For me the bark and the bite were simultaneous. I am traveling for work and using a Parker travel DE with a shark blade. I get a smooth shave that lasts the better part of the day, but by dinner time I feel like I could shave again. Since I spent 4 straight days using my SR before this trip I can say...I miss using my SR and I am not that good with it Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I've only just recently jumped into SRs, but have been using DE for a number of years now. I think some of the techniques you learn with the DE help with using a SR. My first pair of SRs were "Sight Unseen Flawed" razors from Whipped Dog which I got along with his poor mans strop kit and an extra poor mans strop all for a pretty good price. It was nice to not drop a lot of money into the gear before I knowing if I would enjoy it.
Wise decision. My only other comment would be "Give it time..." While DE shaving is fairly intuitive and relatively easy to master, straight razor shaving takes time, practice and patience. I almost bailed out from SR shaving after a month's worth of mediocre shaves. A experienced SR shaver told me "..to hang in there, it only gets better!" Best decision I ever made (shaving-wise) was to stick with it. Over the past 3-4 years, I've had some of the best shaves of my life...all with an SR.
My neck and I might start fighting soon. I can get my face smooth as silk, but my neck is smooth north to south, and velcro east to west. Getting better each time, but I'm trying different ways of attack to see what works best. I stropped again mid shave and it made a very slight difference. Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
I had good luck today. Each pass is easier than the first. What I mean is after the first there are less whiskers so the razor glides easier. I'm only mentioning this because some are stopping after the first pass. Go ahead and try the second one if that's the case. You might be surprised.
Today was a first. I have jumped from two hand novice to journeyman and did 3 full passes with the only touch up with a DE around the neck. Still need to work on angles. It's true when they say stick with it as it gets better. I look forward to more experience as today was good, not the greatest shave of my life, but good and the future is bright. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My weekend shaves were pretty revealing and enjoyable. I eliminated the pre-shave from my routine to see what if any difference it made and I was pleasantly surprised to find the shaves were just fine without it. I also adjusted my shave a bit by going over an area fewer times in my initial pass. I had been using the razor like a paint scraper to work what I perceived as whiskers until I thought they might be gone and than move on to another area. Typically I would go three to five times over an area before I felt I had eliminated what I could. This weekend I focused on not making that many passes and tried to ignore the feeling that it wasn't getting the job done with just one or two passes. As it turns out the shaves were at least as good, but with razor burn almost imperceptible. I didn't feel the need to run the alum over my face, but I did so anyhow and the sting was very mild. Seems like a win on the technique front! I'll be visiting family for about a week coming up soon and I'm not sure yet if I'll have more time or less for shaving, but I plan to take my SR with me and try to get as many shaves with it as I can. It would be nice if I could get a five day focus on the SR... I can dream, right?
I've been traveling for work and had to use my travel DE. I got home yesterday and was looking forward to my SR today but I got a call from my sister saying my dad was in the hospital and having surgery today...so I am back at the airport with no SR. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thought I would put a post on this thread since I am new to SR shaving. This was my fifth shave. I'm having trouble under the jaw line, but I am getting good shaves. I still have to do touch ups with a safety razor though.
Under the chin is an odd area. Just relather, watch your blade angle, and approach it at different angles.
This week has been a good week for me on the straight front. Got honing down and am getting consistent results, and positive ones for once. On the actual shave side things are looking up as well. It's usually said that one becomes proficient with a straight after 100 shaves. For me it's taken about 320, as I finally figured out why that one spot on my neck was constantly irritated, the culprit being poor angle. I guess I'm a just a slow learner. @George X, I hope all is well with your Dad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I received my two new SRs the other day and took a goofy pic of them at work. The idea of the pic worked better in my head. I can't wait to give them a try after I finish this months focus with my other SR. I need to put the blade of the EA up against a flat surface to check the edge. I think it may not be perfectly straight and have a bit of a wave to it that isn't visible in the pictures. If so, then it has a very slight frown, which could pose a challenge when shaving.
Friday I did two passes the Genco Straight which gave me a shave I could get by with, but I did a clean-up pass with the Enders Speed Shaver. I ended up with a close, comfortable shave. No cuts. That completes shave number six with a straight.
