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First Straight Razor Shave

Well gents finally got my Straight razor in the mail today just got home from work and getting ready to take a nice hot shower then break her in.... First impressions-The Blades Grim "Smolder" shave soap smells amazing. 208 Gold Dollar appears to be super sharp tested on small portion of arm hair cause I just couldnt help myself. Satin Tip brush seems very nice...Buckingham and Sons strop seems so so....planned on upgrading that anyway.

I will update after the shower and dinner.
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Sounds like you're all set. Welcome to the journals section! Remember: slow and easy. Patience is your mantra. BTW, what razor(s) have you previously been using?
 
Ok first shave complete didnt get as close as a shave as i expected too, but I was also a little nervous and just took it easy for the first shave...razor is nice and sharp and cut through the haor easily no tugging or pulling...did not get a very thick lather built up with the new soap (not sure if to much water or not enough)... Overall I am very happy with the first shave though, no nicks and I didn't cut my throat👍... I will try to keep update as my journey progresses.
 
Sounds like you're all set. Welcome to the journals section! Remember: slow and easy. Patience is your mantra. BTW, what razor(s) have you previously been using?
The only razors I have used in the past are the gillete disposable cartridge razors
 
Welcome to the journals! I'll echo what Chris said regarding patience. Learning to shave with a straight razor is a marathon, not a sprint, and if you focus on technique and the coolness factor of removing facial hair with an unguarded blade, you will certainly see results.
 
The only razors I have used in the past are the gillete disposable cartridge razors

Wow u just jumped right in the deep end! Good luck and ask anything so we can help you out.

Slow and steady is always better. And light pressure like your grip on a golf club. A little goes a long way. And too much will just hurt you in the end.
 
Wow u just jumped right in the deep end! Good luck and ask anything so we can help you out.

Slow and steady is always better. And light pressure like your grip on a golf club. A little goes a long way. And too much will just hurt you in the end.
Yeah, I have a tendency to dive head first into anything I do! Go big or go home, right? Haha
 
Update #2 having some trouble getting a good lather built up out of my Blades Grim "Smolder" soap tried with my satin tip brush and my van der hagen with the same results. A very thin lather.. shaves was a bit closer this time did knick myself one time nothing a dab of cold water didnt take care of.
 
Sounds like you're doing great. Is Smolder your first experience with shave soap? If I end up with a thinner lather than I prefer it's usually because I either didn't load enough product or over-watered it, with it most often being a combination of the two.
 
I have the Smolder and some Van Der Hagen soap I think I am using too much water not sure yet... will mess with my mixture more or tomorrows shave and see if I can come up with some better results
 
Kmike, be interested to see how that continues, thanks for posting.

I have been wet shaving with DE razors for a bit over two years now, have several including Parkers, 3 Merkurs, a Vintage Gillette, Edwin Jaggers and some customs. I got a straight razor, and very small strop in a beginners set about a year ago (both were less than $90 I think) and shaved with it for a week and my sink looked like an operating room the first few days and got a little better but just wasn't happy about it, so I ended up going back to DE shaving. I talked with a few people, some at SRD and said yes probably mostly my technique but could be the razor too. I bought a no name beginners set from Razor Emporium at the time and have sent pics to a couple people who think it might be a Gold Dollar or knock off. But I really want to get back into it so thinking of getting a Ralph Aust from SRD. Any of you guys think that would not be a good "real" first straight razor?
 
A Ralf Aust is an excellent razor! I have a 5/8 round point that I liked so much, that I later had it outfitted with custom scales.
 
A Ralf Aust is an excellent razor! I have a 5/8 round point that I liked so much, that I later had it outfitted with custom scales.

+1 to the Ralf. Great razor to work with at a pretty solid entry price. I miss mine sometimes and think about getting another one down the road. I like the Ralf over Dovo.
 
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