Hello, I'm relatively new to DE, but already succeeded a little. Straight razors look so tempting to buy and use. Will my DE experience help me with straights or this is completely different approach? I mean, do skills of keeping the right angle, making proper strokes, etc. wouldn't give me to cut myself for the first time? Thank you!
I have found that safety razor use helped my straight use. Straight use blade angle, strokes and initial approach are different but easier if you have used a safety razor than not. It will take more time and carefulness to get as effective a shave with a straight versus a DE. Martin , a straight razor vendor, has a video at Rasurpur.de ,his website, he demonstrates a straight razor shave. I found the video helpful as he has a slow, careful, methodical style of shaving that was easy to emulate. I used a DE first then I used single edge razors. The single edge razors were harder to use than my DE but successful shaves built my confidence , then I started with a straight.
DE experience definitely helps, but only in pointing you in the right direction. Do not assume that mastering DE shaving will qualify you to do the same with straights. Chris
Yes I think it will. A DE does not have spring loaded heads just as a straight does not. Its up to you to make the angles and use the correct pressure. If a DE had already got you thinking about what you doing surely it will only help when you use a straight.
I agree, DE experience will likely be useful for the reasons already explained. Many of those ideas translate to the straight razor. I myself took the transitional step of shavette shaving. When I could consistently produce great, bloodless shaves with the shavette I picked up a traditional straight. The upgrade to a traditional straight has been very easy. Probably in large part due to perfecting my open razor technique on shavettes before I even picked up a traditional straight. I still enjoy the occassional shavette shave but now that I've shaved with both, it seems like a traditional straight is far more forgiving than the shavette. My early shaves with the shavette were miserable. With DE razors and traditional straights, most of the time, when you get cut you can almost immediately identify why. The shavette on the other hand seemed more than willing, even anxious to inflict nasty face wounds with or without a good reason. Bottom line, shavettes are difficult to master and will severely punish the slightest mistake in technique. The worst of it was over in a couple weeks time and the once very common cuts and nicks became quite infrequent. I can't say how going directly from a DE to a traditional straight would compare to my transitional step with the shavette, but it would seem in either case, there's a significant learning curve and you should be prepared for more than usual cuts and nicks and a couple weeks of not so great shaves. When I started using shavettes I had a styptic pencil that was still in almost brand new condition, despite 3 years or so of DE and SE safety razor shaving. Today the stick is about 25% of its original size. If you do go the shavette route and get to where you can consistently produce great shaves with it, you'll have absolutely no trouble with traditional straights. Do your homework at Straight Razor Place .com and honing and stropping should be no trouble. As previously discussed shavettes are tough as hell to learn but there are several advantages. First is the outlay of money. The one I would recommend is the Diane shavette. Mine was less than $10 and allowed me to master shaving technique without having to simultaneously worry about learning stropping, honing and maintenance. Blade retention on mine was quite nice and seemed a little more controllable than some of the other shavettes that I tried (notably the Magic and the Dovo.). No need to buy special blades, you can simply take a standard DE blade and cut it down the middle with scissors and load one half into the shavette. When the blade gets dull you just put in the other half of your double edge blade and continue. At first my logic was, that these are an affordable way to see if I'd be capable of (or even like) a traditional straight razor without having to invest a lot of money in strops and other gear. After all, with the modestly priced shavette, if I totally decided I wasn't interested after a month or so of shaving, I could discard the shavette and be out $7 and change.
ditto... DE experience def helps. Get used to the delicacy of an actual blade on your face cause you will cut yourself. It's not like a disposable in which you apply pressure. If you're tempted to str8 go for it on the cheap though... just to make sure you will like it. Personally i'd start with a dovo shavette or like model. You break blades in half and slide'em in. No need for strop or stones.. and it's quicker to go. On the down side though the learning curve isn't as forgiving as regular str8. It's either sink or swim. That's how i started and it took me 4days to get bbs with an occasional nick. Imo if you can learn on a shavette... then you'll easily master a str8.
Thank you, guys! You're very responsive I think I'll buy that Diane shavette at least just for the collection, and when I'm ready I'll go with it
Just one other thing for your consideration. I started in with a straight after not shaving for around 3 years. Just kept stubble with hair trimmer. Ah bin shaving with my straight around four months now and the blood drain is zero! 5 tiny nicks has been my total, none of which ran blood. None of those nicks were on my throat. ah done each ear, 2 under my nose and 1 on my cheek. Straights really are very forgiving. Shavettes ! Sod that for a game of solders !
Precautions Are Good, but Success is Possible I got a generic "Vincent" brand hollow aluminum type half-DE blade holder for about 7 dollars. It should work. The thing with the DE blade open razors is that the DE blades are almost all sharper than a traditional straight razor. And they are lighter, so light+sharper = easier to mess up. If you do your homework it is much easier to shave with a true straight. My very first shave with a straight edge was quite a success. Didn't shave below the jawline, out of fearful respect, but managed a very smooth shave on the bearded regions of my face (except for the upperlip and mouth area, because it's harder to properly stretch those areas for a beginner). Don't worry too much, it depends on mental preparedness (i.e. study) and individual ability. My first shave was magical and close. Anyone could have a successful first shave if they really try, if they have the aptitude. Also, if you have a 100 pack or one of those little cardboard packed DE blades, when they come in a wax-filmed paper envelope, individually wrapped, they can be easily broken in half within the paper. I've even broken them in half in my bare fingers, just fold them in half. DE blades are designed for two things: shaving and breaking in half perfectly. With an open razor the shave cream/soap is even more important. A straight is more forgiving and has more heft, so is easier to use. The care involved (stropping and having a permanent edge to maintain) is, for most who are fond of them, more of a plus than a minus. A more personal relationship to the shaving edge.
I have recently started straight razor shaving (on shave 11), after nearly a year of DE shaving. Learning DE shaving first has helped a great deal, but not for the reasons you think. For one learning proper wet shaving first, meant that when I ventured into straights, I didn't have to learn how to use a brush, and how to make effective lather. I also already had my facial prep down pat. In addition, learning with the DE first taught me my beard growth patterns, and I thus already know how to shave, and avoid irritation. I know which directions I can comfortably shave my face. I think this has given me a good heads' up over a straight newbie who is green in all things wet-shaving.
I think experience is always helpful, even if not directly applicable. I started with straights and am now slowly moving into DE shaving. I find that my experience with straights has certainly helped in terms of beard prep and understanding my beard pattern, but there really is a great deal of difference between DE shaving and straight shaving. What I'm really trying to say is that even though a person may have a lot of DE experience, there will still be a fairly steep learning curve when going to straights.
DE experience definetely helps. I also have a video that you may not have seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg
I haven't used an actual straight, but I've toyed with a shavette occasionally, and my DE experience certainly helped.
Dov, I think your video is fantastic. I have a big problem, however. I am not able to stretch my skin at all, because of the horrible pain I get if I try.
Another thing i thought of to post in regards to having learned with a shavette type in general... is that a regular str8 has twice the cutting coverage because the de blades are small. Hence it's a numbers game and you're twice as likely to cut yourself. :happy102
