First straight razor shave, but with a Sextoblade

[rudyt]

Remember, chicks dig scars. I'm fairly new with the straight razor, and though I'm not keeping exact stats, I'm around 40 shaves or so. I'm getting very consistent DFSs, but some days just seem to be easier, for no know reason. Yesterday evening, I was going out to dinner with my wife, so after showering up, I spent a little extra shave time, and accomplished just about the "perfect shave". Complete BBS.

My wife was waiting to leave, and I think she was a little hangry, and wanted to get going. When I came out ready to leave, she said I was becoming "high maintenance". I thought that was funny.

You're about 15 shaves ahead of me and I'm finding the same thing. Sometimes it just isn't working right, and other days everything most clicks. Most days, I'm getting mostly BBS with some DFS, which is my target with DEs as well. I don't chase BBS.

I hadn't heard the term "hangry" until a few weeks ago from my daughter. I think she's also afflicted ;-)

 

[mrto]

Used the Filarmonica shavette again this morning,same close swift three passes and pick ups.Again,much smoother than the relatively abrasive shave of a straight!

I guess now I enjoy shaving with the straights and shavette just about equally despite the different feel and slightly better results of the shavette...

 

[rudyt]

Used the Filarmonica shavette again this morning,same close swift three passes and pick ups.

I ordered an "Antelope" blade shavette today. Let's see how that goes.

Longest Cut Ever, But Still a Great Shave

Swapped a new Personna blade into the plastic handled Sextoblade today and the shave was oh so smooth compared to yesterday at 25 shaves.

WTG, then ear to nose, then nose to ear, then ATG upwards. I was in the zone. The shave quality was confirmed by the complete lack of sting from the alcohol splash. perfect shave, but ...

... while I was edging the lines around my goatee, I got lazy and didn't switch hands to do each side. BAM! A cut - let's call it an inch and a quarter long. Very shallow, but still, a cut I shouldn't have gotten. Arrrgh!

On a related note, I received my stainless medical Sextoblade today and it's a beauty.

 

[mrto]

I haven't got back to my Weck yet I've been concentrating on my vintage straights and the couple of GD's I have,(honing,stropping and shaving).

I have very sensitive skin and though I usually only finish a shave with a weeper at worst I always feel the burn of aftershave when applied.I'm not sure that will ever change for me as that was the case even with cartridge razors!

The Antelope blade shavette sounds interesting,but I'll probably not go that route,other than the Weck I'll stick with shavettes that take a half or whole regular DE blade.

So far I've got away with a few nicks and weepers whilst going through the learning stage,but no genuine cuts.I'm at shave number 24 today and feel very comfortable indeed using a straight or shavette,but at some point shaving this way a cut must be inevitable even for the dabbest of hands! lol

I too amongst my collection have a steel handled Weck I've yet to try......

 

[rudyt]

I too amongst my collection have a steel handled Weck I've yet to try......

You should try it. I used mine again this bright and sunny Sunday morning.

Oct 1: Technically Not A Cut-Free Shave

No shave yesterday so I went with the big stainless medical Weck today. Unlike Friday, I took my sweet time today and concentrated on what I was doing (mostly - see below). I got a great shave, on par with the results of my DEs, but somehow I find the straight experience more satisfying. Maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase, 29 shaves in.

I still have trouble mastering ATG with my non-dominant hand. It feels awkward, and I'm always on the verge of a cut. This time I took a friend's advice - if it doesn't feel right, stop. Finished with another XTG pass and I was done.

Shave's over, so no need to concentrate any more, right? I snapped the razor shut before removing my finger and, you guessed it, sliced my thumb. The cut is tiny and shallow, so it'll heal pretty quick.

 

[mrto]

I dug out my steel handled Weck,but it is the smaller hair shaper dimension type, I found,so decided to just use my black handled regular Weck as it's been a while.

I had forgotten just how sharp the pointy corners of the blade are and nicked myself several times with it until I slowed down and gave it more respect.

The Personna blade is substantially sharper than I am able to get my straights on my humble barber's hone,but that relative dullness of blade allows for a heavier handed more forgiving approach that results in nonetheless a very smooth shave.

The sharper Weck is far less forgiving and must be used with a far lighter touch.I find the half DE blade shavette more forgiving than the Weck even though it is at least as sharp as the Weck.I put this down to the very small blade exposure of the DE shavette which protects the skin from the pointy corners more than the Weck.

End result of the morning's shave with the Weck is a very smooth shave,but no smoother than I get with my straights and without the need to worry about sharp corners!

I'll try my Filly' shavette tomorrow again for further comparison,but so far of them all I prefer by some margin my vintage and Gold Dollar straights.

I closed my Weck after use very carefully,by the way! ;-)

 

[rudyt]

I had forgotten just how sharp the pointy corners of the blade are and nicked myself several times with it until I slowed down and gave it more respect

If you read my first post in this thread, you'll see I poked myself with the sharp points as well. I actually rounded mine off and the problem went away ;-)

Yesterday's Weck shave was still not there yet. I tried to power through ATG with my left hand even though it didn't feel right, and while I did not cut myself, I ended up with some irritation at the top of my right cheek. Most people don't need to shave that high, but I'm not "most people" and have that abnormally high werewolf beard line almost as high as my eye sockets (as does my son). Thankfully, mine is gray/white now and is not very prominent. The rest of my face feels great.

4 hours lather I had a LOT of irritation on my right cheek with visible redness. I skipped today to give my face a rest and give my DEs some love.

 

[mrto]

I strongly recommend you try a conventional straight razor they are far less vicious than the Weck! lol

 

["6"]

Good to see you are slowing turning the corner @rudyt ! I also have to shave near the edge of my eye sockets (but thankfully for me, the hairs arent really that prominent and I only need to do this every two weeks or so).

So I switched to a new blade on Sunday, and I corked the Personna blade (3 times in each direction); and felt that it definitely helps. Not sure how much of this is due to my technique having improved, but I definitely feel that the blade is milder (still razor sharp, but I dont get those random cuts even when the edges caught my skin a few times during the first 2 shaves with the new blade).

As per regular practice, I also hand strop the blades before each use about 20 times each side.

 

[rudyt]

I strongly recommend you try a conventional straight razor they are far less vicious than the Weck! lol

Oh I definitely will. I actually have a few flea market specials (mostly 11/16), a BUR heirloom, and a 7/8-ish Wade and Butcher.

I just haven't gotten around to getting them honed. Postage to and from Canada is steep, so I'm looking for someone local. So far, the only locals I found use tape on the spine when they hone, and I don't want that no matter how many people say that's the way to go. I want it honed "as designed" with nothing on spine.

 

[rudyt]

As per regular practice, I also hand strop the blades before each use about 20 times each side.

Hmmm, I have to try this. I palm strop also, but only do like 3-5 strokes. I'll try more.

 

[mrto]

Oh I definitely will. I actually have a few flea market specials (mostly 11/16), a BUR heirloom, and a 7/8-ish Wade and Butcher.

I just haven't gotten around to getting them honed. Postage to and from Canada is steep, so I'm looking for someone local. So far, the only locals I found use tape on the spine when they hone, and I don't want that no matter how many people say that's the way to go. I want it honed "as designed" with nothing on spine.

I agree with you about not wanting to tape a spine!As a suggestion vintage barber's hones are plentiful and can be had quite cheaply from ebay.In my 'naivety and ignorance' I bought two,a Shumate and a Nox-All,both in near mint condition and in both cases for less than $30 each.

vintage razor hones | eBay

I quickly found that they are very effective at bringing a dull,neglected vintage blade back to life,(not to mention so called shave ready ebay purchases)!lol.I prefer the Shumate to the Nox-All,which seems to not want to cooperate quite as well.I shave every day with whatever straight I fancy from my collection honed the evening before on the Shumate lubed with shaving soap.

This hone gets my razors adequately sharp enough for all three passes,the ATG being the tester as to whether I have got the edge keen enough.

You could do worse than source a vintage Shumate,(though I believe vintage,Franz Swaty barber's hones are supposed to be the best)! barber's hone and honing your razors yourself.After all back in the day that is what the average man would have done,they didn't have a half dozen different grit stones and I bet they didn't obsess about hanging hair tests or worry about sharpness to the nth degree! lol

It's just a thought,but it would free you to be completely independent of others!

I do,by the way intend to get myself a selection of modern hones,but the barber's hone as an introduction to honing and a stop gap has been ideal!

The tumble further down the rabbit hole continues! lol

 

[rudyt]

As a suggestion vintage barber's hones are plentiful and can be had quite cheaply from ebay.In my 'naivety and ignorance' I bought two,a Shumate and a Nox-All,both in near mint condition and in both cases for less than $30 each.

I've got one already, The Beaver Razor Hone made circa 1903. I picked it up on a whim a few years ago only because it had a beaver embossed on it ;-)

 

[mrto]

Very nice,beavers are appealing aren't they! ;-)

Have you tried it out?

 

["6"]

Hmmm, I have to try this. I palm strop also, but only do like 3-5 strokes. I'll try more.

I did this one morning and almost stropped in the wrong direction (which would have left the bathroom slightly messy, to say the least).

I think its time I invested in a strop I think.

 

[rudyt]

Very nice,beavers are appealing aren't they! ;-)

Have you tried it out?

First real straight shave today, but I'm not calling it a success.

First off, the hardware. The razor was a Jaeger Supply Company 5/8 "Peter Hahn". It's shown in picture #5 and 6 in this old montage. I threw caution to the wind and assumed the razor was put away relatively shave-worthy, so I touched it up in my Beaver barber hone and stropped it.

The good news is that it was sharp enough to shave with, but not sharp enough to shave with closely. It's a lot smoother and less bitey than the Sextoblade, but nowhere near as sharp. I never felt like I was about to Bush myself, and didn't.

The result after 3 passes is not as close a shave as I wanted. There was a bit of tugging ATG and I've got some dull irritation - nothing like the skin peeling sharp irritation from the Sextoblade.

I gotta get me some honing stones so I can set the bevel from scratch. I'll start with a 1k/3k cheap Chinese combo stone since I've already got an 8k (barber hone).

 

[sfeile]

First real straight shave today, but I'm not calling it a success.

First off, the hardware. The razor was a Jaeger Supply Company 5/8 "Peter Hahn". It's shown in picture #5 and 6 in this old montage. I threw caution to the wind and assumed the razor was put away relatively shave-worthy, so I touched it up in my Beaver barber hone and stropped it.

The good news is that it was sharp enough to shave with, but not sharp enough to shave with closely. It's a lot smoother and less bitey than the Sextoblade, but nowhere near as sharp. I never felt like I was about to Bush myself, and didn't.

The result after 3 passes is not as close a shave as I wanted. There was a bit of tugging ATG and I've got some dull irritation - nothing like the skin peeling sharp irritation from the Sextoblade.

I gotta get me some honing stones so I can set the bevel from scratch. I'll start with a 1k/3k cheap Chinese combo stone since I've already got an 8k (barber hone).

If you're in the US, send it to me and I'll hone it for you for return shipping. Or outside the US if you really want, but shipping may make it unreasonable.

 

[mrto]

First real straight shave today, but I'm not calling it a success.

First off, the hardware. The razor was a Jaeger Supply Company 5/8 "Peter Hahn". It's shown in picture #5 and 6 in this old montage. I threw caution to the wind and assumed the razor was put away relatively shave-worthy, so I touched it up in my Beaver barber hone and stropped it.

The good news is that it was sharp enough to shave with, but not sharp enough to shave with closely. It's a lot smoother and less bitey than the Sextoblade, but nowhere near as sharp. I never felt like I was about to Bush myself, and didn't.

The result after 3 passes is not as close a shave as I wanted. There was a bit of tugging ATG and I've got some dull irritation - nothing like the skin peeling sharp irritation from the Sextoblade.

I gotta get me some honing stones so I can set the bevel from scratch. I'll start with a 1k/3k cheap Chinese combo stone since I've already got an 8k (barber hone).

First real straight shave today, but I'm not calling it a success.

First off, the hardware. The razor was a Jaeger Supply Company 5/8 "Peter Hahn". It's shown in picture #5 and 6 in this old montage. I threw caution to the wind and assumed the razor was put away relatively shave-worthy, so I touched it up in my Beaver barber hone and stropped it.

The good news is that it was sharp enough to shave with, but not sharp enough to shave with closely. It's a lot smoother and less bitey than the Sextoblade, but nowhere near as sharp. I never felt like I was about to Bush myself, and didn't.

The result after 3 passes is not as close a shave as I wanted. There was a bit of tugging ATG and I've got some dull irritation - nothing like the skin peeling sharp irritation from the Sextoblade.

I gotta get me some honing stones so I can set the bevel from scratch. I'll start with a 1k/3k cheap Chinese combo stone since I've already got an 8k (barber hone).

It doesn't sound like too bad a result to me!You got to use your barber's hone and got the razor sharp enough to shave with,which is a pretty good start I think.

It takes a while after using a Weck and a shavette to get used to a regular straight's relative bluntness!lol

Maybe,a few more laps on the hone will get the edge a little bit keener it took me some trial and error on my Shumate barber's hone to get decent edges on my straights.

I honed one of my vintage straights this evening that I haven't used before and I think I've got the edge the sharpest yet of any I've honed,fingers crossed!

I'll let you know after I've shaved with it tomorrow as I'm still pursuing the full potential of these vintage hones,that generations of clean shaven men and barbers relied upon....

 

[rudyt]

If you're in the US, send it to me and I'll hone it for you for return shipping. Or outside the US if you really want, but shipping may make it unreasonable.

Wow, I appreciate the generous offer. PM incoming.

 

[mrto]

False alarm!I didn't get that great an edge on the razor it was ok for WTG and XTG,but ATG and finishing off I did with my Chinese ZY.

The ZY and GD66 seem to more easily take a better edge on the barber's hone than my vintage straights.Maybe the Chinese steel is slightly harder,which suits the grit of the barber's hone better,who knows!

I'm definitely looking forward to getting a 12K hone!

If you do send your razor out to be honed I will be really interested when you get it back to hear how it's sharpness compares to the Weck!