Bought a Whippeddog.com Sight unseen kit. Comes shave ready and includes a poor mans strop. It should arrive today. It will be my first straight. Anyone ever purchase from them? This should be an fun adventure. Who would have thought that a shaving hobby would be this fun!
That is exactly how I got into straight shaving. It worked out awesome. That deal is a great deal and it gives you everything you need to get started. Congrats! Let us know how it goes.
I haven't personally purchased from Whipped Dog, however I have seen absolutely nothing but positive reviews and experiences, so I'm sure you're going to be happy with it!
So the kit arrived today. I had to go to work but thought what the heck, how hard could this be shaving with a straight. I'm right handed and started on the right side of my face. Got down to my jaw area and realized that I had better switch to my Fatboy and finish it off due to time constraints and me not wanting to look like a rare cut prime rib when I got to work. This is going to take some work and viewing of videos before I feel comfortable. I was very uncomfortable trying to make the transition up against a timeline. I will study about straight shaving for awhile and try it again in a couple days.
Sounds like a good plan. I started with a straight from Whippeddog too. I shaved just my cheeks until I got comfortable doing that, then I slowly expanded the area that I shave. It took some time, but it has paid off in the end. Many of us on here use straight razors on a regular basis and are more than willing to help. If you haven't already, there is a good forum called Straight Razor Place that has a Wiki that is chock full of excellent information so you might want to look them up. There are many members here that are members there as well.
I want to believe you received your kit today. I really do. But without pics, it didn't happen. Stick with it. You'll get it. I just always thought of our fore-fathers; if they could make it work, heck, I can. Unlike Jeff, and many others who recommend starting off with just shaving your cheeks, I went for broke and shaved my whole face right from the start. Sure, I had a few nicks (keep that styptic pencil at the ready), but now it's a rare thing to draw blood (although I still keep the styptic pencil ready ). Many will also recommend learning how to shave with both hands. Even though I believe it's a good idea, I never have. I hold the razor in my right hand for every bit of all three passes - WTG, XTG, ATG with excellent results. And I'm not ashamed to admit I use my Schick Injector for some touch up to finish it off. Jeff mentioned Straight Razor Place - good call for some great info. As I said, stick with it. Any questions, just ask. As you know, TSD has plenty of friendly folks 'round here that would be more than happy to help you out.
Pics needed! I like to live vicariously through the forum As long as you adhere to no pressure, careful and short strokes when you start and making sure you stretch your skin, it will come. Just don't give up like quite a few people do after first buying a straight. What I find that works well for when I shave around the jawline, is to pull the skin up as high as I can and shave as low as I can, then by the time I let it go, rinse and move to my neck, the shaving has already been done around my jaw - no hacking and slashing necessary. Keep an eye on your blade angle and definitely make sure you're concentrating on beard reduction - if you use pressure trying to get it done in 1 pass, you're going to look like a piece of USDA Prime. I'm slowly starting to use my off hand, but really it doesn't matter, do what feels comfortable for you.
I could only take a pic with flash and it kepts producing marginal pictures. Seems like if it was just honed then it wouldn't have all this rust on it. The edge seems clean and sharp but the rest of the razor blade is somehwhat rusty. Is this okay?
Yeah some pics would be cool! I started shaving with a shavette then bought me a very pricey TI straight that is my new best friend. Shaving and the awesome feeling and products I get to spend my money on is my passion. I have a bad case of razor addiction disorder. I'm sure if you stick it out, and get better at it, you'll love the results to anything else on a major scale no doubt. Enjoy!
It'll be fine. Honing is just the sharpening of the blade itself, it won't remove rust from the whole blade (Though I suppose technically it could for a wedge), the reason his are more inexpensive is that they haven't gone through a whole restoration project which can be hours to weeks depending on it. I wouldn't be worried about the rust on your blade at all, it's a great starter razor and if you really love straights in the end, you could always send it off to a resto specialist to get it all touched up.
I am a casual straight user but I have always disagreed with the conventional forum wisdom of " buy a cheap straight to begin with because you don't know if you will like straight shaving or not". By thinking about straight use, reading about straights , seeing videos, that should be enough to determine if a person would like to get into the straight hobby. Using an old razor that one does not desire doesn't make straight use attractive enough to continue, where's the joy in that? Shouldn't something new you want to get into be kinda exciting and not just " yea it was okay". My first straight shave years ago was memorable . My small budget allowed for a Dovo " Special", the faux tortoise handle cutie and a Tony Miller travel strop, also kinda handsome. Because this was the gear I wanted to shave with, it went splendidly , very enjoyable and made me more intrigued with straight use at the time. The same buzz I got with my first DE shave with new, conveniently acquired, aesthetically appealing gear, I experienced with my straight set-up . To start straights you need a razor and a strop , to me it should be what you like and value and want to own and you don't have to own but one straight and one strop for the rest of your life if one choses. A nice straight thats pleasing to the eye doesn't have to be a new $300 dollar deal ,it can be a Dovo, New old stock razor or one of Glen's very reasonably priced appealing starter straights, as long as the razor and strop says to the user, " come and get me".
So today I gave it a whirl with not so good results. Right side of my face using my right hand worked well. Left side of my face using my left hand and I sliced my earlobe open. Didn't even know it until I saw blood was pouring down my neck and shoulder. I actually cut it quite abit, sliced it wide open, not a nick or anything superficial. I seem to be left hand handicapped at this time until my technique improves substantially. I will regroup once my ear heals but until then, back to the Fatboy!
Remember the first time I shaved with a 'real' Straight. My wife looked at me and said:" don't try that again when no one else is at home. You might need help calling 911"! You don't have to shave your whole face all at once and don't let them talk you into: 1, anything other than WTG for awhile. 2, you don't have to use both hands! If you're right handed then only use the right if you want or the left just for the few spots you can't hit with your right. Keep the DE loaded. There are spots that you can't shave with a straight. Around your lips for one. Squaring off your sideburns. That spot under your chin. Back of your neck. It's ok. Soap is a big part of it. Keep trying till you find one that works...Arko stick etc. Shaving is a personal experience.
After 30 plus years of using a straight razor, I am quite sure that my left hand is good for but a few simple tasks... Holding food on the plate so I can rip it apart with my right hand and shove it down my pie hole Blocking incoming strikes and deflecting kicks, it does pretty good at too Throwing ineffective jabs, not bad However taking one of the sharpest pieces of steel known to man and slicing hair off my Hollywood face, my left hand is not trusted for
