And away we go.

[JoeyZ]

Ok... No more excuses can be made.

I went from DE to shavettes/Feather AC this last summer as a gateway drug. Since then I have practiced with the shavettes, read, watched videos, read some more, browsed, coveted, asked questions, lurked in forums, read, shopped.... and finally ordered.

Today they arrived... A honed Gold Dollar from Scott and a sight unseen (but durn nice looking to me) vintage Shumate from Whipped Dog (along with a poor man's strop kit). The moment of truth has arrived... I am completely excited and feel prepared thanks to all of the information that y'all have published here. (I am a little less sure about stropping but will have to just give it a patient and slow try.)

Thanks for getting me this far everyone. We will see how my face survives the morning.

 

[seattleshaver]

Don't strop until after you have shaved with the razors first.

 

[JoeyZ]

Thanks Seattle... That was the last question I had a few days ago... I won't strop (Larry even puts it in his instructions in bold) and will let that be the next great adventure.

 

[SirChangalot]

Good luck Joey. Remember that there is no shame in only shaving parts of your face the first time.

 

[Jsharrison87]

Good luck!

 

[BSAGuy]

Good luck, Joey.

 

[Luecke2326]

Welcome to the club! You'll figure it all out quickly, I'm sure!

 

[dmatcuk]

Good luck and welcome to the world of straights! Start off slow with the strop. If you find you don't have enough time to strop before shaves, you can always strop the night before or whatever. I do that a lot of the time, so I can just lather and go after my shower.

 

[alpster]

You got this. Enjoy!

 

[Lmarkow]

Good luck! Let us know if you have any questions. Or better still, start a diary!

 

[Slash McCoy]

Sounds like you are ready to gitter done. That's a good starter kit, and your shavette experience will help you with technique.

No pressure means no pressure. Except when it really means, "almost" no pressure. Your straights may not have the raw cutting power of the shavette and you may need to add a touch of aggression to your style, by way of pressure or a slightly elevated shave angle. Start with the same touch you are used to using with the shavette, but modify as necessary. I would bet money that you will get quite acceptable results on the first go. Switch razors if one isn't doing it for you. They are two very different blades.

 

[JoeyZ]

We will call it a success!

It may not be bbs but I am quite happy with the first attempt (and no blood). I chose the GD because it was bigger and heavier which I thought would offer a good contrast to my shavette experience. I wear a trim beard so only shave my cheeks and neck. Tried two passes on three and a half days growth - wtg and semi-oblique-xtg. Not my closest shave and the alum block stung a little... But overall I am quite happy and look forward to learning more.

Things noticed:
Slash is right on - I need more pressure than I thought as compared to the shavette even with the greater weight of the blade. And it is certainly less aggressive than the shavette (but I must be careful to not get complacent either).

It was much louder than I expected.

I underestimated the size of the blade. Even though I use the longer Feather and Dovo shavettes, the length was a little awkward at first.

Some of the grips that work well with the shavette do not translate to the straight. The difference in blade/scale weight is much less proportional and balanced (maybe this is just the GD).

Confidence (kept in check) will go a long way. My biggest issues were when I hesitated.

Will really have to find a better strategies to deal with my neck as the grain runs diagonal from bottom to top... New topic to research.


Thank you all (and those that have gone before in building this community), you truly have given me the resources to jump into this in a way that feels right.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Remember though that your other razor will shave differently, and this is largely due to the difference in bevel angle. The GD has a very obtuse bevel angle and needs a firm hand so to speak, but it won't cut you up badly if handled decently. The whipped dog shumate will be a little more eager to cut, so back off a little when you use that one. It will be about halfway between the GD and the shavette, probably.