Hi everyone,
Yesterday, I started shaving with a Straight Razor and I decided to log some thoughts here, so as to have a record of my progress.
The idea to try an SR came to me around August. I am not an impulse buyer, quite the contrary. I always let these ideas sink in and if they still bug me after some time, only then do I make the purchase. On November 19th I placed an order at the UK store The Invisible Edge for a Ralf Aust 6/8 round point with African Blackwood scales, one of the store-branded strops and a jar of Chromox. I chose this vendor because they ship the razors at a shave-ready state.
Between the Black Friday and the lockdown throughout the EU, the order took 2.5 weeks to arrive. I was super happy to receive it yesterday!
On to the shave:
SR Shave #1:
Notes:
Yesterday, I started shaving with a Straight Razor and I decided to log some thoughts here, so as to have a record of my progress.
The idea to try an SR came to me around August. I am not an impulse buyer, quite the contrary. I always let these ideas sink in and if they still bug me after some time, only then do I make the purchase. On November 19th I placed an order at the UK store The Invisible Edge for a Ralf Aust 6/8 round point with African Blackwood scales, one of the store-branded strops and a jar of Chromox. I chose this vendor because they ship the razors at a shave-ready state.
Between the Black Friday and the lockdown throughout the EU, the order took 2.5 weeks to arrive. I was super happy to receive it yesterday!
On to the shave:
SR Shave #1:
- Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8
- Brush: Tony Forsyth Tuxedo
- Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat
- ASL: Floid Vigoroso
- Method: 2 WTG passes
- Result: Not the closest shave I ever had. I got a small cut below the lower lip while moving the razor towards the chin area. Note to self: When holding a razor, either shave with it or put it away from the face!
Notes:
- The shaves take longer and although I love MWF the lather is not stable long enough. Switch to Tabac for the learning period.
- If you think your angle is shallow, go shallower. Once you are in the proper range the shave is super smooth and mild.
- The vendor proved to be an excellent choice. That edge feels fantastic. I asked him about his method and he emailed me back saying that he usually finishes on chromox and then on the strop. If he hones the razor, it's just a regular Naniwa progression. This makes me super happy, because I already have a Naniwa 12k at hand.
- I am extremely happy I got to try SR shaving!