Wow 2nd Str8 Shave

[archgopher]

This time I paid a lot more attention to the tip and didn't not draw blood with it. I did end up with several weepers and a bit of razor burn, but I am very happy with the result. My beard growth is about 12 hours behind my best M3 shave.

Question for the experienced str8 shavers: How long does it take you to shave and how many passes? I understand I am new, but it is taking about 45 minutes.

 

[the gato]

I usually do just 1 pass, sometimes I do 2. I have pretty weak hairgrowth though. I like to take my sweet time as well so usually 15-30 min.

It took me quite a while though, I spent a lot of sessions doing 30-60 min. But it's a lot of fun so it sure didn't seem like that long. Don't fret on taking a lot of time, talent comes with practice and practice takes time. If you're concerned about those days where you don't have that time keep an inexpensive cartridge razor or a pack of disposables in your drawer. I've got my old sensor and a can of barbasol for just such an occasion.

Not to mention for places a straight and quality shave brush just don't need to venture to.

 

[NewBlader]

Question for the experienced str8 shavers: How long does it take you to shave and how many passes? I understand I am new, but it is taking about 45 minutes.

In the beginning it took me 45 to an hour. Way too long, and also that much blade-time results in over-shaving and irritation.

Today, two months into this, I shaved in 9 minutes and got a pretty good shave. It gets much faster and better as you figure out what works. Reading here helps, but mainly experience, patience, and knowing when to put the blade down and rinse are what helped me.

 

[Drybonz]

Question for the experienced str8 shavers: How long does it take you to shave and how many passes? I understand I am new, but it is taking about 45 minutes.

I promise you, if you are trying to cut time you are going to cut yourself instead. Take as long as you need to shave without cutting yourself. You will get faster naturally as you become more experienced.

 

[archgopher]

Thanks for the responses. I assumed it will eventually take a shorter amount of time to shave. The good part is that it really doesn't feel like it is taking that long. I am going to continue shaving at night and give myself more time, so I don't rush it.

 

[sanfranciscian]

Don't dismay, that 45-60 min. time frame sounds spot on for my start. you will most likely be taking up good amounts of time here for a while as IMHO it is what is required when learning the basic set of skills needed to move forward. for me after i began to sort out how to proceed safely i made a conscious effort to begin establishing a matrix for my trip around the face and starting stripping time off. I can now finish in 10-15 min without playing my version of beat the clock.

Ian

 

[Troggie]

I promise you, if you are trying to cut time you are going to cut yourself instead. Take as long as you need to shave without cutting yourself. You will get faster naturally as you become more experienced.

+100 to this.. when I started it took me between 30 to 45 minutes for a single pass. After about 4 or 5 months I was doing 2 passes in that time and after the last year I have gotten comfortable enough where I can do 2 passes in about 10 minutes if I am rushed.

One key I found though is finding "your" razor. Initially I had a very bad case of RAD and kept switching razors which meant switching the way I handled the blades and hindered my progress. When I decided to just use a single razor for 3 months straight that is when I was able to finally see results in speed of shave and then when I switched to a different razor it was just as fast.

Now I shave for the pleasure of it and have since gone to taking as much time as possible so if I only have 10 or 15 minutes.. unless I am meeting a client.. I will skip shaving and wait until I get home so I can enjoy the experience.

 

[ouch]

Once I get past the first pass (and I enjoy nothing more than using an injector to mow down the first pass), I can perform subsequent passes with a straight in as little as one minute.

 

[Brent]

I'm probably 3-4 weeks into this and I find most of the time I take is whipping up the lather. The actual shaving takes about 5-10 minutes for 2-3 passes. Probably pretty quick for a newbie but I'm not getting nicks or cuts and a DFS+.

 

[global_dev]

Once I get past the first pass (and I enjoy nothing more than using an injector to mow down the first pass), I can perform subsequent passes with a straight in as little as one minute.

i don't know about the injector first pass, but ouch has it right about the second especially if your first was pretty good.

i "feel" like if you can really utilize the whole blade it will be much quicker in my opinion as well.. especially on the 3" long edges.

 

[Kentos]

After I gained confidence in my strokes, I can do a 3 pass shave in 10 minutes, but the caveat is it's not the best shave at that speed yet. 20 minutes for a nice leisurely BBS shave for me now.

 

[mrouija]

My (few) shaves have all been in the 45m area. I'm getting faster but I'm trying to focus on getting good shaves first and fast shaves second.

 

[gunmonkey]

i always like the fact that it takes me about 20 or 30 minutes to shave with a straight it is the only part of the day that is truly my time... if you try to rush it you wont enjoy it and then it becomes a chore not a treat

 

[Luc]

45 minutes is normal I would say. Today I do 3 passes with an average of 15-18 minutes.

 

[Slash McCoy]

My usual everyday shave is a single pass and takes about 5 minutes, including stropping, lathering, etc. My first ever straight shave took, yeah, about 45 minutes. You will get it as you go. In a year, your routine will be so polished you will hardly think about it.