New to SR from Georgia, looking to maintain straight lines!!!

[JPaul]

I am a going to be a newbie to the SR lifestyle. I have a bull beard and have been using cartridges to keep from looking like a wolf man. I have a local beard and barber shop locally that I go to so that I can maintain my lines. That being said, I have reached my frustrations with loosing those clean lines within 7-10 days.
I am able to reclaim some of the clean edges back with a beard trimmer, but that requires a few days of growth. Not having experience with a SR, I am not sure that this is going to be the answer, but I have hopes that I will be able to maintain sharper lines with the SR. That being said, I know that a true straight blade is the ultimate answer, but I am sure that will take some time and experience to get there.
Any advise is welcomed and much appreciated!
I have a Parker variant on the way. I made that decision based on reviews and feedback that its very user friendly with the flexibility of experience levels.

J'Paul

 

[Lightcs1776]

Welcome to the forums. I have a beard as well and find a straight does a great job of maintaining the lines. It is a bit of a learning curve, but well worth it.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[global_dev]

get yourself a Single edge shavette for the straight lines! Probably much easier to see where you are at.

 

[sanookd]

I am a going to be a newbie to the SR lifestyle. I have a bull beard and have been using cartridges to keep from looking like a wolf man. I have a local beard and barber shop locally that I go to so that I can maintain my lines. That being said, I have reached my frustrations with loosing those clean lines within 7-10 days.
I am able to reclaim some of the clean edges back with a beard trimmer, but that requires a few days of growth. Not having experience with a SR, I am not sure that this is going to be the answer, but I have hopes that I will be able to maintain sharper lines with the SR. That being said, I know that a true straight blade is the ultimate answer, but I am sure that will take some time and experience to get there.
Any advise is welcomed and much appreciated!
I have a Parker variant on the way. I made that decision based on reviews and feedback that its very user friendly with the flexibility of experience levels.

J'Paul

I have a beard like yours except white and very short. If my neck gets too out of hand I use an Andis T Outliner and a real straight razor to make a very sharp line.
Above the beard on my cheeks I use a shavette. It’s easier to manipulate the de blade bent in half than a full straight blade. Plus the de razor blade is so thin I can put it against a single hair going against the grain to remove it.

 

[Billski]

Welcome to Badger & Blade, @JPaul

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome to B & B, enjoy!

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum. Don’t forget to check in on the Straight Razor Forum. The guys there would love to hear from you.

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.
A shavette is very good for maintaining lines and would be better in that respect than a DE razor.

 

[Furex]

A DE is perfectly capable of cutting clean lines, and is more accurate than a multi-blade razor because the head is usually smaller and there is no uncertainty as to how many blades are going to engage the hair. A little slip of a multi-blade razor can have worse consequences than one with a DE.

The downside of the DE is that you still don't see all that well where you're going to cut, because the razor's head is in the way.

Shavette and straights offer a clear view of the cutting edge and, in that regard, offer maximum precision. The longer blade requires, theoretically, less strokes to form a straight line, e.g. along your cheeks or cheekbones.

Ultimately, however, what gets you those straight, clean lines is your ability to line up the various strokes. If you don't always hold the razor at the same angle, the line won't be perfectly straight.

Your barber has a huge advantage, there: he doesn't have to work around awkward hand positions and has as good a view of the area that is to be shaved as is possible, unlike us when we're shaving ourselves.

TL;DR my suggestion would be to try the Variant and see the results for yourself. You can get a shavette later.

But first give the Variant a fair shake. Stick with the same razor and blade for a while, and don't go overboard with the aggression (that would be opening the razor too much). Better to use a sharp blade and a low setting than having to deal with razor burn or weepers.

 

[Furex]

PS: to get better lines, consider buying a clear 'precision' shaving gel that will let you see the edges of the beard more clearly.

The alternative is to spread and thin out the lather with your fingers.

 

[JPaul]

I have a beard like yours except white and very short. If my neck gets too out of hand I use an Andis T Outliner and a real straight razor to make a very sharp line.
Above the beard on my cheeks I use a shavette. It’s easier to manipulate the de blade bent in half than a full straight blade. Plus the de razor blade is so thin I can put it against a single hair going against the grain to remove it.

Sounds like you have your methods down to a science..

 

[JPaul]

PS: to get better lines, consider buying a clear 'precision' shaving gel that will let you see the edges of the beard more clearly.

The alternative is to spread and thin out the lather with your fingers.

Thanks for the advice! I have a few small shaving cremes, oils and soaps ordered so that I can get an idea of what works best for me.

 

[JPaul]

A DE is perfectly capable of cutting clean lines, and is more accurate than a multi-blade razor because the head is usually smaller and there is no uncertainty as to how many blades are going to engage the hair. A little slip of a multi-blade razor can have worse consequences than one with a DE.

The downside of the DE is that you still don't see all that well where you're going to cut, because the razor's head is in the way.

Shavette and straights offer a clear view of the cutting edge and, in that regard, offer maximum precision. The longer blade requires, theoretically, less strokes to form a straight line, e.g. along your cheeks or cheekbones.

Ultimately, however, what gets you those straight, clean lines is your ability to line up the various strokes. If you don't always hold the razor at the same angle, the line won't be perfectly straight.

Your barber has a huge advantage, there: he doesn't have to work around awkward hand positions and has as good a view of the area that is to be shaved as is possible, unlike us when we're shaving ourselves.

TL;DR my suggestion would be to try the Variant and see the results for yourself. You can get a shavette later.

But first give the Variant a fair shake. Stick with the same razor and blade for a while, and don't go overboard with the aggression (that would be opening the razor too much). Better to use a sharp blade and a low setting than having to deal with razor burn or weepers.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my post with thought and experience. My barber has an old shavette that he is going to give me to try out.

 

[McBlade]

A Parker-style shavette would be ideal. I'd recommend a mild blade like Derby Extra, at least to start with. It's very easy to cut yourself.

* stretch the skin
* light touch
* the blade must always be moving when it's in contact with the skin

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard!

 

[ScottChapin]

The new King Gillette DE is being marketed just for that purpose.

I alternate between SRs and DEs. The King Gillette is a nice razor. The fact that it’s inexpensive doesn’t hurt either.


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[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!