Are a straights that hard to master?

I'm still learning but there has been some good advice given so far. But what has helped me learn was this.

1) going to a good Turkish barber that is shaving people on a daily basis will give you an Idea on the feel (light touch of the blade) and how the skin streching should feel.

2) Take your time to learn this is a life skill so start just doing the cheeks and if you feel good keep going your aim is to have a close, cut free, irritation free shave that will leave your face smooth and healthy looking :hungrig

3) There will be time when you will think how do I get a blade over that bit of my face. play around with hand and blade posistion untill you can get it right. I only shave with one hand and I can do it :cool:

4) The first time you shave with a straight will feel concerned but after a few shaves you'll feel more comfortable.

5) Learning to use a straight takes time. You will become quicker at it as time goes on. The early straight shaves will look scrappy it's normal unless you are a shaving god. So finish up with a DE untill you can get such a good shave it will stay in the den.

6) What about my DE's you'll want to keep them for when you are in a hurry. But as you become more competent with a straight you will become a master with a DE. You will want a more aggressive DE to the point that I could use a merkur Futur for the the first time set on 6 with no cuts or irritation :shock: :shave :D

7) Using and owning a straight is a pleasure. If you get the bug there are lots to choose from out there. And if you like the old school vibe you might want to get a shaving mug and enjoy making a lather from a gently warmed soap.

Have fun now.
 
I remember my first straight shave. I used a shavette and, well ... It´s allways fun, the first :D. Mine was a blood bath though :cry:, but I was going all in and shaved the head aswell (hybris anyone? :roll:). Had to call for the wife to get plaster when I had 1/4 left, the bleeding was to bad and I didn´t want blood on the wooden floor :shock:. I ended up with a nice hack in the ol head and a good one on the cheek aswell. I thought I could do it becuase I´ve had so many barber shaves and thought I payed attention to how and what he was doing :roll:. It was before I did some real research though.

Take it easy, as said earlier and be _light_ on hand and stretch the skin and don´t shave the dome the first time :lol:
 
BlkKnight said:
Sounds like it's do-able.

Would any particular blade be good? I've read a book which sings the praises of a DOVO blade.
Click to expand...

I think a shave ready vintage one is better. DOVO has got some blades that´re supposed to be good, but they´re not to cheap. My bet would be with Neil, you´ll get a truly shave ready blade in good nick and of good quality.
 
Indeed, even a cheap genco would hold a great edge and be fun to shave with.

Straights hmm, i find the best time to shave with them is when you feel like it, if you use it any other time you usually wind up with a poor shave from a half assed effort.

I get better shaves from my gem micromatic. Not from my technique, nor the edge which is very sharp. It's my bristles, they are stupidly coarse. Only my genco or ti when very sharp, i get a decent close shave.

Plus im half asleep in the evenings, so would rather avoid a bloodbath :shave
 
Ah hello there, yeah i don't come here that often, pretty much been there done that, know most of the products so just nip on as and when.

How's the bismark getting on?
 
Mikael said:
BlkKnight said:
Sounds like it's do-able.

Would any particular blade be good? I've read a book which sings the praises of a DOVO blade.
Click to expand...

I think a shave ready vintage one is better. DOVO has got some blades that´re supposed to be good, but they´re not to cheap. My bet would be with Neil, you´ll get a truly shave ready blade in good nick and of good quality.
Click to expand...
I'd concur with that, but my fairly modest Dovo is a good blade in my opinion, and handles nicely.

One thing I meant to mention earlier: something which helps to eliminate cuts is having a relaxed hold on the razor. Obviously that's a matter of confidence and comes with practice, so it's not going to come straight away: I'm sure my knuckles were white when I first started using a cut throat! Once again, repetition is the key, so with the benefit of hindsight my recommendation would be to use the straight every time you shave, at least for the easy bits.
 
You guys are probably going to hate me for this, but here goes anyway! I've been shaving with a straight razor for about a week now, at least 2 passes (WTG and XTG) and touch-ups and have had my best shaves ever! The most damage I've done was a very small nick that I couldn't even feel and sleared up with a couple of splashes of cold water.
I know my technique isn't perfect and that my skin's still adjusting to a straight blade, but I am pretty sure that my success so far (beginners luck?) is down to me taking my time, using lots of water and lather, and respecting but not fearing the blade.

Or am I just a jammy git?
 
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