about straights
- Thread starter ncfyrfyter
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Straight shaving is really an all or nothing endeavor. There isn't any way to ease to yourself into it, you've just got to jump. On that note, I have a Geneva 5/8 razor and a poor man's strop that I was planning on putting up as a PIF for people looking to get into straight shaving. If you want them, they're yours. Otherwise, if you're looking for something that won't break the bank, I highly suggest Larry from Whipped Dog, one of his unseen straights and a poor man's strop kit should run you about $60 shipped.
And this is why this is a great place. Very kind offer, Ulricus.
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- #4
I sent you a PM.
Also, give this some time. My first few shaves with a straight were rough. If you've been wet shaving for any significant period of time, you'll likely want to give it up after a week of rough shaves, but my advice is to jump in and stick with it. There are a lot of great tutorials on here, take advantage of them to keep an eye on your technique. And have fun!
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- #6
I've alreday been reading through them and watching videos!!
Thanks, but I was going to give it away anyway
. Besides, I have another straight that I'm working on re-scaling that I can use for the PIF anyway. I've just got to come up with something to top the dog drawings....
Is that the one I just sent back to you after honing?
Maybe?
I want to thin the herd anyway, and I figured I'd give at least one back to the community.Haha, maybe yes or maybe no? It took a nice edge
Tip of the hat to you sir. Well done!
I love our folks here. 
In other news, I'm looking to try a new Porshe 911.
In other news, I'm looking to try a new Porshe 911.
As Ulricus said, the most important thing is to remember that, like anything else in life, it takes a little practice to get the hang of.
It is nowhere near as difficult or mysterious as many people make it out to be -- shaving with a straight is not black magic. Man has only been using disposable razors for ~120 years. On the other hand we've been using straights (cut throat razors, knifes, sharpened flint, etc.) for thousands.
But it WILL take a week or two for it to feel comfortable. And it will take another 2-6 months of practice and experience to unlock the full potential of a straight and the truly close shaves it has to offer.
But the journey is a blast. And as you become more and more experienced, the shaves become more and more luxurious.
It is nowhere near as difficult or mysterious as many people make it out to be -- shaving with a straight is not black magic. Man has only been using disposable razors for ~120 years. On the other hand we've been using straights (cut throat razors, knifes, sharpened flint, etc.) for thousands.
But it WILL take a week or two for it to feel comfortable. And it will take another 2-6 months of practice and experience to unlock the full potential of a straight and the truly close shaves it has to offer.
But the journey is a blast. And as you become more and more experienced, the shaves become more and more luxurious.
Ulricus - very generous of you. In the true spirit of B&B.
I will let you know how my first shave goes next week, I picked up one here from Buca along with a strop for about $50 and am going to let it grow out alittle over the weekend to give me something to shave on Monday, its supposed to be here Saturday and I have been reading and reading and watching vids on stropping so I will have bandaids and my stipic pencil in hand Monday.
Nicely done Ulricus.
This takes patience as they say it takes 100 shaves to start to get really good at it. So the learning curve is more than three times that of a safety razor. I'm on about shave 80 and still have a couple spots on my neck that I can't quite get bbs on. I'm getting closer every day and had my best straight shave yet this morning. So just know that it takes time and practice to master this skill.
I'm really enjoying it though as I like the challenge and the shaves are very comfortable. Plus it's just way cool to shave with a straight like your grandfather likely did. You'll get a couple nicks and cuts at first then it's just trying to get better and better shaves each day as you figure it out. You may want to pick up another inexpensive razor (maybe from Whipped Dog or a Gold Dollar from buca) so that you can have one to shave with as the other is being honed.
Good luck,
This takes patience as they say it takes 100 shaves to start to get really good at it. So the learning curve is more than three times that of a safety razor. I'm on about shave 80 and still have a couple spots on my neck that I can't quite get bbs on. I'm getting closer every day and had my best straight shave yet this morning. So just know that it takes time and practice to master this skill.
I'm really enjoying it though as I like the challenge and the shaves are very comfortable. Plus it's just way cool to shave with a straight like your grandfather likely did. You'll get a couple nicks and cuts at first then it's just trying to get better and better shaves each day as you figure it out. You may want to pick up another inexpensive razor (maybe from Whipped Dog or a Gold Dollar from buca) so that you can have one to shave with as the other is being honed.
Good luck,
Thanks, and you make a good point. If you decide that straights are an avenue you'd like to continue on, having a second one is a good idea, you won't want to go back to anything else. Sort of like this morning when I slept through my alarm and had 15 minutes to shower, shave and get out the door. The cart was speedy as hell, and I thought I'd done a decent job of it, until I got to work and felt the razor burn I had nearly forgotten about on my neck. And my first ingrowns since I've started shaving with a straight.
Ulricus = Class Act
You guys here are a bunch of wonderful people. Cheers. Grayson
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