Thread: problem getting close shave

Decided to make the leap from my shavette which I have been using for 2 years now. getting barber close shaves with the red blade. I purchased 3 straight razors. a Dovo, a Boker and a Heinkels. All 3 were sharpened by "Classic Shaving". I have not had a close shave with any of the blades. The Shavette out performs them all.
I soften my beard as usual, use a pre shave oil and a quality soap/cream. I have tried different angles, stropped the razors and tried numerous times still can not get a close shave. Any suggestions?

If the razors are shave ready then I would say your angle might be off some to start with. The straight is a whole different animal and I am sure that someone that has used both will add to this for you. It has to be in the pressure and angle differences used in each type of blade. I hope you tried to use the razors before stropping. Improper stropping will ruin your whole day.

how is your skin stretching technique?

I've noticed I can get the same closeness with a Safety razor w/o skin stretching as I can with a straight razor with stretching.

I'm glad I ran into this post. I'm running into the same problem under almost the same scenario (successful shavette use, not much luck with my SR). I have a Dovo 5/8 that I got shave ready from SRD. Used it for a couple weeks until it seemed too dull for newbie stropping to save, so I sent it for my free re-honing. Got it back after about 2 weeks. In the meantime I went back to the shavette and getting a darn good shave. First shave with re-honed SR was so-so. Stropped it before my next shave using a paddle strop (SRD). Every shave since has really sucked! I'm not sure where I'm going wrong with my stropping, especially with a paddle. God knows I've stropped along with Lynn and others on YouTube quite a few times, but my SR can barely cut the hair on my arms. I am having a hard time coming to terms that my razor needs ANOTHER honing in less than a week. Sending it away for 2 weeks at a time after such short use is a little counter productive.

Any mentors in the vaccinity of Stuart, FL?

We have two folks listed in south FL,
and it sounds like there are two things to look at on the front end.

1. It sounds like your stropping is not helping the edge,
I know I may catch some flack for this but it does take a very light pressure to improve the edge.
Many refer to it as enough to keep good contact with the strop, well on my English Bridle the weight of the blade will do that,
with my Illinois #827 I have to use some pressure in order to maintain the contact and flow as it is a heavier draw.
Because of that my Illinois is the one that helped teach me proper stropping as it forced me to use correct pressure to keep contact, rhythm, and improve the edge.

2. A shavette will cut more effectively at a less appropriate angle,
a honed straight is not as forgiving in that area,
however if you get the appropriate angle and pressure the comfort level of your shave will improve.

There was an adjustment period for me when I transitioned to real steel although short.

You can use the link in my signature line or use the search function and search "Local Help".
Another option is to search in the community/members and use the advanced function.
If you do the latter look for an active member with a bit of time, read up on some of their posts and shoot out a PM.

Regards
Pat

Thank you Pat for the feedback! I really am trying to let patience be a virtue.

Might be late to the party but I'll chime in.

Background. Shavette first then real SR's. I noticed the exact same problem after the switch and what I've learned is that a SR honed by the pro of pros is not as sharp as that DE blade in your shavette.

The reason this is true is the two fold. First the bevel on the DE blades are far more acute then on SR's. Second that more acute edge is mechanically honed thus removing human error.

So the angle of attack for a shavette is actually narrower then an actual straight. Not a lot but enough to mess your shave up at first.

Also skin stretching is very important too. I find that stretching skin away from the grain causes the hair to stand up and be cut easier.

Honestly telling new SR users that a shavette is a good way to get into the art is not good advice. IMHO. Different animals in my opinion.

Looking back, I wish I had started with a DE instead of a shavette. I think it has given me a false impression of how efficiently a SR should cut. I have tried to adjust my stropping yesterday and today. While I have notice a little improvement, I am finding that I have to angle the blade closer to 45 deg, instead of the typically recommended 30 deg. Does anyone else find this is a realistic angle (45 deg) that works for them, or is this a sign that I still have a ways to go with my stropping?

Originally Posted by mbg1081

Looking back, I wish I had started with a DE instead of a shavette. I think it has given me a false impression of how efficiently a SR should cut. I have tried to adjust my stropping yesterday and today. While I have notice a little improvement, I am finding that I have to angle the blade closer to 45 deg, instead of the typically recommended 30 deg. Does anyone else find this is a realistic angle (45 deg) that works for them, or is this a sign that I still have a ways to go with my stropping?

Holy cow I just got razor burn reading this. That's insanely obtuse. Sounds like a poor bevel set. But I can't be certain.

Something that I had to figure out is that I was gripping the razor too hard. Holding it light enough but not losing control of the grip I have on the razor. Also I found that the way I held it affected how I was able to apply the pressure. I got better results when I put my thumb on the bottom of the razor and put the scales between my ring finger and pinky, instead of the ring finger and middle finger. That more obtuse angle seems to give me more finesse with my stroke. Another thing that seemed to give me more finesse/touch when shaving, was the discovery that for me most of my stroke came from the motion of my forearm, and not my wrist so much. Using less pressure and going for beard reduction with more strokes in one area as opposed to the "Hay-makers" (longer strokes and fewer passes) I was trying to use at first. It took me months it seemed before I got a shave that didn't look like I shaved with a sander. I didn't come from a shavette background though.