Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Wes @TinyT, admittedly I've tried a whole lot of razors - double edges, AC platform, injectors, barber razors, GEM/E-R, and straight razors - and a whole lot of blades. I've settled on my best blade for DE razors and my best blade for the AC platform and my best blades for the injectors, but most all the time I shave with straights.
I've jumped around far too much. Against everyone's advice I learned straight razor shaving simultaneously with straight razor honing. Not having sufficiently sharp straights certainly retarded the learning process. I've done loads of things wrong.
But, I've persisted. I've also tried hard to not try too hard having learned that overdoing anything leads to problems.
Now, two years and some months into it I'm finally getting the hang of things such that my shaves are consistently of the Damn Comfortable Shave variety.
Huge secret there (recently learned): Hyaluronic Acid!
In terms of closeness and smoothness and always getting every whisker? Well, I'm getting better and better, especially recently, with the straight razor. I can shave with my favorite (best) safety razors, but I prefer the straights for their comfort.
Anyway, the point of this it to encourage you. The learning curve doesn't have to be as slow as I've made it. We are all different, etc. I'm not sure how I'll be as a shaver in another year (or five) but I believe I'll continue to improve.
Still, I'm very satisfied with the progress I've made. It's apparent you're making progress at a sustainable rate, but don't be too impatient or hard on yourself.
You're doing great from what I can tell.
Happy shaves,
Jim
I've jumped around far too much. Against everyone's advice I learned straight razor shaving simultaneously with straight razor honing. Not having sufficiently sharp straights certainly retarded the learning process. I've done loads of things wrong.
But, I've persisted. I've also tried hard to not try too hard having learned that overdoing anything leads to problems.
Now, two years and some months into it I'm finally getting the hang of things such that my shaves are consistently of the Damn Comfortable Shave variety.
- Comfortable during the shave.
- Comfortable immediately after the shave.
- Comfortable until the next shave.
Huge secret there (recently learned): Hyaluronic Acid!
In terms of closeness and smoothness and always getting every whisker? Well, I'm getting better and better, especially recently, with the straight razor. I can shave with my favorite (best) safety razors, but I prefer the straights for their comfort.
Anyway, the point of this it to encourage you. The learning curve doesn't have to be as slow as I've made it. We are all different, etc. I'm not sure how I'll be as a shaver in another year (or five) but I believe I'll continue to improve.
Still, I'm very satisfied with the progress I've made. It's apparent you're making progress at a sustainable rate, but don't be too impatient or hard on yourself.
You're doing great from what I can tell.
Happy shaves,
Jim