Sweet Spot

Its been a year now that I've taken up wet shaving and I really feel now that I've accomplished my goal with a DE razor. I am getting consistent good shaves with great shaves several times every week. Typically when I am not getting a great shave, I am able to review my routine and isolate where I may have slipped. I've started to experiment a bit with different blades now and I've even come to identify the "sweet spot" in certain blades I use. For instance, with the Derby's the first shave is usually very good, the second is almost always my best chance for a great shave. With the Feathers, the first and second shaves tend to be a bit harsh, but shaves three to five have given me some of the best I've ever gotten.

Now, I'm ready to take on my next challenge. Last year I started to flirt with straights, but I never completely followed through. I bought a couple from guys on the board and though I've tried them a couple of times, I haven't felt comfortable with the technique or equipment to really go all the way. Plus, I never bought a strop or any hones. So now, I've got one month until my birthday and I've already planted the seed with SWMBO about what I'm wanting. One of Tony Miller's heirloom strops will find its way into my shave den if I get my wishes.

After that I'll have to decide on whether I'm going to learn to hone or find someone to hone my razors for me. I know that the skill set and concentration needed to shave with a straight is going to be a great leap from using a DE, but if the results are as great as advertised, it'll probably be worth it. only time will tell.