First Straight.........and the training wheels are back on.

[Smjodo]

Well, the anticipation has been eating at me so I finally took the plunge. For once, I had the bathroom to myself, showered, hot-toweled for a minute or two, lathered up and got to it. Now I was only planning on doing one pass to see how it felt. First pass - small nick and some pulling. Now I wasn't satisfied with leaving it like that, so I continued on. Finished the cheek, got to the neck...........and well, I figured I'd better cut my losses.

Not sure where I go from here. I want to continue on, but I feel as though I'm at a stalemate. Should I just keep going to the cheek until I get it?

 

[mparker762]

Well, the anticipation has been eating at me so I finally took the plunge. For once, I had the bathroom to myself, showered, hot-toweled for a minute or two, lathered up and got to it. Now I was only planning on doing one pass to see how it felt. First pass - small nick and some pulling. Now I wasn't satisfied with leaving it like that, so I continued on. Finished the cheek, got to the neck...........and well, I figured I'd better cut my losses.

Not sure where I go from here. I want to continue on, but I feel as though I'm at a stalemate. Should I just keep going to the cheek until I get it?

What razor are you using, and who honed it? Did you strop it before shaving, and how did you strop it?

You survived your first shave without major injury, and many of us consider that a successful first shave. Assuming your equipment is good, then you should wait a day or two, then give the cheek another try. Stick to that spot until you're getting passable results. There is a much larger learning curve for straight razors than for DEs, so be patient. It does get much better with experience.

 

[Smjodo]

Thanks. Equipment could be the problem. I got a Wapi from one of the members of this board. Supposedly it was "shave ready" - but I really have no way of telling. Since I've never honed/stopped anything before, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to learn on the fly right away. I was thinking of getting a new straight from one of the reputable sites for comparison.

However, I'm more likely to trust the person that sold it to me than my own technique - which I know is bad.

Do you think I should send it away to be honed just in case?

 

[Bertilak]

Thanks. Equipment could be the problem. I got a Wapi from one of the members of this board. Supposedly it was "shave ready" - but I really have no way of telling. Since I've never honed/stopped anything before, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to learn on the fly right away. I was thinking of getting a new straight from one of the reputable sites for comparison.

However, I'm more likely to trust the person that sold it to me than my own technique - which I know is bad.

Do you think I should send it away to be honed just in case?

I was in the same situation. Wasn't doing too well with the one and only straight I had. Supposed to be shave ready. Did I get a bum one or not? How was I to know!? Was my ability really that bad?

So I sent for another straight from somewhere else. Turns out the new one did shave better -- at first, but it too went down hill fast.

Well the problem was (and remains) entirely me. Between my newbie shaving and newbie stropping I was buggering up razors faster than I was learning! Took a while but eventually it came together and I can shave like a champ (well, almost) and the blades last much longer. I am hoping my improved stropping will keep the most recent razor I got in good shape for some time. Jury still out on that!

I think the blades are lasting longer because I am much better at stropping but the blades I have already messed up I have been unable to bring back with all that honing equipment I bought. The more I hone them the worse they get. The edge on one looks like the map of a particularly rough shoreline. And that was my best one for a while. This is where I really need to learn!

 

[Luc]

Good to see that you had a nice first experience. I would advise to take it slow. A straight take some time to get used to. You need to do it one step at the time. I think it took me 5-6 shaves before I went ATG. Sure, the shave isn't close at all, the blade feels like it's skipping. However, try to do some extra laps on the strop, that helps! Eventually, you will build a good confidence with the straight and it will be easier.

Now, as mentionned up here, this will happen if the straight is truely shave ready. When you start, it's difficult to know what's sharp and what feels sharp. If you know who honed it, it's a plus. Good luck!

 

[mdunn]

keep going mate - nobody said it would be easy, or you would hit BBS first time. You will be able to get amazing shaves if you just stick with it for a bit

 

[Smjodo]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'll give it another go and maybe send my razor to get honed by someone reputable and compare the results. I know there are several reputable people associated with this MB. Any recommendations would be welcome. Thanks,

Greg