NewBlader's new shaver's shaving journal

[NewBlader]

I'm firmly past my 100 shaves and here's an update:

The first 100 shaves is just the beginning. It's only enough to get to the point of having reasonably ok shaves that don't take too long and don't (often) come with cuts or nicks.

After that there are new levels of skill. I think what happens is blade handling dexterity improves allowing more angles of attack with less mistakes. This results in needing to do less passes over an area which results in less "exfoliation". Today I had a big improvement in shaving the 'stache area, something I couldn't have done a month ago.

Keep at it! It's the best shaving method for many people (including me), but it is a complex skill which takes some persistence to learn.

I'm using my stainless Revisor basically always now. It came not shave ready and I was able to get it very shavable with some work with a Naniwa 12k. I still don't know what I'm doing with that but it did work.

 

[thatsilverguy]

+1 on your last post.

I think you are right - 100 shaves is past the rough part, but it's just the beginning. If you have watched the SOTD it's obvious I don't need any more razors so I am going to re-PIF the razor I got from you. I will try to hone it to the level you did but I make no promises

The best to you!

 

[NewBlader]

Just went back to the old DE this morning, with Israeli blades. I thought, why not try for reference, see how it compares. Conclusion: I got a smooth shave, in about the same amount of time. Some areas that really don't shave well with the straight were easier. But, I had half a dozen nicks and major burn on the alcohol splash. Not good. I'm not going back.

I do clearly feel that the DE blade is a lot sharper. It's more likely to plough through a hair than to pass over it, as a straight blade might. However, more sharp does not mean better shave. I've also shaved with Feather blades before, which are accepted as being the sharpest, and they are absolutely unusable for me. All I get are cuts.

My problem right now is the neck area. It's really hard for me to do an ATG pass there and that's the only thing that can get it smooth. I think it would be easier with a short blade. I guess I'll just try various contortions until I get it right!

 

[Brent]

You know what helped me on neck? On first S-N (which is my second pass. Pass 1 is N-S). I do short, somewhat overlapping strokes. I used to do very long strokes and didn't get as smooth. Then on the last pass (also S-N) I do slightly longer scything strokes. Seems to get smooth for me. YMMV of course but wanted to thow it out there in case it helps.

 

[NewBlader]

A quick update on this journal: Still getting better. Today I switched from GFT to Col. Conk, just for some variety. I don't know if the soap made a difference or what but I got a really fantastic shave. I'm still working on getting faster. I can get an acceptable two-pass shave in under 10 minutes easily now, but I usually want to go beyond that and have an ATG pass, which is a lot slower. I'm also working on getting my neck area truly smooth. It's not easy but making progress. I find that I'm getting more capable with the blade, able to do more things with it. This reinforces my idea of why barbers were the first surgeons. They had the sharpest blades, and the most experience in using them for controlled cutting. No other profession 300+ years go would have had that skill development.

 

[NewBlader]

I haven't posted in a while so I'm checking in here. Update: the first hundred shaves are just the beginning, where you get to the point of being able to get a decent shave in an reasonable amount of time. Beyond that it gets better. Today I just had a huge improvement in jawline shaving, something which is tricky to get, and it feels great! I now have really smooth shaves and don't need to spend that much time on it, and it's cool. I'm glad I switched.

I'm also getting better at honing. I no longer need to send my blade for honing. A few passes on the Naniwa 12k and I can notice the improvement.

I have a seriously excellent shave today, just smooth and no irritation, and it's so cool to do it with a straight!

 

[Luc]

I haven't posted in a while so I'm checking in here. Update: the first hundred shaves are just the beginning, where you get to the point of being able to get a decent shave in an reasonable amount of time. Beyond that it gets better. Today I just had a huge improvement in jawline shaving, something which is tricky to get, and it feels great! I now have really smooth shaves and don't need to spend that much time on it, and it's cool. I'm glad I switched.

I'm also getting better at honing. I no longer need to send my blade for honing. A few passes on the Naniwa 12k and I can notice the improvement.

I have a seriously excellent shave today, just smooth and no irritation, and it's so cool to do it with a straight!

That's great! I reckon you should post a few pictures!

 

[NewBlader]

That's great! I reckon you should post a few pictures!

I'll get pictures sometime! I'm having more and more great shaves: no irritation, no over-shaved feeling, and really really smooth. I'm still lacking in the neckline / under-chin area though. That's the problem. I keep on feeling that I would do better there with a shorty. But I'll keep trying different things until I can get the angle right.

I do shave nearly every day (skip a weekend day occasionally) and I use a straight 99% of the time, so I'm an all-the-way every-day straight shaver since I began.

I have an idea so great about a straight. Somehow the edge is just right for doing an ATG pass that is smooth but doesn't nick or over-shave. When I use a DE safety razor, I get great results on my WTG passes, but the ATG pass results in a lot of shallow nicks. With a straight this doesn't happen. That's why people say straights can give the very best possible shaves. I think it is because the straight is actually less sharp than a disposable blade and it's easier to control the angle.

Anyway, I must say, it really works. I have gone back to DE shaves a handful of times but it's not as good for me at this point. I enjoy shaving!!!

I'm still using my Revisor stainless 6/8 basically always. It's great. My other razors are lonely. I have four and I'm not buying anything else. I'm happy to not suffer from any acquisition disesases!

I'm pretty quiet on this forum because I'm doing plenty of other stuff but I'll try to check in and post once a month or so.

 

[NewBlader]

I made a lot of progress on my neck today. I'm not sure what I did but I'm trying to go for different angles and strokes and something is working. I'm sure as I do this more I'll isolate what it is that's working and be able to do it more consistently.

I've come to the conclusion that with straight shaving you have a sharp initial learning curve, of the about 100 shaves, in which you learn how to get a basic acceptable shave without too much risk of nicks, and then a longer and slower learning curve where you learn how to get really comfortable, smooth shaves in less time and with less missed spots and irritation. That second slow curve probably goes on for years and that's where I'm at now.

Keep at it!