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Debating taking the plunge, a couple of questions. . .

J

jcblough

Is it the general consensus that Whipped Dog is the way to go to get started? It seems at least to me that their poor man's strop with the treated balsa is a good deal and would be quite handy.

If I do this, I am debating using it in conjunction with my DE as I learn. I'm in no hurry and the notion of going weeks or even months without a DFS would probably kill me. I'm the kind of guy that just cannot stand stubble. I also cannot really look scraggly for work.
 
Shave_Rat

Shave_Rat

That is one of the best going options for breaking into trying out straights without breaking any bank account, and ensuring you are getting a truly shave ready razor.

I used mine in combination with my DE's, and even then, only on weekends for the first 10 or 15 shaves with the straight, till I was comfortable with them enough I wasn't worried about using them before a workday. No reason not to do something similar. Everyone learns things a bit different, and whatever process you use, if it works for you, go with it.

Good luck, looking forward to reading about your progress once you take the full plunge!
 
oakeshott

oakeshott

Larry's sight unseen deal with the poor man's strop kit is the best way to get started by a mile. It's not just a razor and a strop, it's a shave ready razor and strop. But wait, that's not all...You also get a balsa wood with green and red powder already pasted on it for touch ups when your razor goes unexpectedly dull due to bad shaving or stropping technique (and you're 100% guaranteed that it will) and so you can touch it up with that. But wait! There's more. You also get little, itsy, bitsy tiny packets of green and red powder to refresh your balsa wood. You don't have to buy the lifetime supply. Larry packages what must be a year's worth for you and its included in the price. If this isn't enough, and it really is, he also includes a tiny package of neatsfoot oil that actually goes a long way. You'll be needing that also once you have to sand the nicks out of the strop he sends. And finally, there are little pieces of paper with each item telling you in plain english precisely what to do. Seriously, it would cost you over a 100 bucks to assemble all this on your own, plus the time and trouble.

Please note that I did not include in the description the tiny package of the The Veg as I consider that a minus. For those of you who have been chosen, however, it's there if you need it. For the rest of us, just toss it in with the rest of the haz mat items in your house and dispose responsibly.
 
Obiwan

Obiwan

I'd jump on one if Larry's kits if I were you. As stated above (and many times before), it's one of the best deals out there.
 
Bird_Flu

Bird_Flu

If I didn't get my starter kit from some VERY generous members on here through a PIF, I would have gone with a Whipped Dog kit. It was on my list of things to purchase this summer. The kit is an amazing bang for your buck.
 
totorlekiller

totorlekiller

Go for it.
I you always liked knifes and always was despairing at not having an excuse to use one (left alone to even own one).
Here, you'll get an opportunity to play with one, with the sharpest blade you've even seen, every day.
You turn a 5 minutes boring chore, into 15 minutes of zen meditative time.
 
wherndon

wherndon

Sorry, didn't mean to get OT, but just couldn't help myself.
It's my understanding that Larry is a member here, not sure that I have ever conversed with him, nor have I ever tried any of his stuff. But, in my short membership here, I have seen so many testomonials from newbs, and the oldtimers alike, that I don't see how you can go wrong with him.
Kind regards,
Bil
 
gash

gash

Whipped Dog was how I started, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Make sure you take your time while learning how to strop. You can place the strop on a hard, flat surface until the motion feels somewhat natural.

Once you try a straight, you'll regret every minute you waited to do so. Even if you decide to stay with a DE, using a straight can be a remarkably-fun experience to have had.
 
P

Proinsias

Larry's starter sets are a good option, but there are plenty nice shave ready blades popping up on the B/S/T too and pasting a bit of balsa isn't very costly or time consuming.
 
J

jcblough

Turns out I'm taking a vacation the end of June and staying at the house so I'm gonna make that my start date. 7 days of no work and no alarm clock, seems a good time to give it a go. Light your prayer candles now.
 
P

Proinsias

$candle11.jpg
 
wherndon

wherndon

jcblough said:
Turns out I'm taking a vacation the end of June and staying at the house so I'm gonna make that my start date. 7 days of no work and no alarm clock, seems a good time to give it a go. Light your prayer candles now.
Click to expand...

I went from shaving in the morn before work, to shaving in the evening. Much more pleasurable, and no rush for time.
 
J

jcblough

wherndon said:
I went from shaving in the morn before work, to shaving in the evening. Much more pleasurable, and no rush for time.
Click to expand...

I thought on that and I have to be honest, I'm just too OCD to do it. If I go to work feeling stubble grabbing my shirt collar, I will go nuts. I may try a SR shave at night and a DE touch up in the morning - if my face can take the abuse. I'm going to try to make myself go slowly. just shave a cheek for a few days, etc, etc.
 
BillC

BillC

I think you've got consensus on the Whipped Dog poor man kit and sight unseen razor. I got a shave ready razor and poor man strap off BST or I would have done the same.

I'm about two and half weeks into this and started just like you're describing. When I got my straight I tried on a weekend morning when I was in no hurry. I shaved my cheeks with the straight WTG. That went well so I went ahead and shaved everything except my chin and under my nose with the straight. Did those with an injector. Did a second WTG pass the same way, then finished with an ATG pass completely with the injector. After about three or four days I was able to do under my nose and chin with the straight and made the second pass XTG but continued to do touch ups and a third pass with the injector. Doing that I was getting DFS shaves with no irritation and only added a few minutes to my morning shave. After the first week I added an ATG pass with the straight and I quit using the injector at all. My shaves were SAS and just with the straight. Now another week in and the shaves are still improving. Three passes with the straight and a few patches are BBS, the rest somewhere between DFS and SAS.

For the most part, the shaves are very smooth and uneventful. I got one pretty good nick on my chin when I got cocky one morning - but it was such a clean cut the styptic stopped it quick and it didn't bother me at all. I bought five straights (my name is Bill and I have ADs) and the edge on one of them as it came (shave ready) was pretty harsh but even after three passes with it I had a decent shave and some stinging from my alum block but nothing like my first DE shave with a feather blade.

I had a lot of experience with DEs and SEs which helped me, but the transition to straights hasn't been bad at all. I'm still not to the place where I'm getting consistent DFS shaves like a did with DE/SE but less than three weeks in I'm shaving every day with just a straight and no irritation, nicks or weepers.

Jump in, use the straight as much as you're comfortable with, a safety razor for the rest and go for it. As you get used to handling the straight you use the straight more and the DE less. You get good shaves the whole time and one day you wake up and don't need the DE. Voila!
 
wherndon

wherndon

jcblough said:
I thought on that and I have to be honest, I'm just too OCD to do it. If I go to work feeling stubble grabbing my shirt collar, I will go nuts. I may try a SR shave at night and a DE touch up in the morning - if my face can take the abuse. I'm going to try to make myself go slowly. just shave a cheek for a few days, etc, etc.
Click to expand...

I was once OC'd on life but got over it.
May be different beard type I'm blonde, fine hair, but it grows pretty damn fast.
I shaved last nite about 9:30 PM, it's 1:00 PM next day, I do have some stubble, but it still feels smooth...
 
J

jcblough

wherndon said:
I was once OC'd on life but got over it.
May be different beard type I'm blonde, fine hair, but it grows pretty damn fast.
I shaved last nite about 9:30 PM, it's 1:00 PM next day, I do have some stubble, but it still feels smooth...
Click to expand...

My beard is basically black and very coarse - takes a feather to get a comfy shave with DE. If I give myself a good 2 pass shave + 3 passes on my chin/jaw in the morning, I'm back to scruffy by bed time.

honestly, I'm a bit concerned about this on SR's period. I can get maybe 4 decent shaves out of a de blade before it starts tugging. I'm hoping I won't be re-honing non-stop.
 
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