First impressions from my first straight razor shave...

Gotcha. I need a 12k stone anyway so that’s where I’ll start.

 

Posted this last night so I'll clarify- only NEED one. No harm in having both. I use the paste after the stone just to make the edge smoother .

 

Straight newbie here. I had many of the same kind of questions.

I got the whole progression of naniwa stones (cause I wanted them), but found that using 2 pasted balsa strops (1 micron & .5) gives me a smoothness I like. It works well for maintenance.

If you are in the US you can get some of this stuff at Chefs Knives to Go. I've bought sharpening stuff from them for years. Nice folks, great inventory, good prices, quick shipping.

I went about 3 months before I took my first razor to the stones. Even then 12k only.

 

Thanks for the heads up on chefs knives to go! I could spend a(nother) ton ‘O $$$ with those guys... seriously though, they have a really good selection and like you said, prices are good. Eventually I’ll get into the jnat stones but I gotta get the basics first.

 

I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of this... it’s a system, and if you get one of the steps off, it affects everything else. Mainly, my stropping technique has improved so the razor itself is ready to use. Secondly, I’m getting my angle of attack dialed in so that I’m not feeling the burn afterwards. Still having a blast and feeling like I’m accomplishing something. Doing things the old way has always held a lot of sway with me so going to a SR is a natural.

 

Stropping is the key in the beginning, muscle memory is key. The keyword is it's your system, once you get it down, the fun really starts!

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Yikes!! Cut myself pretty fairly tonight... bled like a stuck pig for a little bit but once I got it stanched it was fine. I guess that’s the good thing about razor cuts... they’re clean! Inattenion on my part caused it though. Can’t blame the razor.

 

Welcome to The Club. We've all been there.

 

Blood; a fine teacher it is.

 

Reminds me of the time I cut my head shaving, with the face it's harder to hide. I started wearing my fedora more frequently that week.

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To paraphrase Pete Seeger... “Knowledge is what you get when you follow the directions... experience is what you get when you don’t”...

 

If it wasn't feeling like it was pulling during the shave, you may have just been too aggressive in your angle. My face gets like that when I chase the baby sometimes...

 

Practice , practice and practice! Also patients.

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Pretty sure angle of attack was the issue. Another good thing about razor cuts is that they seem to heal quickly. I zinged my face pretty good but it’s almost unnoticeable two days later! May go back to the Super Speed tonight and try the Astrale again this weekend. I’m pretty hard-headed though... may just stick with the SR until I either master it or bleed out!

 

Speaking of patients... my wife has 911 on speed dial now, in case I become one...

 

Ha, how many shaves in are you?

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Been there, done that. It all part of joining the dark side. Soon you will see a big improvement, my improvements came in jumps.

 

Five, I think. I went with the DE tonight though to clear the canvas... I’ll let it grow a day or three and hit it with the Astrale again Saturday.

 

In the beginning, when I switched i would try to shave as much as possible. It was easier for me to control the razor every day versus a three or 4 day growth. If I cut myself, I would shave on day two to let the nicks heal up. It worked for me. Now the head was a completely different animal.

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When I started, it was a 3o day endeavor. Thirty straight days, and I was comfortable with the process. After 90; it was natural, and there was no turning back.