How good are you are shaving with a straight razor?

[seattleshaver]

Since I started this thread I've made an attempt to shave most of the time with a straight and my technique has improved noticeably. I could do the whole shave without a DE touch-up now. It wouldn't be quite as good as a DE overall as far a closeness but it would be acceptable.

Sometimes I don't touch-up and sometimes I do just because I like to run my hand over my face and not feel anything in the troublesome areas. If I had a square Rock Hudson kind of chin I think I would have no problems. That's my story anyway.

 

[Glaze3]

I did the DE touch-up for the first 6 months and then just put it away and committed. I went 3 years with SR only for 6 days a week. Last September I broke my wrist and had a cast up to my elbow for 6 weeks and had to break out the DE again. Worst 6 weeks of my life, the shaves while mostly bbs were horrible and seemed like they even took longer. I think once you have a solid routine down there is no better, more efficient, or faster shave available. I know it may not seem like it for the first year or so, but you will probably laugh at any problems your having now in a couple of years.

 

[dmatcuk]

Keep with it and you won't need the DE anymore to feel nothing but smooth after your shave. Once you get the patterns of your growth down and the stretching/technique just right it all falls into place. It sounds like you have a great start though!

 

[macdad]

I have been learning to shave with a straight for the past couple months. I enjoy the process. I do still, occasionally, use a DE for touch-up. For the most part, I try to use only the straight for everything, including the touch-up on my chin and upper lip.

I love how close I can get with the straight. Only issue I have is that I am slower with a straight vs. a DE. I can now perform a 2-3 pass DE shave in under 10 minutes without rushing. A straight shave still takes me around 15-18 minutes. I would really like to get it to the 10 minute mark.

 

[Adamandlupe]

Getting better. It has been a while since I have shave with anything other than a straight. I have been shaving with the grain only lately. I only ever seem to nick myself when i go atg.

 

[Mushraeddur]

I have not shaved much with any sort of straight for about two years. I am at the point of needing to purchase a good hone(s) and learning how to maintain the edge.

For a while I shaved with a Feather AC, getting reasonably close shaves without weepers and without spending too much time on the task. Then I tried one of the better shavette style razors but kept getting too much irritation on my neck so switched back to DE where I remain for the time being.

I was in the same boat with straights. I had a few but they were dull from learning to shave and strop. I am to cheap and want to be self sufficient to send them out to be rehoned. I ended up getting a norton 4k/8k and finish with a balsa from my poor man's strop kit i got from larry at whipped dog. I will eventually expand my honing gear, but this is good enough to get my razors shave ready again and it wasn't all that expensive. I did expan my gear recently by getting an atoma 400 to lap with. It works really well and is much quicker and cleaner than using sandpaper on glass. Good luck in your shaving and I hope you get back into straights.

 

[Mushraeddur]

Since I started this thread I've made an attempt to shave most of the time with a straight and my technique has improved noticeably. I could do the whole shave without a DE touch-up now. It wouldn't be quite as good as a DE overall as far a closeness but it would be acceptable.

Sometimes I don't touch-up and sometimes I do just because I like to run my hand over my face and not feel anything in the troublesome areas. If I had a square Rock Hudson kind of chin I think I would have no problems. That's my story anyway.

I'm to the point now that I shave just as well with my straight as i do my de with the exception of under my chin just under my goatee. That inch of neck is tought to get smooth without irritation. But i will keep trying, it's bound to click eventually.

 

[seattleshaver]

I'm to the point now that I shave just as well with my straight as i do my de with the exception of under my chin just under my goatee. That inch of neck is tought to get smooth without irritation. But i will keep trying, it's bound to click eventually.

You had me until I read "goatee" If I had a goatee I'd have had no problem with straights a long time ago!

Just kidding. Stick with it and I'm sure you will get it.

 

[Mushraeddur]

You had me until I read "goatee" If I had a goatee I'd have had no problem with straights a long time ago!

Just kidding. Stick with it and I'm sure you will get it.

Lol, ya my wife likes the goatee. Before the goatee, i was able to shave to a dfs with the straight. Definitely the more challenging area.

 

[alpster]

I can shave the wings off a fly at fifty paces.

Yea, well, I can shave a sleeping fly's butt without waking him up.

 

[seattleshaver]

Yea, well, I can shave a sleeping fly's butt without waking him up.

Well, sure, he is sleeping. I always shave flies while they are awake and they thank me for it.

 

[David]

Yea, well, I can shave a sleeping fly's butt without waking him up.

 

[Seraphim]

How good am I?

I'm a Grand Master of Straight shaving, High Order of Muckity-Muck 1st class.


Even so, I'm still not as good as Alfredo.....

 

[Jnatcat]

Everybody learns at different speeds, I have been shaving with a straight for just over two years and still get the occasional oops when the blade zigs instead of zags but pretty much just weepers with the occasional bite from a blade that I have freshly honed, took me some time to figure out a good rhythm and mapping of my growth, I also quit shooting for that BBS each and every time and now go for comfort over closeness.

I still chase my Mentors edge when i take a razor to stone, sharp is easy smooth and sharp are hard.

 

[Brutus]

Straights shaves almost all the time; using a safety razor maybe once every quarter.

When I started shaving with a straight razor, I made an effort to use the straight razor every day and used my (Mühle open comb) safety razor for final passes only for the first two weeks, or so.

I believe that this helps to acquire proficiency with straight razors more quickly.

B.

 

[jasonledbetter125]

I shave my whole face with one of three verry different shavettes. I feel im great at it for the shaves i like to get. I do two with the grain passes, and a slight across the grain on my lower neck, with a cleanup on my chin. Allways a good comfortable shave, (i have no use whatsoever for bbs skin..). Normally 9 of 10 shaves are nick and irritation free with the odd 1 that I burn my neck.... so yea im pretty confident in my ability.

 

[Rxdude]

I shave 6/7 days per week, maybe 50% with a SR. Its my new year resolution to up that percentage! When i do use my SR, i will have the occasional lapse in judgement or concentration. Good thing its not that often, helps to be an evening shaver so i can take my time and enjoy what i do. Results are usually a smooth face, minor irritation with alum at worst.

 

[mightyeskimo]

I broke two ribs fifteen days ago and had to shave with a DE (Pearl open comb) three days when I began to look too much like a bum. The shaves were good BBS's but not as good as with a straight razor and they definitely weren't as enjoyable.

There's no going back once you go straight. [emoji39] Just hang on to your straight razor and within a year you'll have reached both nirvana and nerdvana.

How are you healing up [MENTION=85745]Polarbeard[/MENTION]?

 

[Polarbeard]

How are you healing up [MENTION=85745]Polarbeard[/MENTION]?

Thank you for asking. The ribs have healed very well. I've got no problems with them at all. What I do have to confess though is that I today shaved with a DE and enjoyed it. I like beautiful razors of all kinds as collectors items. So when I found a British Gillette Aristocrat No.22 in mint condition for a fraction of the market value I bought it (Well junior will need a good razor in a couple of years). Then I just had to give it a try out shave, hadn't i? It was really enjoyable and I'm impressed by the quality of this razor, a perfect BBS and a very smooth shave.

For tomorrow I've stropped a Klas Törnblom straight though.

 

[mightyeskimo]

Thank you for asking. The ribs have healed very well. I've got no problems with them at all. What I do have to confess though is that I today shaved with a DE and enjoyed it. I like beautiful razors of all kinds as collectors items. So when I found a British Gillette Aristocrat No.22 in mint condition for a fraction of the market value I bought it (Well junior will need a good razor in a couple of years). Then I just had to give it a try out shave, hadn't i? It was really enjoyable and I'm impressed by the quality of this razor, a perfect BBS and a very smooth shave.

For tomorrow I've stropped a Klas Törnblom straight though.

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That's good to hear! She is a beauty though.