Thread: Shave Advice

I switched to using a straight about 4 months ago and have been loving it. I used to get a skin condition (like a rash) when I shaved with the multiblade disposables but it has been gone since I started using straights. I recently bought a DE to use when I'm in a rush and used it today. Wow, so much better than my straights, not sure why but it just cut right through my 5 day beard while my Dovo didn't handle it as well. I have gotten some good shaves from the straights but was very impressed by the DE (Merkel Platinum blade in it). Can I ever get my straights to give that good of a shave? I plan to break out the waterstones this weekend and do a honing but even when it was new I got more tug and pull while shaving. Any advice would be appreciated.

It may well be blade angle, even over a year into straight shaving I'm refining the angles. Certainly it pulled really badly when I started and the angles were way off. Also stropping improved dramatically for me about months 4-6.

I can get as good a shave on most of my face with a straight but there is and awkward bit on my neck that I can't do an ATG pass with a straight (the blade just won't fit) so that bit isn't as good. What I do find is that I get no irritation and its fun!

It's because of your technique with a straight. A straight should shave every bit as good as a DE and actually better. The DE makes the process easier but in return the shave is really not as close as with straight.

A few hours after shaving I do notice that the DE is not as close as the straight, but it sure was alot easier. The only area I have trouble with the straight is my chin and around my nose/mouth but I do a little better with each shave. haven't honed my Dovo since I bought it from SRD in August so it's probably due. I'll stick with the straight because it does cause less irritation and go to the DE if I'm in a rush. I'm going to start working on a few restorations tomorrow, a half ground and a wedge my wife's grandfather gave me in Romania this summer and maybe I can start working those into my rotation soon. Thanks for the tips.

Another update, I honed my razors this weekend and the shave is great again. Better than with the DE, I guess more time had passed between honings than I had realized.