Straight Razor Shaving Noob

[CrazyEight]

A couple months ago I purchased a DublDuck Goldedge and it needed some love so I sent it to the Razor Emporium to be buffed and sharpened. Since getting it back (maybe 3 weeks ago now) I have had some difficulty shaving with it. Overall, I think things are going well, but of course there's plenty room for improvement. The one thing I have noticed is that even though I got it sharpened and it came back "shave ready" I cant seem to get a great shave out of it. I hold the broad side of the blade flat against my face, and lift ever so slightly (just enough to where the blade comes in contact with the skin) and start the shave. With my DE razor, I usually do 2 passes on my face and 3 on my neck. With the DublDuck, I am just trying to do 2 passes on face and neck.

It's kind of hard to explain exactly what's going on, but even though the blade is sharp, and does cut, it seems to me that it's not cutting good enough. I am not sure if maybe I have thicker or harder stubble than I thought or if the blade just isn't quite sharp enough to do the job right. I have tried different parts of the blade, I've tried small strokes, I stretch my skin as much as I can, I usually shave without oil, but tried to use oil and still nothing seems to do it. I saw one of the master barbers at The Art of Shaving, use a shavette and watched his technique and it seemed to me that thing did a much better job than my DublDuck.

Is there anything else I can try, use, get, etc. that may help me at least get a close-to BBS shave? I get that I am new to this and that I will need to improve on technique, but even the easy areas seem like they could be better. Any thoughts? TYIA

 

[bluesman 7]

It sounds to me like the razor is not really sharp. There are numerous sharpness tests, but they are all pretty subjective and without experience won't tell you much IMO. The shave test is the most respected, and see, without experience you are right where you are at now.

I would advise posting your general location and seeing if someone close with experience could access your edge. There are meets in Kansas City and Denver this weekend and a meet would be a great place to take your razor.

 

[CrazyEight]

Before sending it to Razor Emporium, I was really hoping to find someone local-ish that could hone it but I never was able to locate anyone. I am also leaning towards it possibly not being sharp enough. I have tried different angles (within reason) and I just cant seem to get one that really stands out as far as how well it shaves.

A rough location for me is Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am about 40 minutes or so north of that.

 

[ScottChapin]

Technique has a lot to do with it. I sent a shave ready blade off to be honed and it came back about the same, but at least I had something to go by. I had also sharpened it myself to start with, because mine was a factory edge.

I find that momentum is huge. I just finished my 10th triple pass straight razor only shave. I have learned how to have my blade in motion as it touches down on my chin at the right angle and pressure. Extremely sharp blades do nothing for me in these areas, if the blade is on my skin at a dead stop.

I think it was SlashMcCoy who said to just shave without cutting yourself at first. Technique will come and both technique and a proper edge are required.

If you have “sharpness” problems after a few tries, then it’s probably a sharpness problem. My initial shaves were very disappointing despite having a sharp blade.



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[Dzaw]

I have been observing that many shavers who are accustomed to DE razors are unsure of the edge on their straight razor. The transition is often marked by a feeling that the razor is not as sharp as it should be. Tugging and pulling are common complaints.

The learning curve is different and the feeling is different. The edge could be perfectly serviceable and a new shaver would still feel it to be dull, tugging, catching, and skipping.

This is one of the factors that is most difficult about the early stage of learning the straight razor.

There is a combination of angle, pressure, and grip that immensely alters all of that impression. It has been described as “cooperating with the razor in a way that you don’t need to with a DE razor” it has been described as “the right touch” and it has been described as “letting the razor do the shaving”. Personally, when I tried to describe it, I said “it is like I stopped trying to shave my face, and started trying to shave my whiskers, like I wanted to let the razor catch or skip if it wanted to, only suddenly, it didn’t want to anymore”.

Until you can find “the right touch” you will have a really hard time telling the difference between a shave ready razor, and one that is only kinda so-so.

 

[bluesman 7]

I messaged a friend in Minneapolis to see if he is interested in helping you out. Good luck and keep at it.

 

[CrazyEight]

I have been observing that many shavers who are accustomed to DE razors are unsure of the edge on their straight razor. The transition is often marked by a feeling that the razor is not as sharp as it should be. Tugging and pulling are common complaints.

The learning curve is different and the feeling is different. The edge could be perfectly serviceable and a new shaver would still feel it to be dull, tugging, catching, and skipping.

This is one of the factors that is most difficult about the early stage of learning the straight razor.

There is a combination of angle, pressure, and grip that immensely alters all of that impression. It has been described as “cooperating with the razor in a way that you don’t need to with a DE razor” it has been described as “the right touch” and it has been described as “letting the razor do the shaving”. Personally, when I tried to describe it, I said “it is like I stopped trying to shave my face, and started trying to shave my whiskers, like I wanted to let the razor catch or skip if it wanted to, only suddenly, it didn’t want to anymore”.

Until you can find “the right touch” you will have a really hard time telling the difference between a shave ready razor, and one that is only kinda so-so.

That's really helpful and quite understandable. Thank you for that.

 

[CrazyEight]

I messaged a friend in Minneapolis to see if he is interested in helping you out. Good luck and keep at it.

That's awesome, thank you so much for that.

 

[kingfisher]

I think you are too early in the journey to know whether the razor is sharp enough or not. It just takes time and experience. Just keep using it every day, at least for the flat parts of your cheek. Finish the shave with a DE or SE or whatever you prefer.

Just keep at it. A light bulb goes on at some point, or at least it did for me. It was at about shave 40-something or maybe even slightly beyond that. I just finished shave number 210 this morning. It's hard to explain what happens and I think impossible to explain to someone how to do it. You just have to learn, and there is no shortcut.

 

[Seveneighth]

I have got a couple of friends up and running with straight shaving and they both seemed to encounter the same three challenges.

1) Maintaining and judging a shave ready edge. This ultimately means being able to strop effectively. You can roll the edge easily. How I was taught was by practising with a butter knife on my leg. Feel for the friction it creates.

2) Prep and lather. Lather needs to more hydrated than for a safety razor. Cutting is about sharpness and friction. Disposable blades tend to have a lubricant baked on. Notice I say hydration not slickness. The method I would recommend is to make your lather as normal then dip the tips of your brush into water and then work that back into the lather on your face until you have built the same thickness of lather but with more moisture held in it.

I think it's much harder to learn to shave with a cutthroat after 30 rather than as a teenager because your beard gets tougher. The older I get the more important the prep is. I really only shave with certain soaps and brushes when I straight shave. I am much more experimental with safety razors.

This might suggest that straight shaving isn't as efficient. I don't think that's the case - it's just more skilful because all the factors affect each other more directly.

3) Technique. This is a combination of skin stretching and judging the angle and pressure in relation to how the hairs are standing due to the amount of stretching. If everything else above is lined up, the cutting angle is everything. I would suggest trying to get part of your face shaved first - become confident in one area. If you can be successful shaving one part of your face the rest will follow.

 

[CrazyEight]

I think you are too early in the journey to know whether the razor is sharp enough or not. It just takes time and experience. Just keep using it every day, at least for the flat parts of your cheek. Finish the shave with a DE or SE or whatever you prefer.

Just keep at it. A light bulb goes on at some point, or at least it did for me. It was at about shave 40-something or maybe even slightly beyond that. I just finished shave number 210 this morning. It's hard to explain what happens and I think impossible to explain to someone how to do it. You just have to learn, and there is no shortcut.

The good thing about all of this is that I really do want to keep at it, though I may have to take a break once in a while. I usually shave every 3 days and last week I had to use my DE just to take a break and get a much smoother shave. I'm sure it's bound to happen, but I will keep working on it as well.

 

[Bbb34]

You will likely know when your razor is not sharp even if you're not experienced and you should also trust your instinct.

Yes a lot of tests are subjective, but if you have to come down almost to skin level to cut a hair off your forearm for example, you might still be able to get an OK shave, but chances are your razor could use a touch up.

I liked the one I read somewhere recently "it takes many passes on the strop to keep that edge in top shape but only few to ruin it".... so true... ask me how I know.

 

[CrazyEight]

You will likely know when your razor is not sharp even if you're not experienced and you should also trust your instinct.

Yes a lot of tests are subjective, but if you have to come down almost to skin level to cut a hair off your forearm for example, you might still be able to get an OK shave, but chances are your razor could use a touch up.

I liked the one I read somewhere recently "it takes many passes on the strop to keep that edge in top shape but only few to ruin it".... so true... ask me how I know.

Well, now I have too. lol How do you know?

 

[Dzaw]

Don’t let the learning curve discourage you. You have some miserable setbacks ahead of you, but at the end of the day, it’s just shaving hair with a razor blade. Noone’s life is on the line, it’s not super complicated - no rocket science here.

Your hands just need to gain some experience I handling the tool. It takes as long as it takes. Once you hit a couple of “aha!” Moments, it gets a lot easier.

Then, those miserable setbacks suddenly seem like small potatoes, you look back and think of what a big deal they weren’t, and heck, now you shave with a straight razor, and how cool is that!?

 

[Rusty Blade]

I have got a couple of friends up and running with straight shaving and they both seemed to encounter the same three challenges.

1) Maintaining and judging a shave ready edge. This ultimately means being able to strop effectively. You can roll the edge easily. How I was taught was by practising with a butter knife on my leg. Feel for the friction it creates.

2) Prep and lather. Lather needs to more hydrated than for a safety razor. Cutting is about sharpness and friction. Disposable blades tend to have a lubricant baked on. Notice I say hydration not slickness. The method I would recommend is to make your lather as normal then dip the tips of your brush into water and then work that back into the lather on your face until you have built the same thickness of lather but with more moisture held in it.

I think it's much harder to learn to shave with a cutthroat after 30 rather than as a teenager because your beard gets tougher. The older I get the more important the prep is. I really only shave with certain soaps and brushes when I straight shave. I am much more experimental with safety razors.

This might suggest that straight shaving isn't as efficient. I don't think that's the case - it's just more skilful because all the factors affect each other more directly.

3) Technique. This is a combination of skin stretching and judging the angle and pressure in relation to how the hairs are standing due to the amount of stretching. If everything else above is lined up, the cutting angle is everything. I would suggest trying to get part of your face shaved first - become confident in one area. If you can be successful shaving one part of your face the rest will follow.

+1. This post sums up my thought very well. It does take time to get the hang of SR shaving. And the only way to learn is through practice and experience.

 

[seattleshaver]

I think you need to figure out if your blade is sharp enough for a good shave or not. I don't know anything about the reputation of the Razor Emporium but I would assume the blade would be sharp when they sent it back.

Did you try to shave before stropping it? In other words, could you have rolled the edge stropping it? If you didn't strop it first, does it feel about as sharp today as when you got it back? If so, then it's probably sharp.

Try to just use it on your cheeks. Stretch the skin and just shave the cheeks. Do two passes if needed. Maybe one WTG and one XTG. If the blade is sharp, you should have a good shave at least on your cheeks.

If you aren't getting a close smooth shave on the cheeks then your blade isn't sharp.

Problems elsewhere are probably inexperience/technique and time will correct that. If you aren't getting a close shave on your cheeks, it's likely that the blade isn't sharp enough, for whatever reason.

Whatever the problem is, it isn't your lather.

 

[steveclarkus]

All good advice. The only thing I can add it to not even think about BBS now. That won’t happen for a while. Just keep shaving and you will figure it out.

 

[Twelvefret]

As @Slash McCoy said, and I may not be quoting exactly, using a SR is a collaborative activity between the user and the blade. This is not true with commercially prepared blades.

I have several shave ready blades, but each is an individual so that I have to adapt and work with the tool. I like the variety each provides.

 

[tlweinbe]

I have been observing that many shavers who are accustomed to DE razors are unsure of the edge on their straight razor. The transition is often marked by a feeling that the razor is not as sharp as it should be. Tugging and pulling are common complaints.

The learning curve is different and the feeling is different. The edge could be perfectly serviceable and a new shaver would still feel it to be dull, tugging, catching, and skipping.

This is one of the factors that is most difficult about the early stage of learning the straight razor.

There is a combination of angle, pressure, and grip that immensely alters all of that impression. It has been described as “cooperating with the razor in a way that you don’t need to with a DE razor” it has been described as “the right touch” and it has been described as “letting the razor do the shaving”. Personally, when I tried to describe it, I said “it is like I stopped trying to shave my face, and started trying to shave my whiskers, like I wanted to let the razor catch or skip if it wanted to, only suddenly, it didn’t want to anymore”.

Until you can find “the right touch” you will have a really hard time telling the difference between a shave ready razor, and one that is only kinda so-so.

I read your post and find a lot to like in your point of view. I started wet shaving as a DE shaver and worked my shaving ritual to the point where achieving a BBS shave was routine if not always easy. Technique is a learned skill and it took me a while with the DE to get to bloodless, effortless and truly smooth shaves.

When I switched to the straight it was as you described: my shaves were simply not as good. I had good prep technique, I knew how to get my face ready, but my straight just wasn't whacking the weeds like my DE. Some wise and wonderful person in this group advised doing a 90 day shave effort where I recorded each days result: a shave log for 90 days. He said my technique would improve as I identified areas of strength and days when things didn't go so well. I wouldn't be able to truly fix my technique until I could identify where the shortcomings were.

I didn't get to 90 days, I think I bailed after 45 days or so, but the lesson was learned. As long as your razor is up to snuff, the biggest barrier to a DFS or BBS shave is your technique. Its tough to improve your technique without some information about what's working, and what isn't. Your own data will help if you keep a brief journal.

I find this set of forums to be a wonderful resource. I don't know how many pints of blood I've saved by reading here and taking advantage of someone elses lessons.