First straight shave--Does this seem about right?

[Sid Vicious]

OK a couple of months ago I started shaving with a DE and it was a piece of cake. 2 passes on my tough beard and it was BBS. Hell, the sen=cond time I even shaved my head. I have shaved my head and face most days since and love it.

Enter the straight razor. I got a couple of shave ready razors from Bob Keyes today. He is a super guy and a wealth of information.

I could hardly contain my excitement as I opened the package and whipped up a lather. Scrape, scrape, scrape. "Hey, this isn't as easy as a DE!" Around the chin where it is really thick, I finished up with the DE. Good advice, Bob.

It felt like it was pulling a lot more and was definitely noisier. I have read a ton of newbie posts on the subject and it seems like I am about par. I will admit, I had a few moments, where, in my mind, I had already sold my new toys.

I can only hope that it gets better. Thanks for reading.

 

[SliceOfLife]

It does. Keep at it.

 

[alabamalawyer]

It will definitely take more time than the adjustment to a DE. Take your time, work on your blade angle to see what works best for you on each part of your face and you will get there. Search the board and you will find all kinds of helpful info on stropping and shaving to hel you work through the transition.

 

[JPM]

I'm still new to it, but it was rough going to begin with but now the shaves are better and better. I haven't used anything but a straight (except for a business trip) in over a month. The shaves are now on par or better than what I got with a DE.

Stick with it, practice will make it all come together.

 

[Luc]

That sounds right... With time, it will be better, yes!

 

[thecornerbooth]

I am glad to see that i am not the only one who had less than a stellar shave my first time. I am on shave 4-5 and have already made noticable progress.

 

[mbrossar]

I'd echo what everyone else has said...

1. Yup, your experience is normal.
2. Yup, it gets better.

From my experience, I'd also add...

1. It takes about a month or so to start getting decent shaves, but then another several months to perfect it. It's worth it though. If you're like me, you'll get hooked somewhere between figuring out decent shaves and perfection.
2. While you're still getting a decent shave down, there's nothing wrong with tidying up with a DE. IMO, otherwise you'll drive yourself nuts and give it up.
3. The epiphany that worked for me on my tougher chin whiskers (it sounds like you have a similar issue) was to use a scything motion. Straight passes on my chin just grabbed and pulled. Even with a freshly honed razor from a reputable honemeister.

I hope this helps.

 

[dpmtherrien]

Oh yeah, the first few leave so much to be desired. Just keep at it, it will get better.

I got such great shaves from my DE, still do, and I wondered what's so great about the straight? At times I was killing myself, but I wanted to master the thing. Now several months down the road I still don't have the straight mastered, but the shaves are much much better. And still improving. I get though the shave with no blood, and my shave and technique are so much better.

 

[DE Shaver]

Your experience is typical of most people experience with a straight razor. Practice will refine your technique and you'll soon get the smooth shaves you are looking for in a straight razor.

 

[Sid Vicious]

Update--I shaved again 2 days after the first post and cut the sh*t out of my left ear. One of the blades, I must have turned because I doubt I could even cut myself. I haven't picked them up since.

Perhaps I'm not in the right frame of mind to start this right now, or maybe I am just satisfied with the savings and ease of a DE. Unless things change, I'll be listing a bunch of almost new straight razor stuff on the BST.

John

 

[JPM]

You've gotta do what makes you happy. But if you aren't in the right frame of mind maybe it is a better option to just put it aside for awhile and come back to it when you feel better about it. It'd be a shame to sell your new gear without giving it a bit longer, IMO.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

I can attest that the first shaves (enter your own personal number here) suck royally. I've only started to get better at shave #12...and its still obviously not perfect!

Good luck in your decision!

 

[bonusmarple]

My first straight shave was pitiful. I would have done better rubbing pumice on my face. It took about 20 shaves to really improve. My approach was fairly simple and may help so I have included it below.

A "standard" str8t shave is 2 passes plus clean-up. The first pass is WTG and the second is XTG. Clean-up focuses on problem areas and is the most unique to the person.

The face has a few basic zones:
1) cheeks and sideburns
2) upper lip
3) lower lip and chin
4) sides of the neck
5) center of the neck.

Within each of those zones there are more divisions based on the person, but this is a easy way to break up the face and order the zones into a progression.

What I did was to start with only the first pass direction (WTG) and the first zone (cheeks and sideburns) with a str8t and then used a DE (you can sub whatevber razor you were using) to finish the rest of the shave. Key is, after the pass to test by rubbing your finger in the following the path the razor just took. You should feel that it is smooth. If it is not, check your direction, angle and edge and try again on the next shave. There is lots of info out there to help you with those checks. Since you have limited the use of the str8t to a specific pass, it should be easier to troubleshoot.

The key is, don't add zones until you pass the "finger" test and you don't add a new pass until the previous pass is working.

This approach has the merit of minimizing the variables and preventing the need to wear a bad shave. Also, it lets you gradually add new holds, work on honing, and ask specific questions. The main downside is that it does take longer to improve.

Anyway, there is what I did FWIW, and about 20 shaves later I had a DFS. 30 shaves later I had BBS on occasion to give you a order of magnitude on a timeline.