[yeahx]

Haha funny thing is I had started my winter beard too when I posted. Only shaving the neck for now. I agree that its great to have a nice long shave when you can. Very easy to spend at least 30 minutes and feel very refreshed. If I ever get a straight razor I'm sure it would be closer to an hour.

 

[jodgey4]

Funny, because I can make the straight razor ritual shorter than the stick. The wide blade and sharpness can let you fly, if you haven't had too much caffeine so your hands aren't shaking .

 

[GloryUprising]

So what's all you gent's handles on BB?
 
Mine's the same as headfi.

 

[kino lau]

I'm klipsch on BB, but haven't been in there in some time. I've got a "59"(E?) Gillette FatBoy that I had completely re-plated in Rhodium, a Shavemac brush that I can't recall the specifics of and a Dirty Bird shaving scuttle. Switch back and forth between Mitchel's Wool Fat and Mama Bear EO soaps. Though truth be known...I typically just use Schick Extreme 3 razors because it's faster than trying not to slice my head with a Feather. Which...I think Feather's are just TOO F'n sharp. I prefer the Derby's and Gillette 7 O'Clock.

 

[angelo898]

not sure if you guys would like this but i recently took a pic of some of my kit, here you go 
 

 

[sharkz]

Is that a Merkur Slant or a normal Merkur? I've had a Slant a few months now and really like it.
 
I visited Merz Apothecary in Chicago this weekend, what a great place for shaving supplies and men's grooming products in general. It's very nice to be able to smell things in person rather than relying on sometimes vague descriptions.

 

[Mach-X]

I despise shaving. Its such a menial chore not to mention that even at 37 I still have super sensitive skin so it's always irritated and itchy after which drives me nuts. But then the patchy (yea still can't grow a full beard) growth starts to drive me nuts so I know it's time. (about once a week). So what happens is I have to take a hair trimmer to it first to tame it and then sometimes I will just leave it as stubble (think Hugh Laurie from House) or actually get out the Barbasol and Mach 3 and do it properly.

 

[jodgey4]

Anybody got advice on sharpening a straight razor? I've always sent mine to a company to have it done, but long term, I should learn to do it myself. Thoughts? Mine's starting to pull, and I know my stropping is up to snuff.

 

[jh4db536]

Artista "straight" razor (feather ss)
i love this thing, it is freaking scary sharp (way sharper than the dual edge feathers on my merkur) and I don't have to deal with sharpening.
Nothing has provided closer smoother bbs than this for me. Once I got used to this I have a hard time going back to safety style. Too bad it's hard to travel with it so I still need to keep the good ole bic.

 

[superjawes]

I despise shaving. Its such a menial chore not to mention that even at 37 I still have super sensitive skin so it's always irritated and itchy after which drives me nuts. But then the patchy (yea still can't grow a full beard) growth starts to drive me nuts so I know it's time. (about once a week). So what happens is I have to take a hair trimmer to it first to tame it and then sometimes I will just leave it as stubble (think Hugh Laurie from House) or actually get out the Barbasol and Mach 3 and do it properly.

I have sensitive skin, too, and using a safety razor (the kind people here use with double edged blades) solves the problem. It takes more time and care than a Mach 3, but the process is nice and my skin is in much better shape when I'm done.

 

[jodgey4]

http://www.businessinsider.com/skarp-razor-shaves-hair-with-a-laser-2015-9 hmmmm

 

[Huwge]

Anybody got advice on sharpening a straight razor? I've always sent mine to a company to have it done, but long term, I should learn to do it myself. Thoughts? Mine's starting to pull, and I know my stropping is up to snuff.

Do you use paste on your strop? If you don't want to get lost in the world of honing stones, then some red or green paste might be a good start. It also helps if you have more than one razor, in the good old days they used to have 7 day sets, it also means that the blade gets a chance to rest after sharpening (leather strop, linen, hone)

What blade do you have - hollow, part hollow, wedge? Is relevant to best means to sharpen.

I find hollow blades to be a little trickier as there is less margin for error

There are several good shaving forums out there.

 

[jodgey4]

I have some green paste, never knew what it was for. Hopefully I still have it! It's a Ralf Aust - should be a full hollow and carbon steel. I would be willing to invest in another blade or honing stones at this point, just for the peace of mind. I'll check out some forums if I can. So far, I've shipped my blade off to be sharpened each time by a professional but that's expensive and takes a few days.'
 
Just checked it, it is full hollow. It's a beauty, you can get them for ~$150, and Ralf was great when I emailed him a question. He offered a full return on a custom product as well, which is usually pretty unheard of. It's a beut, too. Olivewood, Spanish Point, full 7/8", inscribing on the backbone too. I'd love to get another just with a different handle!

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Is that a Merkur Slant or a normal Merkur? I've had a Slant a few months now and really like it.
 
I visited Merz Apothecary in Chicago this weekend, what a great place for shaving supplies and men's grooming products in general. It's very nice to be able to smell things in person rather than relying on sometimes vague descriptions.

 
I did not like the sledgehammer (39C)...just too rough around the edges to to speak. I like slants quite a bit (my Above the Tie S1 Atlas is my favourite razor with my iKon B1 Slant in the #2 position). I would personally not recommend the Merkur Slant.

 

[Pudu]

Green paste is likely chromium oxide. You can use it on a strop to keep your edge in shape a fair bit longer. But don't do this unless you have an extra stop to sacrifice to the job. Once you paste a strop, it stays pasted and you can't unpaste it.

The other thing about CrO2 stropping is that while it keeps your blade shaving for longer, it also rounds the edge. This means it takes a bit more effort to hone when the time comes, and you are also therefore removing a bit more material to get that edge back in shape - although this arguably doesn't really matter. If you aren't honing yourself then it is no difference to you.

You can pick up a 'touch up' stone to keep your blade going for much, much longer - a Chinese 12k stone (very inexpensive), a barber's hone, a Belgian coticule, a Japanese Natural Stone (expensive),etc. Perhaps the easiest way is to grab a glass plate and some diamond lapping film. This is very effect stuff and the investment is negligible. However lapping film doesn't give you the same physical feedback, and therefore the same satisfaction, as a stone (I may be projecting my own preferences in there somewhere).

If you do decide to try any of these I would suggest grabbing a cheapo blade from the BST forums somewhere to practice on. Your custom sounds too nice to muck up with learning to hone. But really, with a little practice, honing isn't difficult. Much easier than kitchen knives ( I ended up getting an Edge Pro system because I don't trust my control to not muck up my any of my hocho), because razors have a built in angle guide that knives do not.


The only thing I don't understand is why we are still waiting to see a photo of your 7/8" Spanish Point.. ... I love Spanish Points!


- I can't do slants, I find them far too aggressive. I tried one, twice , and that was enough to make me give up. Of course my current DE of choice is a Fatboy dialed back to about '3', with a Feather in it. h34r: So I may not be the most fearless shaver anymore when it comes to aggressive razors.