Straight Razor and Shavette Guide for Newbies

When I did my Cinco de Julio shave with this......



...... I chose to NOT mute the corners on purpose. I viewed it as an exercise to help maintain focus and improve my skills.

It was fun.

 

Well, how did that work out for you??

..

 

It took longer than usual. Too much flex in the blade. Way too light and flexible.

I did 3 passes in my normal fashion. Extra care applied. Normally I make a partial 4th. I was able to get close to my normal open edge shave. No blood.

I had seen others do it before and figured I'd bling up one those popsicle stick razors and test my own skills.

It was a fun exercise.

 

I've done silly things like that before, just to say I did it. Then toss them in the trash. No need to roll the dice, and dice up your face, with a repeat shave.

..

 

I still have it, but I'd have to build a new one so I can have a fresh blade.

 

Back in October, I took a video of myself shaving with a Kai Captain J-type clone and a Feather Pro Super blade. I did this initially to show another forum user (who was new to shavettes and just bought the same razor) my technique. I recently uploaded the video to Youtube and figured I would share it with the community. This seemed to be the most appropriate thread.

Please pardon the poor lighting and the incessant rambling.

 

My recs for the noobs:

1. Start with a truly shave ready razor, not an internet shave ready razor. If you buy it online, Don't assume that just because the seller says it is shave ready, that it actually is. Most ebay, etsy, etc sellers DO NOT EVEN SHAVE with a straight razor. Many are women and do not shave at all! How would they know what is shave ready and what is not? You can't know what shave ready means until you have shaved with a shave ready edge. Before you buy that shave ready razor, verify the seller on one or more of the straight razor forums. And no, if you want to be successful at this thing in a reasonable length of time, don't assume that just because you can sharpen a knife sharp enough to shave arm hair, that you can "sharpen" a razor. Its a whole nother critter.

2. Get a proper strop, even a beginner strop. In fact, a cheap strop is best in case you cut it up while learning. Upgrade later. But don't mess with those $5 Chinese strops made from the hide of the Nauga. Don't use your belt. Trust me. It is meant for holding your pants up, not stropping a razor.

3. Get your prep nailed first. If you are a cartridge or throwaway shaver, learn to make a proper lather and how to map your face before you make the big switch.

4. Did you disregard #1? Okay, so now you got a razor and it needs to be honed. Never let anyone who does not shave with a straight razor, hone yours. It will end badly, trust me.

5. Don't expect that crazy cheap razor to actually be usable. There are very few razors selling new for under $80 or so that are actually usable as razors. Verify on a forum before you pull the trigger.

6. Don't fear the vintage razor. It is a perfectly acceptable way to start out. Be sure it is shave ready or you have someone reliable and verified lined up to hone it. Verify the seller and the razor. As a beginner you can easily pay good money for something useless. Practically all vintage BRANDS are okay. Many examples for sale online are individually worthless due to cracks, pitting in a bad place, cell rot, etc.

7. Forum members have reputations to think about, and any longstanding member of any of the popular straight razor forums can generally be trusted to give you straight up info and recommendations.

8. Don't post links to live auctions. It drives the price up on something a forum member might be bidding on.

9. Just because a razor shaves arm hair doesn't mean it is shave ready. That is a test for a pocketknife, not a razor.

10. Ready to shave? Okay, first learn to hold the razor at the proper angle to the face. Lay it flat against your cheek. Now tilt the spine out away from the face so that there is a gap between your face and the spine of the razor equal to the thickness of the spine. That is a good basic shave angle. For a dullish razor lean it out to about 1-1/2 spine thicknesses. No more. That isn't shaving, it is scraping. And it means your razor is too dull for shaving. If it is really super crazy sharp, use a flatter angle.

11. Stretch the skin. Tight skin resists cuts and abrasion. Loose flappy skin invites it. Use your fingertips. Make "shaving faces". Whatever it takes.

12. Don't try to get a close shave. Just try to survive the experience unscathed. Keep all blood inside your skinbag if at all possible. Closeness will come later. BBS is not needed and is not a productive goal for your first few dozen shaves.

13. Watch the pressure.

14. don't try to use a slicing stroke until you are very comfortable with using a straight razor.

15. Don't try to do the classic three pass shave at first. Two WTG (With The Grain) passes should give you a SAS (Socially Acceptable Shave)

16. Hope you watched plenty of stropping and shaving videos!

17. start out with two razors, not one. When one gets dull you still got one to shave with while the other is out for honing our you are trying to teach yourself.

18. Enjoy it. Don't punish yourself. But OTOH, don't be too easy on yourself. Try to do an entire shave with the straight. Total immersion will teach you a lot faster than doing a few easy spots and then finishing up with DE or cart.

 

SHAVETTE TIPS

The shavette with a fresh blade has more cutting power than most straight razor edges. Let it do the work for you. You don't have to force it.

1. Use a very low shave angle. The spine should almost drag on the face.

2. As tight as you stretch the skin for straight shaving, for shavette shaving stretch it even tighter.

3. Even most cheap shavettes will do the job okay, but if it isn't, then try a different one. Some have too much or too little blade exposure. Some don't hold the blade securely.

4. Don't fear the Feather. A hypersharp blade simply requires a flatter shave angle and more attention to pressure, stretching, and so on. Most half DE type shavettes work nicely with the Feather DE blades.

5. If you are figuring on using a cheap one of the half DE blade type, get two of them, so when you snap a blade in to, you have somewhere to put both halves.

 

Not bad, but you have facial hair. If I could eliminate the moustache and chin, I could use an 8000k edge edge.

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, but thanks for watching.

At that time, I had the mustache, which I kept until the end of November. I've been doing full face shaves since. Pretty much everything I said or did in the video would still apply now...at least for me.

 

Many men have their most coarse hair above their lips.

 

Thank you for that clarification. I'd say that both above an below the lip are equally coarse for me. Once again, everything I said or did in the video would apply for a full face shave for me.

Nonetheless, I appreciate the feedback

 

Don't take offense, but a whole face shaver requires more dexterity and a better hone than one with facial hair. I do appreciate your video none the less.

 

No offense taken. For the record, I am normally a full face shaver despite that not being the case in this particular video. I grew it out for "Movember". Since December 1st, I've been clean shaven.

Not sure why I'm getting a honing tip after posting a shavette video, but as someone who also uses traditional straights, I would agree with that advice. It's good to point that out for those who are learning.



Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

 

I don't see that I gave you a honing tip. You posted a video to which I am responding.

 

For those who found my previous video (post #66) lacking since it did not include a full face shave, feel free to checkout my other video and watch from about 1:17 to 2:18. This video was not created with the intent of being instructional (hence the fast-motion parts), but the aforementioned time-slice may serve as useful to some who are starting out with straights or shavettes.

I do find that shaving above the lip is the most effective test of blade sharpness. A blade that is passable on the cheek can still be tuggy above the lip.

Enjoy!

 

OMG...... here he goes again

 

8000k ??? That would be 8,000,000 grit?? Where do you find your lapping film?

 

Amazing the way the mustache just comes right off. Your right can’t do that with a Mach 3

 

Hasn't clogged on me yet