straight razor

[darxus]

I ordered a carbon (not stainless) steel straight razor made by Dovo in Solingen. I used it for the first time last night. Bringing that blade to my flesh for the first time was more scary than I expected. I achieved a terrible shave, and only one tiny nick. I'm happy, I expected this to take practice. I strongly recommend hitting youtube before trying this.

Another thing I've been wanting to try for years off the list.
Yes, I'm coating it with mineral oil after each use, have a strop, and watched a video on that too.

I totally blame Fahrenheit 451 and Snow Crash.

Comments

[time3.livejournal.com]

Nice. I would love to be able to ditch the disposable two blade I use for shaving and shaping. I'm sure the accuracy of my shave would increase if I did. I've watched shows on PBS about Philadelphia barber shops and how craftily they use a straight-blade to shape. Although they usually use a disposable to get the rest off, unless the shop is ultra-professional.

It also makes me nuts that every year Gillette and Shick put out a new 'extreme' razor with another fucking blade on it. They even sent me a sample of one once with one side being four or five blades and the other being a single blade for shaping. Neat idea, except the entire thing pivots back and fourth. How are you supposed to shape properly with a moving target in your hand? Extreme washboard-looking suck-shaver, heh.

At this stage, I'm using two shaving implements. An Andis pivot-motor trimmer for keeping the length down on my beard and trimming near my lips and under the nose and a Gillette disposable two blade razor for shaving and shaping.

[darxus.livejournal.com]

Yeah this process actually started with me needing new blades for my Gillette Sensor Excel, deciding to go back to the Sensor, verifying this was entirely doable, then getting pissed off at the marketing in general, and finally deciding to go for the straight razor.

When I went to a barber shop with my Pop-pop (paternal grandfather) as a kid they would shape my hair with a razor.

I use scissors for my beard.

[time3.livejournal.com]

Yeah this process actually started with me needing new blades for my Gillette Sensor Excel, deciding to go back to the Sensor, verifying this was entirely doable, then getting pissed off at the marketing in general, and finally deciding to go for the straight razor.

Hah! :-)