Hi everyone. Another newbie here who's been checking you guys out for a while and decided to jump in and say hello. The thing I like about B & B is that you seem to be open minded to all types of shaving and I'm having trouble choosing the best route to take. After years of cartridge and electric razors, I got myself a Merkur progress. Then thought s*d it, go the whole hog and get a straight. Bought a dovo which i now know wasn't shave ready so bought a ready honed Kropp which was way better. Love the whole straight shavong thing but I can't seem to keep them sharp enough and.........even my shave ready Kropp (which was good) didn't and still doesn't come close to the shave I get every time from the Merkur. Is it just me? Should I give up the straights and stick to the DE? Or do you guys think it's worth persevering with the straights??
Newbie str8/DE help
- Thread starter gpeter
- Start date
I'd love to use a str8 one day but what keeps me off is the stropping & honing part. You however already own a str8 so don't give up! Have it honed by a pro.
- Thread starter
- #3
You'rer not wrong - it's a lot of effort, but if the result is worth it I don't mind spending the time. The Kropp I got was ready honed and stropped and was really nice, but I'm still not sure it's ever going to give as good a shave as the merkur. That thing just glides over my face. Trouble is I'm spending a fortune trying to get the str8's as sharp as the DE and I'm not convinced it's ever gonna work!
A straight razor shave feels different from a DE shave and vice-versa. From my experience (and YMMV) don't expect the same "feel" from your straight razor as you have with your DE. If you do, then you probably will be disappointed in that they are not similar. The key is to learn to enjoy the different feel, experience and technique in the straight razor shave. You can get a great, close shave from a straight but it will take several months to master the technique. As a practical matter, you will also probably want to work on your honing skills so as to keep from outsourcing your honing work. Take your time, work on technique and you will learn to appreciate and really enjoy the straight.
+1
Just keep on truckin' with a straight... always keep angle in mind.. and hte most important part, prep. Usually a well honed razor can last a couple month before it needs to be re-honed as long as you properly strop the razor regularly. One tip is... don't ever use DE or something els to "clean up" an area where there is still stubble... if you do you wont learn the proper angles for your face. Also... maybe try using two different hands... if you can get that down your good to go!
that's what's kept me with the DE's all these years. they're still great fun to use and i know i'm getting a sharp blade everytime. i don't have to second guess if it was my technique or the sharpness of the blade.
with a DE i've always felt that it does feel like a blade against my face and that's the sensation that i would be looking for in the straight. so for now i'm staying with DE.
with a DE i've always felt that it does feel like a blade against my face and that's the sensation that i would be looking for in the straight. so for now i'm staying with DE.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks for all the good advice. It really helps to know what to expect from the different razors and I guess I'll work it all out with time and patience. Only other problem now is that the weathers turned good in the UK but not sure I can get the shorts out..... legs are looking real patchy from testing the str8s for sharpness!!!
