Author Archives: Lee

List of Wet Shaving Forums

Leave a reply

As some of you know, Badger and Blade is down for maintenance right now, and I’m sure some of you are going through forum withdrawal. So, below is a list of alternative forums to while away the time while you wait for B&B to come back. In no particular order:

Shave Ready – Straight razor forum focused on honing, sharpening, and SOTD. They are a new straight razor forum with a very good subsection on razor honing, sharpening, & restoration. The people there are very helpful and the conversations tend to be more polite and concise. Since it is a newer forum, there are a lot less threads and a lot less responses to some topics. However, the quality of the discussions is quite good.

Straight Razor Place – The original straight razor forums. This forum probably gets thousands or tens of thousands of hits per day. They talk about everything from beginning straight shaving to how to eek out that very last bit of honing left in your natural Japanese hone. This forum is extremely populated and there are many threads posted per day. So many threads that it is hard to keep up with them all. Its even hard to keep up with the honing section. You’d have to visit hourly just to stay up to date and participate in some honing threads. The forum is sponsored and owned by the owners of Straight Razor Designs and is sponsored by several other shaving vendors.

The Shaving Room – UK Shaving Forums focusing on DE’s, but does have a straight section. Populated by a lively and friendly group of members based mostly out of the UK. It is interesting to see how things are different “across the pond.” Mostly dedicated to DE’s, but does have a lively straight section dedicated to shaving, sharpening, stropping, and honing straights.

The Shave Den: Established forum dedicated to both DE & Straights. This forum has less members than B&B & SRP, but more than any other forum. There are more discussions here than elsewhere. While there is a straight shaving section, the forum is mostly DE based.

Pogonotomy – New Forums from Bruce on Shaving. Not too much to report on this forum. It is extremely new and focused solely on DE’s.

A more complete list of wet-shaving websites can be found on our links page.

How to get a Good Shave with Canned Shaving Gel

1 Reply

I should start this post by saying that you shouldn’t be using canned shaving gel in the first place. Aside from releasing all the compressed gasses used to push out the gel, your face and straight razor deserve better. Canned goo simply does not offer the slickness, cushioning, and comfort that shaving soap does. Nothing gives you a better shave than a wet-shave using a finely honed straight, a brush, and tallow soap. However, there are some situations where brush and puck or cream simply is not available. Perhaps you’re traveling or the world ended and all that’s left is Edge Shaving Gel. Whatever the reason, this post is to help you get the best straight razor shave possible using canned cream.

The secret is simple: add water. Shaving gel is still soap when you get down to it. What makes shaving soap slick enough for straight shaving is the water (a super sharp razor also helps). So, if you absolutely positively no choice but to go without shaving or shave with the canned goo, just do the following. Wet your face with warm water. Thoroughly soak your face, the more water the better. Then, do what you normally do with canned cream. At this point, the gel is still too dry to comfortably shave with. Your going to have to add water and work it into the lather with your hands. Sort of like face lathering, but with your hands instead of a brush. The additional water will moisturize the cream and give you a better shave. And while it still won’t be a great shave, at least it won’t be your worst shaving experience.

Help! My Lather is Drying Out!

Leave a reply

Dry lather is a common problem. The cause is that the water that used to be in the lather has evaporated, leaving you with a cake-y mess on your face. Once the water is removed from lather, all we’re left with is soap. Soap which wants to just blow off in flakes or cling stubbornly to our face.

This is a very bad problem for straight razor shaving. Even with a well honed razor, you cannot shave with dry or drying lather. The straight razor needs a slick lather; we like tallow soap for this reason. Thankfully the solution is simple. Just dip your brush in hot water (you could use cold too if you really want) and relather the dry areas. A good practice in the beginning is to shave half your face, or one third, before relathering the next area. This way, your lather will be nice and slick; making it easier for your well honed straight razor to cut through those pesky hairs.

ASR Reviews: Dovo Straight Razors

Leave a reply

Over the years we have had a lot of experience using, honing, and sharpening Dovo straight razors. Dovo has been in business since the early 1900’s. They are one of the few *GOOD* modern mass manufacturers of straight razors. Dovos come in many shapes and sizes to fit your budget. From the very basic, to the extremely ornate, Dovo makes it.

But how is the steel? The good news is that the steel is very good. Not as good as a vintage razor, but Dovo is the gold standard against which all modern razors are measured by. Dovos hold their edge relatively well, only requiring a re-honing about every six months. Dovos have a good heat treatment and take very well to a honing, sharpening to a keen edge. The shave they give is very good.

The scales Dovo puts on their basic models are unfortunately simple plastic. However, they are 100% functional. The balance is good, for the most part, and the scales will last. On the higher end, the scales become intricate and aesthetically pleasing. In general, the more you pay for a Dovo, the better scales, gold wash, and steel you receive.

The Dovo Inox line is stainless steel. The steel scales that come with some Dovos do not balance particularly well. The stainless steel blade is hard to hone, as all stainless blades are wont to do. The edge it takes is pretty good, and the longevity is slightly longer.

Bottom line: Dovo makes a great quality razor, they hone up very nicely, producing a sharp, keen edge. The scales are very nice, but with Dovo, you get what you pay for. We definitely recommend Dovo if you are looking for a modern straight razor.