Ive heard very mixed reviews on the current Hart razors from Classic shaving, That said I did purchase a 6/8 Square point in the plain black scales, (its was NOT shave ready when I got it) not a problem for me as I hone my own razors, And for me this is my favourite razor a very very good shave, Ive had it for a good few months now and I always reach for this razor over all my others (I have too many, some modern some vintage) and I have not had to rehone it yet, the edge is still great. I hope yours is as good as mine, congrats on going with a straight razor.
Thank you. I've read generally good things about the Harts, which helped me with my decision. Since I am new to this world of straights, I ordered the honing service and hope this will serve as a platform for me in the future to know what it should feel like when done properly (assuming this is worth the extra time). Ultimately, I plan to learn to hone and keep everything in house.... if not for any other reason than because I am interested in learning this art. It's good to learn new things... it keeps the mind sharp.
The newest addition to my collection arrived today, which was a nice welcome home after being on the road for a week. Please forgive the poor quality of the photo... I'm looking forward to trying this out tomorrow.
Welcome to the dark side... Want one of the cookies? Yeah, I made them too. I get bored when I don't have anything to do.
It is indeed a Hart Steel! I've been eyeballing them for as along as I've considered getting a straight razor (my wife, BTW, thinks I'm crazy)... I trust the shave will be better than the photo, but I hold low to moderate expectations for the first few months. After a cup of coffee, I'll go give it a spin...
My woman thought I was crazy, still does. She has accepted and after accepted the fact I would not kill myself with the razor.
Well, my first straight razor shave far exceeded expectations. I managed to get through it with remarkably little blood, only a minor nick in about the same spot I can expect the same using my R41 if not careful. Otherwise it was a really rewarding experience. I felt very confident with handling the razor that I continued after the with the grain pass on the cheeks and decided to go for the full face. After the with the grain pass, using both dominant and subordinate hands, I felt comfortable enough handling the razor to do a against the grain... and this is when I nicked myself. I did not go against the grain under my nose, and opted for across. I learned a few things along the way: (1) A straight razor is an entierly different expereience than a DE. Yes, I was expecting this to be the case, but the differences are so striking it bears mentioning. (2) I can handle a straight razor in my subordinate hand with much more confidence and dexterity than I can a safety razor. I think part of this is because I have a full view of the leading edge of the blade that is obscurity by the safety razor head, and greater focus / going slower than DE shaves. (3) I better understand the necessity to have a wetter lather, and it didn't take long for me to figure this out. The resulting shave is really, really good (close to or even with my DE result) in most areas. I have to work on the under the nose strategy to get that area as smooth. I expect this will take some time. Otherwise, this was a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Yeah... angle of attack with the razor takes a bit of getting used to. Your focus is great though... keep it up. Depending on how often you shave with good focus you will incrementally get faster. In the meantime. Use a bit of caution and follow prudent safety precautions when handling a very sharp knife. You obviously focus while it's on your face but it's the other times guys sometimes get sloppy with safety protocols.
It sure is a different world. You're 100% correct, the actual blade application to the face is only half of the area where attention and sharp (no pun intended) focus on safety is necessary. I have to maintain that level of safety for a couple reasons. First, If I injured myself, my wife would probably ground me from using it again... she really does think I'm nuts, but trusts my judgement. Second, since a good deal of my professional practice focuses on health and safety in industrial and heavy construction settings, it would be bad form (not to mention embarrassing) to show up with a self inflicted gash from non-compliance with safety 101. I'm generally an every day shaver. This one only took a few minutes longer than my normal DE shave. I expected it would be much longer, but in fact it was about 10 minutes... but then I've always taken my time to enjoy that 15-20 minutes of solitude in the morning...
Bear in mind that some of us inflict more damage you our hands and fingers than our faces I was rinsing my blade during a shave just a week ago when I inadvertently brought my left thumb in contact with the blade. Not pretty and I had to stop mid-shave to bandage my thumb. I broke one of the cardinal rules: “know where the blade is at all times”.
I'm looking forward to the next spin with the Hart tomorrow morning. Yesterday and today were far too chaotic in the morning and felt my focus was jumping ahead to the days tasks. Opted for the R41 on both days... One of the things that I keep coming back to, which has nothing to do with the shave experience on Sunday, is admiring how elegantly simple the tool is. I trust I will become as proficient with it as I have with the DE shaves I have enjoyed for the past 6 years.
It took me about 30 shaves before I felt I was proficient enough to call myself a straight razor shaver.
You may want to consider shaving in the evening. A well executed straight shave in the evening will yield a clean shaven appearance the next day.
This is an interesting idea and would certainly save some time in the morning, especially the early ones when I go to field sites. I've been so accustomed to my routine in the morning that I haven't given much thought to a night shave.
