Hey everyone! Sorry for the short hiatus including no updates on my straight razor shaving experiences! Long story short, in May I moved back to Utah and have been flying every other day so I can get a job instructing students. During this time period I have kept up with TSD posts and had the opportunity to help my bro-in-law win a PIF and he is loving wet-shaving! That makes me so happy! As I read about SR shaving I heard about the tearing Velcro noise that helps signify a "good shave." I have a very find beard, and always wanted to know what that noise was. So, for the last month I have been letting my beard grow (minus one trimming and shaving my cheeks a little bit with my Gillette NEW short comb to give my beard some shape). I shaved tonight with my SR (Heirloom Dubl Duck) in front of SWMBO to show her what real shaving looked like! She was very impressed and thought it was really cool. I shaved my cheeks to my jawline, and then jawline (not including chin) down my neck. I am proud to announce that I had zero nicks!! No streamers at all. When switching from right hand to left hand I moved a little quick and got a teeny cut on my thumb, but my face was wonderful. I only did one full pass WTG, with a second touch-up pass, with my SR tonight and I am very pleased with how smooth my face is!! I finished up under my nose and around my chin with my DE razor. I'm proud to announce as well that I completely understand that velcro tearing sound that everyone talks about. I was seriously shocked at how I was able to cut off almost an inch of growth with one pass of my SR!And to leave my face so smooth after one pass was also a miracle! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and helped me start this journey here at TSD. You guys are awesome!
Welcome to the Darkside, you are off to a great start. Your first day was a lot better than mine, they are only going to get better.
Congratulations on being totally "cool" in front of the lady. That noise will not be there with heavier grind razors and will not always mean a good shave. It is however the music of shaving when the beard and razor combine.
Thanks guys! I guess I should clarify, I've been using my SR since my birthday in April, but generally used it with a 3-4 day growth (not much for me, that's just a good scruff) so I wanted to let my beard grow out nice and thick this time . It felt great being totally cool in front of the lady Yeah, I'm pretty sure mine is a full hollow? I'd have to ask @gssixgun if he remembers when he honed it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm with you Pilotcid, I just started yesterday shaving with my antique SR and gssixgun honed mine as well. I just did my cheeks WTG and got a very smooth shave using a DE to finish with no nicks or cuts. I hope to get a full WTG shave by my birthday
That would be awesome! When is your birthday?? Can I see what your SR looks like? This is mine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Welcome to the Dark Side! That appears to be full hollow. Reliable rumors are that the owner of www.theshavedenshop.com and the operator of TSD, our beloved @QueenofBlades happens to use straights. That's why she's so named. The Dark Side is for anyone who dares! We're glad you're sharing your experiences with us. For fun, this is the straight that I earned my stripes upon. Ralf Aust 5/8, full hollow, round point. It is currently in production in Solingen, hand made. This brand is a great value if considering adding modern steel in the future.
It is a full hollow I think thank you for semi confirming my suspicion. I will post some more pictures of the razor itself tomorrow on here . I absolutely love the feeling of straight shaving that looks like a beautiful razor. I head recently that Solingen razors are really nice . Seeing how nice they look, and now having a personal recommendation, I will definitely look into them. My dream razor (which I will be able to get in the near future since I should have a job soon) is an Iwasaki Kamisori. I have always loved how these look! having lived in Japan for 2 years and my wife being from Japan I always wanted a legitimate samurai sword... But since that will most likely never happen, I will gladly settle with this Kamisori. I may have to end up getting one of these Ralf Aust SR's though. It looks beautiful. It's also really cool to hear that there is at least one @Queenofblades! I told my wife there had to at least be one! hopefully I'll at least get her to try shaving her legs with a DE or something else Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For your wife, Schick injector may be the thing at first. Straight razor close shaves, though not as much precision skill required.
Perfect!! Thanks for the heads up!! I haven't looked much into injectors, this will give me a lot to read up on! I'm seriously so happy I joined this forum a few months ago. Otherwise I'd probably still be seriously lost on trying to find someone to hone my SR for me Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Keep at it and stay focused. I've been using SRs now for close to 5 months just on weekends and I'm now at a point where I'm really happy with the shaves. They are fun tools to work with!
