If you haven't had an excellent experience with Telly, just wait; it only means you haven't been here long enough! 
A lot of fella's including myself, wouldn't be using some of the top quality shaving gear if it wasn't for TstebinsB. He is one of the fella's who seeks out and finds the information that we'll discuss ad-nausium. One of B&B's finest and a Pioneer to be sure.
Thank you Telly, for taking the time for a wonderful interview!
Who are you?
My name is Telly. For what is that short? Nothing.
How do you take your coffee?
Any way that tastes good and won't kill me. However, I drink green tea most of the time.
What happened that made you seek a better shave, or if the chicken came before the egg, how did you find B&B?
I was suffering from ghastly razor bumps any time I used a razor. I was relegated to using a trimmer but that never gave me a close shave.
You signed up in '06, at B&B's inception, was it helpful at that early stage?
It was very helpful. In those days, B&B was more personable.
What was it that held your interest?
I just refused to believe that something as trivial as cutting facial hair could be so problematic. There had to be something better than what I had been using and I wanted to give this an honest effort.
If i remember from your posts, you started with DE's before switching to straights; What did you start with?
I started with a polished Merkur Futur. Talk about a bad move! I was a messy shaver in those days because I following Method Shaving. That means my hands were always wet. That was a problem because the polished Futur was so smooth and it was constantly slipping in my hands. I had some bad cuts as a result. Then there’s the fact that the razor was too cumbersome and heavy for me. I was too green to know how to maintain a light pressure. The extra pressure led to razor burn and razor bumps. I almost quit after a few months. By the way, that Futur was the first thing I sold at B&B and I forgot to clean it before shipping it. If you’re the buyer and you’re reading this, I’m sorry!
Do you keep any DE's on hand or are you strictly a straights user?
I don't have any DE razors. Straight razors are all I use so they're all I own.
Shave Cream & Soaps? what did you find that worked well from those initial trials?
Method Shaving products are definitely of high quality. My problem was that it was too messy for me. I wound up turning to Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood and that became my one product for a long time.
Where did you get your first straight razor? was it shave ready?
I got my first straight razor from slcsteve. It was part of a lot. I believe it was a 5/8 Wester Bros. It wasn’t shave ready so I sent it out to be honed. I didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to strop it before the first use; I promptly dulled it.
What was your next step after the Wester Bros? did you get it re-honed or did you pick up another razor?
I sold the Wester Bros. and got the first of many Friodur razors. It was shave ready and gave me my first, great straight razor shave.
Determination is key with shaving with a straight, how did you push through the Month + of sub par shaves? did you know there was a light at the end of the tunnel?
That’s a funny thing. I struggled with safety razors a lot but I had great shaves with straight razors right from the onset. I had problems with stropping and honing but the actual shaving part was never an issue. I regret all the time I wasted using safety razors.
Believe it or not, it's a bit of a relief to hear you had some trouble with stropping and honing. What helped you become an expert?
My skills are sufficient enough to get a comfortable shave but I wouldn't call myself an expert. Ultimately, I had to stop being lazy and I started to read everything in the Straight Razor forum. There is a lot of great information and most questions have already been answered. If people take the time to use the search function, they'll save themselves from a lot of anguish.
Now my favorite question... if you were stranded on a desert island and could only choose:
3 razors: Any random trio out of these six would suffice.
Europe: CV Heljestrand Stainless ¼ hollow, Schulze (Paul or Carl), Rudolf Schmidt
Japan: King Pelican, H. Diamond, Tanifuji
Can you distinguish a noticable difference with Japanese steel? if so, is it something you can describe?
Some Japanese razors are made of Swedish steel and others are made of Yasugi white steel. Either way, I've found that Japanese razors are easier to hone and get sharper than European razors. On the other hand, European razors are often smoother. Many vintage European razors will give you both the Japanese sharpness and the European smoothness but I haven't seen that in many of the newer, factory razors.
2 brushes: Rooney Super Style 1 Size 2 and Simpsons PJ3 Super
3 soaps: DR Harris Almond, Trumper Rose, Mitchell's Wool Fat
2 creams: Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood, DR Harris Lavender (old formulation)
What is your Aftershave of choice?
CAR Hydrolast Conditioner. It's expensive but a little goes a long way.
You've had some good experience with hones, what is your set up for razors without a bevel?
Shapton Pro stones are expensive but I like them because they're fast, hard, consistent, and they just work well. The Akatsuki is rated at #8000 but it works at a finer grit. It leaves an incredibly smooth edge.
DMT D8E #1200
Shapton Pro #5000
Shapton Pro #8000
Akatsuki HG-1
Shapton Pro #12000
and of course, what is your preferred way to finish the edge of a freshly honed blade?
A Nakayama Nashiji Kiita. Nothing gives me a better edge.
What is your stropping method?
I've never thought about it before. I wouldn't say that I have a set method. I use many types of razors and each one requires a different movement or way to hold the razor.
Do you have a preferred strop?
A 1/4"-thick Japanese Shell strop.
Favorite Movie or two?
I have a list of 261 films that will be apart of the DVD collection that I hope to build someday. But without question, no.1 on that list is Shawshank Redemption. It is the perfect film. Everything else is fighting for 2nd. Some highlights on the list include Brief Encounter (1945), Au revoir, les enfants (1988), Harvey (1950), L-Shaped Room, The (1962), Man for All Seasons, A (1966), and Separate Tables (1958).
Will we see another contest this Christmas?
I think so. Hopefully, someone wins it this time around.
With what fictional/historical character do you most identify?
Apostle Paul
Paul wrote a lot of the Bible, do you have a favorite book?
It'd definitely be Romans. I don't go a week without reading a passage.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
All razors and blades are not created equally. If something doesn't work for you, try something else. You'll know when it's right.
A lot of fella's including myself, wouldn't be using some of the top quality shaving gear if it wasn't for TstebinsB. He is one of the fella's who seeks out and finds the information that we'll discuss ad-nausium. One of B&B's finest and a Pioneer to be sure. Thank you Telly, for taking the time for a wonderful interview!
Who are you?
My name is Telly. For what is that short? Nothing.
How do you take your coffee?
Any way that tastes good and won't kill me. However, I drink green tea most of the time.
What happened that made you seek a better shave, or if the chicken came before the egg, how did you find B&B?
I was suffering from ghastly razor bumps any time I used a razor. I was relegated to using a trimmer but that never gave me a close shave.
You signed up in '06, at B&B's inception, was it helpful at that early stage?
It was very helpful. In those days, B&B was more personable.
What was it that held your interest?
I just refused to believe that something as trivial as cutting facial hair could be so problematic. There had to be something better than what I had been using and I wanted to give this an honest effort.
If i remember from your posts, you started with DE's before switching to straights; What did you start with?
I started with a polished Merkur Futur. Talk about a bad move! I was a messy shaver in those days because I following Method Shaving. That means my hands were always wet. That was a problem because the polished Futur was so smooth and it was constantly slipping in my hands. I had some bad cuts as a result. Then there’s the fact that the razor was too cumbersome and heavy for me. I was too green to know how to maintain a light pressure. The extra pressure led to razor burn and razor bumps. I almost quit after a few months. By the way, that Futur was the first thing I sold at B&B and I forgot to clean it before shipping it. If you’re the buyer and you’re reading this, I’m sorry!
Do you keep any DE's on hand or are you strictly a straights user?
I don't have any DE razors. Straight razors are all I use so they're all I own.
Shave Cream & Soaps? what did you find that worked well from those initial trials?
Method Shaving products are definitely of high quality. My problem was that it was too messy for me. I wound up turning to Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood and that became my one product for a long time.
Where did you get your first straight razor? was it shave ready?
I got my first straight razor from slcsteve. It was part of a lot. I believe it was a 5/8 Wester Bros. It wasn’t shave ready so I sent it out to be honed. I didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to strop it before the first use; I promptly dulled it.
What was your next step after the Wester Bros? did you get it re-honed or did you pick up another razor?
I sold the Wester Bros. and got the first of many Friodur razors. It was shave ready and gave me my first, great straight razor shave.
Determination is key with shaving with a straight, how did you push through the Month + of sub par shaves? did you know there was a light at the end of the tunnel?
That’s a funny thing. I struggled with safety razors a lot but I had great shaves with straight razors right from the onset. I had problems with stropping and honing but the actual shaving part was never an issue. I regret all the time I wasted using safety razors.
Believe it or not, it's a bit of a relief to hear you had some trouble with stropping and honing. What helped you become an expert?
My skills are sufficient enough to get a comfortable shave but I wouldn't call myself an expert. Ultimately, I had to stop being lazy and I started to read everything in the Straight Razor forum. There is a lot of great information and most questions have already been answered. If people take the time to use the search function, they'll save themselves from a lot of anguish.
Now my favorite question... if you were stranded on a desert island and could only choose:
3 razors: Any random trio out of these six would suffice.
Europe: CV Heljestrand Stainless ¼ hollow, Schulze (Paul or Carl), Rudolf Schmidt
Japan: King Pelican, H. Diamond, Tanifuji
Can you distinguish a noticable difference with Japanese steel? if so, is it something you can describe?
Some Japanese razors are made of Swedish steel and others are made of Yasugi white steel. Either way, I've found that Japanese razors are easier to hone and get sharper than European razors. On the other hand, European razors are often smoother. Many vintage European razors will give you both the Japanese sharpness and the European smoothness but I haven't seen that in many of the newer, factory razors.
2 brushes: Rooney Super Style 1 Size 2 and Simpsons PJ3 Super
3 soaps: DR Harris Almond, Trumper Rose, Mitchell's Wool Fat
2 creams: Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood, DR Harris Lavender (old formulation)
What is your Aftershave of choice?
CAR Hydrolast Conditioner. It's expensive but a little goes a long way.
You've had some good experience with hones, what is your set up for razors without a bevel?
Shapton Pro stones are expensive but I like them because they're fast, hard, consistent, and they just work well. The Akatsuki is rated at #8000 but it works at a finer grit. It leaves an incredibly smooth edge.
DMT D8E #1200
Shapton Pro #5000
Shapton Pro #8000
Akatsuki HG-1
Shapton Pro #12000
and of course, what is your preferred way to finish the edge of a freshly honed blade?
A Nakayama Nashiji Kiita. Nothing gives me a better edge.
What is your stropping method?
I've never thought about it before. I wouldn't say that I have a set method. I use many types of razors and each one requires a different movement or way to hold the razor.
Do you have a preferred strop?
A 1/4"-thick Japanese Shell strop.
Favorite Movie or two?
I have a list of 261 films that will be apart of the DVD collection that I hope to build someday. But without question, no.1 on that list is Shawshank Redemption. It is the perfect film. Everything else is fighting for 2nd. Some highlights on the list include Brief Encounter (1945), Au revoir, les enfants (1988), Harvey (1950), L-Shaped Room, The (1962), Man for All Seasons, A (1966), and Separate Tables (1958).
Will we see another contest this Christmas?
I think so. Hopefully, someone wins it this time around.
With what fictional/historical character do you most identify?
Apostle Paul
Paul wrote a lot of the Bible, do you have a favorite book?
It'd definitely be Romans. I don't go a week without reading a passage.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
All razors and blades are not created equally. If something doesn't work for you, try something else. You'll know when it's right.
Last edited:
