Thread: How does this look??

hey everyone, im still in the process of looking for a straight, a hone and a strop, as well as a brush... ive been researching for the past couple weeks and ive come across this: http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/st....html?s=CC231P
its a strop (of unknown origin) a dovo 5/8 carbon and a hone which is an arkansas fine grit (thats all the poeple on the other end of the phone know about it).... the whole package comes to 134.00 which is pretty damn good if you ask me... but it seems tooo good... is this hone decent enough to sharpen my razor properly?? i have been really hoping that i win a razor or hone or brush or anything really in the draw, but with my luck, ill probably miss out like usaul! lol.... anyways, one more thing, ive been shaving with a desposable straight for a while, and find that when i shave up it drags quite a bit and seems to "jump" or "skip" (think of skipping a stone in a pond) across my face.... and that is still on the third pass with a new razor.... i just dont get it... ive pretty much followed all the steps and techniques... is it the razor or is it me?? lol thnaks

I wouldn't really use arkansas stones to hone razors. Get the Norton 4k/8k. DOVOs are good razors but you should check out Tony Miller's selection of shave ready pieces at www.thewellshavedgentleman.com. Members here are also selling some lookers shave-ready for really low prices.
It could be that the disposable blade is just too delicate for your stubble. The same happens when a real straight isn't sharp enough.

I concur with Firestart. The razor is quite appropriate and the strop looks adequate, but for honing this razor you'll need at least the Norton 4K/8K and then a finishing stone (Belgian coticule or Kitayama) or pasted bench strop.

As for the problems shaving against the grain: another possibility is inadequate lubrication. Make sure your lather is very, very slick. Use as little pressure as possible. You may also want to use a steeper angle with the blade.

hmmmmmm, well ive looked into picking up a razor off people from the site and only came across a couple, one was ancient and pitted and the guy wanted 99$ for it, the other was a genco 4/8 for 35$ which is a pretty decent deal, but im still looking for that one razor that im going to use and keep for the rest of my life kinda thing ya know?? as for the shaving up, ill definatly try the lube and the angle!! thanks!! maybe if there are any other people you know of who are selling TI's or Dovo's that are nice and in good condition you can tip me onto them!! thanks guys!!

I will have some NOS pieces out soon and some really nice pieces do come up in the $60-70 range on a regular basis. Check out Joe Chandler's site and Bill Ellis' site as well.