Just as I wanted to say "that's not a great idea" I stopped and considered how that would affect me.
I can (and have) shave perfectly fine with DE without any mirror at all, but somehow never crossed my mind that I could do the same with straight.
Cartridge to R41 to Cut-Throat
- Thread starter Jakebullet
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Just as I wanted to say "that's not a great idea" I stopped and considered how that would affect me.
I can (and have) shave perfectly fine with DE without any mirror at all, but somehow never crossed my mind that I could do the same with straight.
Damn it all Boris. You know I’m going to have to try it now - or maybe later.Just as I wanted to say "that's not a great idea" I stopped and considered how that would affect me.
I can (and have) shave perfectly fine with DE without any mirror at all, but somehow never crossed my mind that I could do the same with straight.
LOL. I’m getting to the point I think I could shave blindfolded, but I’m not quite there yet. @slashmccoy has a YouTube video doing just that.
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Well if you guys must, but I just want to clarify, I did not ask you to.
When I started shaving with straights, friend of mine just gave me funny look and said "seriously... WHY ??"
That applies here too, I think.
- Thread starter
- #25
Hah I feel partly responsible here
Didnt happen if its not on video
Shaving blind with a straight isn’t going to happen for a long long time!
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Thread starter
- #28
Close your eyes, use the force.
I'll keep that in mind but I have to figure out the ear retention tactics first. If I can keep my ears, I'll be home free.
- Thread starter
- #30
Shave 4 this morning.
I lathered up with a Palmolive shave stick this morning and got cutting.
Pass one went well without incident, on pass 2 xtg on my left side with my right hand went ok though I struggled a little again with my left hand on my right side though it seems to be slowly improving I’ve just gotta be patient. Right at the end of the pass I ‘cheated’ and finished it with my right hand instead of my left. It felt much easier to do it this way. No SAS soldiers stormed the building and shot me on the spot though I did feel a little guilty.
I lathered again for my ATG pass 3.
It had been my goal today to get at least one tiny area smooth and comparable to my DE.
I’m getting a little more comfortable each time I try it. My right side with my left hand atg is tricky, it’s hard to get the blade angle and consistent pressure working together and it very occasionally almost judders there leaving my heart in my mouth. Again I switched hands towards the end of this pass and ‘cheated’.
I felt my face. Quite rough in a lot of areas but instead of mopping up with my DE I thought I’d clean up with the cutthroat and keep the shave DE free.
The touch up pass felt good, I was warmed up and confident in the blade and cheated quite a bit using my right hand for most of it.
I felt that during the touch up I was able to get closest.
A nice cold rinse then I felt my face. Mostly not so bad and more than adequate to leave the house with as long as no one rubbed my chin. A two or 3 inch area on my left cheek was actually bbs. Everywhere else was a bit rough to the touch but ok looking.
The advantage of not tidying up with my DE is that it allowed me to assess the shave properly immediately after and also throughout the day, and to give me something to shoot for tomorrow. Plus it took away the safety net and made me focus on getting a decent shave without the safety razor to bail me out.
I’m not sure whether to continue to allow myself these little cheats which certainly seem to help, after all it’s my face I can do it any way I like, or whether I should discipline my left hand into doing it the ‘proper’ way. I’ll see what tomorrow brings.
I lathered up with a Palmolive shave stick this morning and got cutting.
Pass one went well without incident, on pass 2 xtg on my left side with my right hand went ok though I struggled a little again with my left hand on my right side though it seems to be slowly improving I’ve just gotta be patient. Right at the end of the pass I ‘cheated’ and finished it with my right hand instead of my left. It felt much easier to do it this way. No SAS soldiers stormed the building and shot me on the spot though I did feel a little guilty.
I lathered again for my ATG pass 3.
It had been my goal today to get at least one tiny area smooth and comparable to my DE.
I’m getting a little more comfortable each time I try it. My right side with my left hand atg is tricky, it’s hard to get the blade angle and consistent pressure working together and it very occasionally almost judders there leaving my heart in my mouth. Again I switched hands towards the end of this pass and ‘cheated’.
I felt my face. Quite rough in a lot of areas but instead of mopping up with my DE I thought I’d clean up with the cutthroat and keep the shave DE free.
The touch up pass felt good, I was warmed up and confident in the blade and cheated quite a bit using my right hand for most of it.
I felt that during the touch up I was able to get closest.
A nice cold rinse then I felt my face. Mostly not so bad and more than adequate to leave the house with as long as no one rubbed my chin. A two or 3 inch area on my left cheek was actually bbs. Everywhere else was a bit rough to the touch but ok looking.
The advantage of not tidying up with my DE is that it allowed me to assess the shave properly immediately after and also throughout the day, and to give me something to shoot for tomorrow. Plus it took away the safety net and made me focus on getting a decent shave without the safety razor to bail me out.
I’m not sure whether to continue to allow myself these little cheats which certainly seem to help, after all it’s my face I can do it any way I like, or whether I should discipline my left hand into doing it the ‘proper’ way. I’ll see what tomorrow brings.
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Keep it up, sounds like you are doing great. Everyone's journey is different, but for me, I quit my DEs cold turkey while I was learning straights, which forced me to develop SR techniques quicker than I otherwise would have. I'm not saying you should do this necessarily, but it worked well for me.
Ok chickened out - maybe in a year or three.Just as I wanted to say "that's not a great idea" I stopped and considered how that would affect me.
I can (and have) shave perfectly fine with DE without any mirror at all, but somehow never crossed my mind that I could do the same with straight.
I say do it right from the start, not that there is exactly "right or wrong" way, still I say be disciplined.
I insisted on switching hands and doing it "right" although idea was scary at the time. You'll develop muscle memory in not time.
Other than that, seems that you're doing just fine, your story so far is very similar to mine and so many other too I'm sure.
Shaved one handed for years. I was explicitly taught that switching hands was "wrong" and bad form when I learnt as a teenager.
Older and wiser now. I think switching hands is much more efficient. You have a greater range of angles which means you don't need the razor to be so sharp in my experience.
- Thread starter
- #35
Shave 5
These boards are extremely helpful in so many areas.
I lathered today with Proraso Red but I made it nice and wet and globby.
As I’d done a cutthroat only shave yesterday I had quite a lot of stubble this morning and was anticipating some tugging.
I’d been struggling to get a close shave and wondered if it might be the razor as I’d never had any trouble like that with a DE, but then I read how this mirrored many peoples experiences when going from DE to straight and it was most likely a technical issue with the user rather than a problem with sharpness.
This gave me more confidence that the blade was probably as sharp as it should be and the issue was probably me and that close shaves with this thing weren’t a given and that I should try harder.
So pass one WTG was smooth and anytime it tugged I flattened the blade and re stretched and really focussed on trying to slice the hair rather than skim over it. Wetter, less soapy lather helped.
My XTG pass was much better again today and as well as my right I was faithful to my left hand today and didn’t cheat.
Each day I learn more about how to move this big old blade around my face. I push it a little more each day into new areas or with new angles. Little by little I unlock it’s secrets and potential.
After those 2 passes I went for ATG again taking care to listen to the razor and to really try to cut the hair. The razor always seems to work better on the move when it’s gliding and sliding rather than stalling and juddering.
My wetter lather today and improved confidence really helped in this area and I focussed on being as flowing, free and loose as I dared be while still staying disciplined and keeping the right angle and pressure and making sure I was cutting not skimming.
Both side ATG were decent and my left hand work though still awkward is a little better each day.
I re lathered for a touch up pass, again only using the cutthroat. I had a good feel for the bits I’d missed (there were several) and then worked quickly and smoothly on each until I was finished.
I felt my face. Much much better. Actually bbs on areas of my face though still rough on others such as the curve of my chin which I find hard to do ATG.
This is the first shave I’ve done which is comparable in parts to a DE.
My whole left cheek and jaw and a lot of my right cheek are smooth as anything. But where it differs to my DE is that the straight seem kinder to my skin despite the closeness. I hadn’t really expected this.
Much happier today.
These boards are extremely helpful in so many areas.
I lathered today with Proraso Red but I made it nice and wet and globby.
As I’d done a cutthroat only shave yesterday I had quite a lot of stubble this morning and was anticipating some tugging.
I’d been struggling to get a close shave and wondered if it might be the razor as I’d never had any trouble like that with a DE, but then I read how this mirrored many peoples experiences when going from DE to straight and it was most likely a technical issue with the user rather than a problem with sharpness.
This gave me more confidence that the blade was probably as sharp as it should be and the issue was probably me and that close shaves with this thing weren’t a given and that I should try harder.
So pass one WTG was smooth and anytime it tugged I flattened the blade and re stretched and really focussed on trying to slice the hair rather than skim over it. Wetter, less soapy lather helped.
My XTG pass was much better again today and as well as my right I was faithful to my left hand today and didn’t cheat.
Each day I learn more about how to move this big old blade around my face. I push it a little more each day into new areas or with new angles. Little by little I unlock it’s secrets and potential.
After those 2 passes I went for ATG again taking care to listen to the razor and to really try to cut the hair. The razor always seems to work better on the move when it’s gliding and sliding rather than stalling and juddering.
My wetter lather today and improved confidence really helped in this area and I focussed on being as flowing, free and loose as I dared be while still staying disciplined and keeping the right angle and pressure and making sure I was cutting not skimming.
Both side ATG were decent and my left hand work though still awkward is a little better each day.
I re lathered for a touch up pass, again only using the cutthroat. I had a good feel for the bits I’d missed (there were several) and then worked quickly and smoothly on each until I was finished.
I felt my face. Much much better. Actually bbs on areas of my face though still rough on others such as the curve of my chin which I find hard to do ATG.
This is the first shave I’ve done which is comparable in parts to a DE.
My whole left cheek and jaw and a lot of my right cheek are smooth as anything. But where it differs to my DE is that the straight seem kinder to my skin despite the closeness. I hadn’t really expected this.
Much happier today.
Great job 
, like I said, your early attempts seem to be very similar to mine.
You'll continue to make great progress just keep at it. For the first 10-20 shaves, learning curve is huge, but you also will make tremendous progress, then things slow down a bit when it comes to finer details and perfecting technique, you'll still be getting better at it, it just won't be "as obvious" as it is now.
, like I said, your early attempts seem to be very similar to mine.You'll continue to make great progress just keep at it. For the first 10-20 shaves, learning curve is huge, but you also will make tremendous progress, then things slow down a bit when it comes to finer details and perfecting technique, you'll still be getting better at it, it just won't be "as obvious" as it is now.
+1Great job
You'll continue to make great progress just keep at it. For the first 10-20 shaves, learning curve is huge, but you also will make tremendous progress, then things slow down a bit when it comes to finer details and perfecting technique, you'll still be getting better at it, it just won't be "as obvious" as it is now.
Sounds like your making great progress. I'm not too far along myself, but you seem to be progressing much quicker than I was!
- Thread starter
- #39
Thanks for the encouragement chaps!
I had shave 6 this morning and got a very long lasting surprising BBS on both sides of my face. This thing is so much kinder than my R41 I had expected it to be the other way around. I feel most of the good work is done during pass 3 atg and my touch up pass where I really target individual areas. Every day it gets better it’s surprising how quickly it’s happening. I’m still a million miles away from being good at it and I’ve yet to learn how to go atg on my chin, lower lip and upper lip, but these areas took me about 6 weeks to learn with my R41 so I’m not too worried. I wake up feeling my face and really looking forward to my morning shave, even stropping and blade maintainNce has become enjoyable.
I had shave 6 this morning and got a very long lasting surprising BBS on both sides of my face. This thing is so much kinder than my R41 I had expected it to be the other way around. I feel most of the good work is done during pass 3 atg and my touch up pass where I really target individual areas. Every day it gets better it’s surprising how quickly it’s happening. I’m still a million miles away from being good at it and I’ve yet to learn how to go atg on my chin, lower lip and upper lip, but these areas took me about 6 weeks to learn with my R41 so I’m not too worried. I wake up feeling my face and really looking forward to my morning shave, even stropping and blade maintainNce has become enjoyable.
ATG on upper lip with straight razor. Now you're just making stuff up as you go... lol. 
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