Straight razor shave vs DE shave...

S

Seattle

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37
When you use a straight razor can you generally get as close a shave as when you use a DE?

I'm not asking in the hypothetical sense. I'm asking about you specifically.

I can get a shave with a straight that doesn't necessarily require at touch-up with a DE but I still have problems (most shaves) getting the chin and sometimes upper lip area to be as close as they would be were I to shave with a DE.

How about you?
 
The Chin & Mouth Area is Usually the Last Place that People Master with an SR.Also..Its the 1st Area where I Would Notice a Razor Perhaps is Needing Re Sharpened...An SR that is Not on the Ball as it Should Be Wont Quite Handle that Area of the Face in My Experience..;)

I Can Get as Close with an SR as with a Safety Razor..Some of My SRs are Also More Aggressive than Others & Shave Very Close Indeed..:)

Billy
 
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It took me probably 3 years before I could get that elusive baby butt shave with a straight, but once you master it there is noting else like it, when I resort back to my safety razors it feels like I'm scraping the whiskers off even with a new blade, where with my straights it mows them down effortlessly smooth as butter.
Even after shaving with straights for some six or seven years, I'm still learning new 'moves' and I think it really is a lifetime skill.
 
Fergiebilly said:
The Chin & Mouth Area is Usually the Last Place that People Master with an SR.Also..Its the 1st Area where I Would Notice a Razor Perhaps is Needing Re Sharpened...An SR that is Not on the Ball as it Should Be Wont Quite Handle that Area of the Face in My Experience..;)

I Can Get as Close with an SR as with a Safety Razor..Some of My SRs are Also More Aggressive than Others & Shave Very Close Indeed..:)

Billy
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Yes i must agree i can get a good shave and with some of my sr full hollow i get an amazing shave. Its probably take me 3 to 4 years to perfect my technique and im still learning.
 
I´m a straight shaver since 10 years. Do have a DE. I´m using the straight for approximately 99% of the time.
Doing two passes every day and a cleanup. I´ve found that a smiling edge is the way to go when it comes to "hard get at places". It creeps in to all these wrinkles and hollows that you get with age. The face changes over time and you have to accept that you must relearn some strokes that doesn´t have the desired effect. I found that I like the old smiling wedge better than the new straight ones, they holds the edge better and have a nice weight to them that makes them glide through the whiskers like a knive through hot butter, and almost soundless.
 
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Seattle said:
When you use a straight razor can you generally get as close a shave as when you use a DE?

I'm not asking in the hypothetical sense. I'm asking about you specifically.

I can get a shave with a straight that doesn't necessarily require at touch-up with a DE but I still have problems (most shaves) getting the chin and sometimes upper lip area to be as close as they would be were I to shave with a DE.

How about you?
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Hi Seattle, I've been DE shaving for 30 years and SR shaving for about 20 years. The chin and mouth area took me a long time to master. My advice is this - take short, very short quick strokes in that area and work very slowly around the curve of your chin. Use your other hand to keep the skin taught whilst doing this.

Good luck and persevere.
 
Daily Shaver said:
Hi Seattle, I've been DE shaving for 30 years and SR shaving for about 20 years. The chin and mouth area took me a long time to master. My advice is this - take short, very short quick strokes in that area and work very slowly around the curve of your chin. Use your other hand to keep the skin taught whilst doing this.

Good luck and persevere.
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I've been doing that lately and it's working out better. I'm also noticing that my face isn't like some of those making the YouTube shaving videos. :) I have a more angular (pointy) chin and have to use short strokes as you mention.

From watching the videos I can see that it is helpful to either have a square, symmetrical chin/facial features or to have a "fat" face :) and I have neither.

I've also learned to just use a DE in those areas after I've nicked myself until it fully heals otherwise I just keep nicking myself in those areas.
 
Seattle said:
I've been doing that lately and it's working out better. I'm also noticing that my face isn't like some of those making the YouTube shaving videos. :) I have a more angular (pointy) chin and have to use short strokes as you mention.

From watching the videos I can see that it is helpful to either have a square, symmetrical chin/facial features or to have a "fat" face :) and I have neither.

I've also learned to just use a DE in those areas after I've nicked myself until it fully heals otherwise I just keep nicking myself in those areas.
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:D:p:D

Billy
 
Fergiebilly said:
The Chin & Mouth Area is Usually the Last Place that People Master with an SR.Also..Its the 1st Area where I Would Notice a Razor Perhaps is Needing Re Sharpened...An SR that is Not on the Ball as it Should Be Wont Quite Handle that Area of the Face in My Experience..;)

I Can Get as Close with an SR as with a Safety Razor..Some of My SRs are Also More Aggressive than Others & Shave Very Close Indeed..:)

Billy
Click to expand...

Very interesting thread. I'm in at an early stage of the SR learning process and currently struggling with going south to north in the chin and upper lip area. I have searched YouTube for ideas and surprisingly enough, most of the SR shavers that seem to have a very good technique, don't really help when it comes to shave the more difficult areas..... because they either have a goatee / mustache, speed up the video or they don't shave north to south in the chin area. There's one guy that does, his name is Mark something and his technique looks very sound.... I'm working on my version of his technique for the chin that feels more comfortable to me. :)

One SR more aggressive than another? You must mean sharper :).... I have only shaved with 6/8s :) I guess that bigger blades could be more aggressive

Still, it's reassuring that people can actually do it, even if it takes time to master the technique. I don't really fancy growing a goatee and mustache at the moment ;)
 
Merkurologist said:
Very interesting thread. I'm in at an early stage of the SR learning process and currently struggling with going south to north in the chin and upper lip area. I have searched YouTube for ideas and surprisingly enough, most of the SR shavers that seem to have a very good technique, don't really help when it comes to shave the more difficult areas..... because they either have a goatee / mustache, speed up the video or they don't shave north to south in the chin area. There's one guy that does, his name is Mark something and his technique looks very sound.... I'm working on my version of his technique for the chin that feels more comfortable to me. :)

One SR more aggressive than another? You must mean sharper :).... I have only shaved with 6/8s :) I guess that bigger blades could be more aggressive

Still, it's reassuring that people can actually do it, even if it takes time to master the technique. I don't really fancy growing a goatee and mustache at the moment ;)
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There is Actually No Need to Go South to North or ATG on the Lip or Chin Area with an SR..I Don't..Those Particular Areas are Infamously Difficult to Master & the Learning is in the Practice..There is Probably No Video that Can Help You there..:)

Billy
 
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The definitive SR tutorial on YouTube is by Lynn Abrams. He advocates only one pass on the chin area and demonstrates how to subdivide it into small sections so that you can get the blade angle right. I've copied his method and it works.
 
Robwiz said:
The definitive SR tutorial on YouTube is by Lynn Abrams. He advocates only one pass on the chin area and demonstrates how to subdivide it into small sections so that you can get the blade angle right. I've copied his method and it works.
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I think I know who you mean, I've watched his video several times but in all honesty I don't think he gets BBS the way I like it and the way I can get it with a DE razor.

His video is quite good for beginners, I understand this thread is for people trying to go the extra mile (maybe I'm wrong to think that)

This next video, has the best shaving technique that I have anybody seen on YouTube or anywhere else. Although I have no way of telling the end result is BBS in all directions without actually touching his face, I believe he does end up with a BBS shave in all directions ; )

 
Fergiebilly said:
There is Actually No Need to Go South to North or ATG on the Lip or Chin Area with an SR..I Don't..Those Particular Areas are Infamously Difficult to Master & the Learning is in the Practice..There is Probably No Video that Can Help You there..:)

Billy
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Absolutely right, but if someone ever has the courage to go South to North or ATG on the upper lip then i recommend that you play Carmina Burana whilst attempting it, and if the lights flicker then leave it.
 
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