Thread: Third shave not as good as the first...

Originally Posted by edhewitt

I am not sure advising these tests to a new shaver is advisable personally, there is a good chance of injuring yourself or the blade.

Scott, I agree with edhewitt on this. I assume helmut0 means the "thumb pad test," which entails touching your edge gently across the edge and not "running" or "sliding" it across the edge. That will cut you. With the "thumb pad test," if it feels as if your skin is sticking to the edge, then you have a good edge, where you can stop or move on to the next level in your honing method. Either way, the final test is the shave test: if your razor shaves you well, then it is shave ready. Still, all this is far ahead of you. For now, concern yourself with stropping properly. The strop is one of the most important elements in straight razor shaving. Learn it and learn it well.