These are only my observations so yours will probably differ. As a kid I was always fascinated with the skill of those I saw using a cut throat razor, I grew up with DE's and SE's so never contemplated the ancient art of the naked blade until recently. Thanks to @Mark I got a shave ready very well presented GD66. I watched a few Youtube vids and decided to jump in.
I rode motor bikes from 16 - 60 and didn't have any crashes. One thing I did learn was if you are scared of a motor bike you will possibly be overly cautious and probably injure yourself but also if you are all super gungho you also run the risk of kissing pavement. Striking that natural balance between fear and respect helps preserve skin. A bit like a cut throat razor.
The best advice came off the Lynn Abrams video, just do a small amount then finish off with your normal razor to start with. He suggested starting on a cheek, a large flat area. I was really surprise the small amount I did wasn't overly aggressive in the way it removed the whiskers. This approach helped incrementally build confidence and eventually I could move to other areas of the face.
To help get adjusted to the razor feel for about a week I would do the first pass fully with the SE and with virtually no whiskers do the second pass with the straight. This really helped develop a feel for the face contours and the way the straight razor reacted to chin, lip and nose areas. After doing this for a few shaves I was able to tackle the full face with the straight from the beginning knowing the way the blade felt on the skin contours.
I have found my lather needs to be "wetter" with a straight otherwise I have found the blade wants to skip or jump and the consequences are not too flash.
In the beginning there will be the inevitable cuts or nicks - the red stuff helps you gauge how hard you are pressing or if the angle is wrong. The beauty of the cut throat razor is its ability to focus your mind.
I still don't use ATG passes with the straight but find that WTG and XTG give a very pleasant DFS.
I go for my straight naked blade every time now. I'm still making mistakes but hopefully learn with each shave.
As I said at the beginning these are my observations so far and if you have some please add them.
Steve
I rode motor bikes from 16 - 60 and didn't have any crashes. One thing I did learn was if you are scared of a motor bike you will possibly be overly cautious and probably injure yourself but also if you are all super gungho you also run the risk of kissing pavement. Striking that natural balance between fear and respect helps preserve skin. A bit like a cut throat razor.
The best advice came off the Lynn Abrams video, just do a small amount then finish off with your normal razor to start with. He suggested starting on a cheek, a large flat area. I was really surprise the small amount I did wasn't overly aggressive in the way it removed the whiskers. This approach helped incrementally build confidence and eventually I could move to other areas of the face.
To help get adjusted to the razor feel for about a week I would do the first pass fully with the SE and with virtually no whiskers do the second pass with the straight. This really helped develop a feel for the face contours and the way the straight razor reacted to chin, lip and nose areas. After doing this for a few shaves I was able to tackle the full face with the straight from the beginning knowing the way the blade felt on the skin contours.
I have found my lather needs to be "wetter" with a straight otherwise I have found the blade wants to skip or jump and the consequences are not too flash.
In the beginning there will be the inevitable cuts or nicks - the red stuff helps you gauge how hard you are pressing or if the angle is wrong. The beauty of the cut throat razor is its ability to focus your mind.
I still don't use ATG passes with the straight but find that WTG and XTG give a very pleasant DFS.
I go for my straight naked blade every time now. I'm still making mistakes but hopefully learn with each shave.
As I said at the beginning these are my observations so far and if you have some please add them.
Steve
