First shave with DE razor - didn't work

SuperGrover

EDIT - I DID IT WRONG. LOOKED AT SOME YOUTUBE AND I SEE MY MISTAKE. SORRY.



Chaps, anyone any advice on this...?

Bougt a closed comb razor (Muhle R89) and a selection of blades. Used Derby blade as I read it's not TOO sharp, good for a beginner.

Installed the blade in the razor and proceeded to gently (as advised) begin to shave. But it barely cut any hair at all. Just a bit. There was about 4 days' growth, but my beard is the soft curly type, not hard bristles. The razor barely impacted. I tried a couple of angles but no joy.

Reverted to my Mach 3 or whatever,

Am I doing something wrong? Did I assemble the head incorrectly? The blade seems vey recessed behind the razor head. I presumed that was the right way up, for safety.

Anyway, any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

mynameis905

You either have the baseplate upside down, or your angle was off. Shaving with a DE razor, your hand should be quite far out from your face, much further than with a cartridge razor. You want an angle of about 30 degrees with most DEs - if your hand is too close to the face then the safety bar is just scraping lather off rather than the blade cutting properly.

drunkmonkey

Didn't think much of those Derby blades tried them for a change, I bought a box of 100 Astra Superior Platinum DE, back in April 13, still plenty of blade left, found them great starting off and I've just stuck with them, €11.95 for 3 years worth of blades and probably another 3 years left in the box.
Find a great shave from those blades.

Orion

Threads on this on the Facial Hair and Hats forum. As said it was probably the angle. DE shaving is much different to cartridge shaving. The R89 is an excellent razor. I'm not mad on Derbys myself but it's a good starter blade - very forgiving = less cuts. I now mainly use Astra or Feather blades.

What soap/cream did you use?

If you've any questions on DE shaving ask away.

SuperGrover

Ok, scarlet, had the baseplate upside down. Ah well.

I'll try again next time.

I have a bunch of different blades including Astra, Feather, etc. I'll try the Derby for now, until I get the hang of it. I have bumpy razor burn area on my neck so need to start gentle.

Pre/post cream and soap are Proraso sandalwood.

Orion

I always use the red proraso as a pre-shave. I love the glide the shea butter gives. Also a big fan of sandalwood scent. Haven't used the Proraso one but have the Taylor of Bond Street and the Truefit & Hill ones. Post shave I generally just rub an alum block and then use an AS lotion. Believe it or not Old Spice is one of my go-to ones. Great feeling after a close shave and the scent is excellent.

What other blades to you have? Personna is another forgiving blade as is the Gilette 7o'clock. All are good to hone your technique until you have it down pat then move on to more aggressive blades like Astra or Feather. When you do you'll notice the difference - you might think you have a close shave now - wait until you use a Feather! But make sure you have your beard growth mapped and your technique right or you'll be making extensive use of a styptic pencil

SuperGrover

Orion wrote: »

I always use the red proraso as a pre-shave. I love the glide the shea butter gives. Also a big fan of sandalwood scent. Haven't used the Proraso one but have the Taylor of Bond Street and the Truefit & Hill ones. Post shave I generally just rub an alum block and then use an AS lotion. Believe it or not Old Spice is one of my go-to ones. Great feeling after a close shave and the scent is excellent.

What other blades to you have? Personna is another forgiving blade as is the Gilette 7o'clock. All are good to hone your technique until you have it down pat then move on to more aggressive blades like Astra or Feather. When you do you'll notice the difference - you might think you have a close shave now - wait until you use a Feather! But make sure you have your beard growth mapped and your technique right or you'll be making extensive use of a styptic pencil

Ha, yeah, I'll be careful as I can. Beard is a bit of a curly neck mess. Christopher Columbus would have trouble mapping it.

I also have the Gilette 7o'clock blades in my sample batch. I'll try them too.

Thanks.

newacc2015

I used Derby's (they came with the razor). I brought a sample thing from shaving.ie. Out of all the blades, I found Derby's the worst. Apparently their quality control isnt the best if you google them. I found some blade super sharp, while others were fine

I use these ones now
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/100-psc-russian-Rapira-Platinum-Lux-double-edge-safety-razor-blades-/291740501097?hash=item43ed16c469:g:Bd8AAOSwL7VWmqFC

They are made by Gillette in Russia. They are like €5.30 for a 100 blades and fantastic. It have used probably 40 blades and they are all consistently sharp

SuperGrover

Update...

A couple of weeks in now and rightly getting the hang of this now. I can shave more frequently as I don't have to wait 3 - 5 days for bumps to die down.

Using the Gillette 7 o'clock blades and all's well. A couple of minor nicks and the adam's apple is still a danger zone but otherwise, plain sailing.

I should have done this years ago.

SuperGrover

SuperGrover wrote: »

Update...

A couple of weeks in now and rightly getting the hang of this now. I can shave more frequently as I don't have to wait 3 - 5 days for bumps to die down.

Using the Gillette 7 o'clock blades and all's well. A couple of minor nicks and the adam's apple is still a danger zone but otherwise, plain sailing.

I should have done this years ago.

Gillette 7 o'clock are great starter blades, i stayed on them for about two years before moving to feathers. Very rewarding once you get the hang of DE shaving.