My eyes have been opened

[Wom]

Newbie here thanks for having me,
Ive always seen shaving as a chore with razors clogging and electric razors not doing a very good job. I figured why not go for a straight or shavette after trawling through forums and changing my mind countless times i ended up ordering a parker 34r with derby platinum blades,some feather new high stainless blades (for further down the line) mitchel wool fat soap and an edwin jagger best badger brush medium.

Fast forward two weeks and my parker and the derbys havent turned up yet so me in my impatience purchased a 'dark stag kamisori folding' shavette yesterday. It arived today so i loaded it up with the feathers (in my impatience) and wow i have had the best shave i have ever had bar a few weepers and a nervous start.

So thanks for all the info that has led me here any tips will be greatly accepted this is my current set up.

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B. You will buying straight razors and hones soon .

 

[Wom]

Welcome to B&B. You will buying straight razors and hones soon .

What have i done I can see this getting expensive

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for checking in with us.

 

[Wom]

Well shave number two didnt go as well a few more cuts and razor burn i think i made too many passes. Also couldnt get the lather to hold aslong either don't know if this could be a factor. In other news the parker finally turned up its definitely more compact then the dark stag but i will persevere with the dark stag as i like the look and feel of it maybe with the derby blade!

 

[k2clones29]

Well shave number two didnt go as well a few more cuts and razor burn i think i made too many passes. Also couldnt get the lather to hold aslong either don't know if this could be a factor. In other news the parker finally turned up its definitely more compact then the dark stag but i will persevere with the dark stag as i like the look and feel of it maybe with the derby blade!

Stay with it. Razor burn in the beginning is normal, especially with a sharp blade like a Feather! Consistency in shaving is how you get better. Once you get it down, you'll wonder why you didn't start with wet shaving in the first place! Welcome to B&B.

 

[Wom]

Cheers @k2clones29 im deffinatly sticking with it almost wish my stubble would grow back instantly for another round should i keep it up with the feather blade then seen as my first shave went better or would a more forgiving blade like the derby help? Ill decide in the moment probably hopefully i can get the lather to last better aswell reapplying so much i lost track of where i was.

 

[k2clones29]

I would recommend switching to the Derby. You're going to be exploring what works best a lot and need a more forgiving blade to do that. Feathers just don't forgive!

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Whilliam]

You have more brass than I have, opting for a shavette like that, but I understand your impatience.

Absolutely the best way to turn shaving from a noisome chore into something enjoyable is to embrace the ritual. When you turn shave time into "me time," the dividends really accrue. You look better, feel better, and, of course, small better.

Gillette put it very well in their commercials of yore: "Look sharp. Feel sharp. Be sharp." The same holds true today.

Enjoy!

 

[DEPenguin]

Welcome, Wom!

 

[Wom]

I would recommend switching to the Derby. You're going to be exploring what works best a lot and need a more forgiving blade to do that. Feathers just don't forgive!

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

Ill switch to the derby then allthough im itching to keep at the feather. Im a glutten for punisment

You have more brass than I have, opting for a shavette like that, but I understand your impatience.

Absolutely the best way to turn shaving from a noisome chore into something enjoyable is to embrace the ritual. When you turn shave time into "me time," the dividends really accrue. You look better, feel better, and, of course, small better.

Gillette put it very well in their commercials of yore: "Look sharp. Feel sharp. Be sharp." The same holds true today.

Enjoy!

Haha i was eyeing the stag up as a future purchase far down the line but skinted myself in my desire to start this journey.
I am pleased though as it apears the blade holder on the stag is more forgiving then the parker it looks like itll sort of glide on it aswell as the blade when the angle is right? Time will tell ill try them both

And yeh it does turn it into a ritual just gotta time it so i dont constantly have the kids pestering for the bathroom

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

Several suggestions:
1. Take your time!
2. Focus on NO pressure, and
3. Maintaining a proper razor angle.


Mostly, ENJOY your shaves!

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you've joined, welcome! And be sure to enjoy the learning process.

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[Wom]

Cheers for the welcome all. so heres todays progress
Day 3
Swapped to the derby blade in the dark stag and put the feather in the parker for safe keeping. Lather seems to be getting better badger brush is on day 3 of use still doesnt last too long and didnt feel slippy enough i think im not using enough water and need to improve my technique. How long should a lather hold and how thick should i expect?

The shave went considerably better no cuts or weepers but plenty of irritation around cheeks and jawline im putting this down to lack of skill and far to many pass'/to steep an angle due to lack of experience. Going to give it a day off tommorow let my skin recover and have a little longer hair growth for the next hack.

Also i may have picked up the parker with the feather in it and used it for some (most) of the shave it seems how brutaly exposed the blade is makes a shallower angle easyer to remove hairs. As they say patience is a virtue! i would have been perfectly happy with the parker to start with i may even go as far as i prefer it atm but time will tell. Ill try not to be tempted to switch between them next time

Heres a pic for comparison

 

[mrstewa]

I wish I could say I had such great results from my first time.

I use a nearly identical Parker with Derby blades. Not everyone lovers the milder edge of the Derby, but they seem to work really well for me. I think I've been using them for 8 years now.

It took a while for me to get it right one of the things I did wrong for a long time was using to steep of a blade angle. I was scraping the skin causing irritation.

I am a big fan of the MWF. For me, it likes a lot of water and fairly aggressive lathering.

Keep playing around until you find the combo you like best.

 

[Wom]

Cheers @mrstewa yeh next shave will be parker with derby the only reason i used feathers again was that i loaded it into the parker to keep out of harms way and i just got tempted to try the parker out

As for agressive do you mean fast but still quite light pressure lathering? practice makes perfect i suppose

 

[mrstewa]

Cheers @mrstewa yeh next shave will be parker with derby the only reason i used feathers again was that i loaded it into the parker to keep out of harms way and i just got tempted to try the parker out

As for agressive do you mean fast but still quite light pressure lathering? practice makes perfect i suppose

Fast and with a good bit of pressure. Maybe if I had a stiffer brush I wouldn't need to use as much pressure. Not really sure.

 

[Leo501]

What have i done I can see this getting expensive

Might I suggest a cheaper hobby? Like yacht racing or collecting classic cars!