Two razors, one new and one vintage, should keep me rolling for quite a while.
Two razors, one new and one vintage, should keep me rolling for quite a while.
Also, my strop is from Tony Miller, not "Jim" for clarification.
@silverlifter absolutely brilliant!!!!!
1. the satisfaction found in slow mastery of a difficult skill
2. mindfulness and remaining in extended flow-state as an important aspect of long-term emotional well-being
3. chasing a highly aesthetic vibe with beautiful smells, sights, and sounds
4. a jawline that would still appear clean shaven ... no kidding, here ... 14 hours after steel-to-cheek
5. a workbench hobby where a small object was slowly transformed the more time and attention I gave it.
Those were the reasons I chased it, and I'm pleased to share that I found each one in abundance.
Much sound advice and well-founded encouragement has been passed along in this thread already, but I didn't see one good piece of advice (articulated frequently elsewhere in this forum - you may well already know it) that proved very important for me: The first 30 shaves are just going to be very tough going. The learning curve on this art form is just really a challenging one (see point #1, above). Do those 30 shaves in 30 days, if you can. Somewhere around the 25-40-shave mark, things will start to get pleasant. After about 100 shaves (for me and for many) that's when things started to get really lovely. And, to quote a much older B&B post, after that, things just get wonderfuler and wonderfuler.
Oh, and "the method" mentioned earlier - the regular use of diamond-pasted balsa strops - was a game-changer for me. Turns sabers into lightsabers, or at least it did so in my case.
Welcome. I hope it goes smoothly - smooth as carved marble, polished steel, and your jawline in a few months.
@kargi42 we all read from the same script.I started because cartridge razor prizes in my country were getting ridiculous. On hindsight the money that I spent on straight razors, stones, stropes and the display case would buy a me a lifetime of cartridge razors. Maybe even two lifetimes.
I started DE shaving to save money and get a better shave, and I accomplished that for more than a decade using one razor, one soap, and one brush. Buying replacement blades and a fresh puck of soap was dirt cheap. Then, I decided I wanted to experience more of the fine products available, and savings went out the window. There is no doubt saving money wet shaving with a safety razor, or SR is possible; it is just not probable.I started because cartridge razor prizes in my country were getting ridiculous. On hindsight the money that I spent on straight razors, stones, stropes and the display case would buy a me a lifetime of cartridge razors. Maybe even two lifetimes.
It gets better. My first shave was a disaster. Irritation, razor burn. Small steps, don't rush it.My first SR shave this evening and I can sum it up in one word. Awkward! I know it will get better since it couldn't have gotten worse. No cuts or knicks to speak of, and I did a second pass with a DE razor. Four or five days of growth was probably not an ideal way to start. At least now I have the intitial fear out of the way.
Yep awkward sounds about right! It takes a few shaves to figure out how to hold the razor. It gets easier and better every shave.My first SR shave this evening and I can sum it up in one word. Awkward! I know it will get better since it couldn't have gotten worse. No cuts or knicks to speak of, and I did a second pass with a DE razor. Four or five days of growth was probably not an ideal way to start. At least now I have the intitial fear out of the way.
It must have been better than mine, because you didn't mention blood. I hit my first blood-free shave around shave #11.It gets better. My first shave was a disaster. Irritation, razor burn. Small steps, don't rush it.
and me wondering why I didn't start doing this 20 years ago.
The blood came later when I became too confident and sloppy. The toe got me.It must have been better than mine, because you didn't mention blood. I hit my first blood-free shave around shave #11.
Now I'm up to maybe #500, and it's all smooth sailing and great shaves and me wondering why I didn't start doing this 20 years ago. No one told me shaving could be so much fun.