Ok Already, whats wrong...

Hi everyone, im new here and already frustrated with straight razor shaving. I have a German Straight razor which i purchased new. looked unbelievalably sharp but i gave it a light stropping before i began. i have shaved with this straight razor 2-3 times now. however i am getting frustrated and have some questions. Should you hear the blade like cutting the hairs off the face? kinda like a scratching sound? cause i lightly ran the blade on my arm and it cut the hair off totally silently and really easy. but when it comes to my face, it seem too feel kind of like a pulling on the hair as it cuts, not to mention it doesnt shave too close. but thats not even my main problem, the cheeks and side of my neck i can shave pretty decent, but when it comes to my chin and and directly under it down teh middle of my neck, there is no chance. the blad just gets stuck in the hairs, every which angle, pulls on the hairs and it really hurts. I lather my face quite a bit and stretch the skin alot. is there something im missing here? why is this so impossible? please help me out. thanks

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Originally Posted by The_Hun

Hi everyone, im new here and already frustrated with straight razor shaving. I have a German Straight razor which i purchased new. looked unbelievalably sharp but i gave it a light stropping before i began. i have shaved with this straight razor 2-3 times now. however i am getting frustrated and have some questions. Should you hear the blade like cutting the hairs off the face? kinda like a scratching sound? cause i lightly ran the blade on my arm and it cut the hair off totally silently and really easy. but when it comes to my face, it seem too feel kind of like a pulling on the hair as it cuts, not to mention it doesnt shave too close. but thats not even my main problem, the cheeks and side of my neck i can shave pretty decent, but when it comes to my chin and and directly under it down teh middle of my neck, there is no chance. the blad just gets stuck in the hairs, every which angle, pulls on the hairs and it really hurts. I lather my face quite a bit and stretch the skin alot. is there something im missing here? why is this so impossible? please help me out. thanks

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Welcome Hun,

1. I understand that some razors will be noisy. I have a 5/8 full hollow DOVO and can hear the sound of the blade cutting the hair. Some people have said that wedges are silent.

2. The hair on your arm is probably lighter than your beard so the razor will cut those more quietly.

3. Chin, mustache and neck areas are the toughest and will require the most experimentation to get a smooth, clean shave. Try to observe which way the grain is and experiment with different passes (with and across to start).

4. When you purchased the razor new, do you know if it came shave ready? Many new razors direct from the factory are NOT shave ready. You might want to send it to someone like Lynn Abrams or Joe Chandler to hone it up.

Just some food for thought..

Welcome here

There might be a number of issues that cause your problems:
razor not sharp enough
less than optimal preparation
inappropriate angles

The arm / face difference - usually facial hair is thicker than arm hair. However, finer hair is generally harder to cut with a blade, which is not sharp...

Best advice: find a more experienced shaver close to you who can help you in person. He should be able to diagnose the problem(s)

Second - if the above doesn't help / is not an option: get an expert honer to look at / sharpen your razor. Then - work on good prep, and also cutting angle.)

Cheers
Ivo

Howdy Hun,

I'll recommend a few things before you turn away from straight shaving out of frustration.

1. Buy and watch Lynn Abrams DVD called 'World of Straight Razor Shaving'. This isn't rocket science, but the difference between mangling your face and getting a super shave is in the details. Cost ~$20. There is a sticky post here.
2. Send this razor to someone on these forums who hones razors. There are quite a few experts doing it here, and it makes ALL the difference. Razors are not normally 'shave ready' despite the manufacturers claims. Cost ~$15-25. There is a sticky post on this in the forums. The folks listing honing start on about the 2nd page of the thread.
3. As for hearing the cutting, yes, that's normal. It's a bit more subdued the sharper the razor, but I think you'll always hear it.
4. Fully read the thread found here. It is the starting point for all beginning straight shavers.

Do these things and you'll be off to a much better start. Trust me, it does get better. Good luck,

John

Hi, i dont know if any of those are really an option. I live in Canada and phoned aorund but everyone says its a dead art and no one deals with it anymore. my blade is not hollow and seems to be solid on the back neck of the blade. My razor does seem super sharp, but again i am not sure since this is my first. i could find a hone stone 4000/8000 and try to hone it. let me know thanks

Hi The_Hun,

I just started straight razor shaving and I had the exact same problem as you did, the razor kept catching and not cutting. The suggestions I got were exactly what izlat mentioned, so I increased prep time and increased the angle to about 30-40 degrees. For me the angle was the problem, I was being too careful and used maybe 10-20 degree angle whereas I should have been using 30-40. I shave fine with it now, no catching and the hairs shaved readily. My razor was sharp, since it was honed and stropped for me by a member here. I also took a shower before I shaved and that may have helped. My razor, which is 4/8 hollowground, is quite noisy. Like izlat said, it would likely be the sharpness of the razor, your technique (especially cutting angle), and adequate prep.

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Originally Posted by The_Hun

Hi, i dont know if any of those are really an option. I live in Canada and phoned aorund but everyone says its a dead art and no one deals with it anymore. my blade is not hollow and seems to be solid on the back neck of the blade. My razor does seem super sharp, but again i am not sure since this is my first. i could find a hone stone 4000/8000 and try to hone it. let me know thanks

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Post a "Canada roll call" thread - there are plenty of us there, you know. Just specify your location

Cheers
Ivo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The_Hun

Hi, i dont know if any of those are really an option. I live in Canada and phoned aorund but everyone says its a dead art and no one deals with it anymore. my blade is not hollow and seems to be solid on the back neck of the blade. My razor does seem super sharp, but again i am not sure since this is my first. i could find a hone stone 4000/8000 and try to hone it. let me know thanks

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I don't know where you are in Canada but there are a few senior members on the forum from Toronto and nearby. X_man is in Toronto, and I think Toxik is in Canada, and Fire_Start is near Toronto.

Hi, thanks again for the reply. I have prepped plenty, shower before, hot cloth on face, let some lather sit on face, rinse off relather. but still crap sahve on chin and neck, really catches hard. here is my razor. http://www.cachebeauty.com/Razor/flamingo_razor_150.htm

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The_Hun

Hi, thanks again for the reply. I have prepped plenty, shower before, hot cloth on face, let some lather sit on face, rinse off relather. but still crap sahve on chin and neck, really catches hard. here is my razor. http://www.cachebeauty.com/Razor/flamingo_razor_150.htm

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I'm leaning on it not being shave-ready sharp then if you got it directly from Cache Beauty.

As others have stated, there could be other issues but I think you need to get this razor honed my someone here at SRP, then shave and see what the results are. If it's still lousy, we've eliminated one issue and can focus on others.

As far as Sound goes, I have a half hollow and a full hollow. My half hollow doesn't really make noise when cutting. My full hollow definitely does. Both shave very well.

-Jorge

so what do u guys think? should i go out and buy a dovo razor? and if so, how do i tell if they are real? and one more thing, where can i find a 4000/8000grit honing stone? cant find any here so far. Manitoba Canada...

I would first try to get the razor honed by one of them Canajun boys...

Fake Dovos I have seen none. You can be assured that Classic Shaving, as well as many members here, sell quality razors. Tony Miller has a whole set-up, and Joe Chandler sells nice razors... Lynn himself sells a few "normal" ones once in a while... And if you have a bit more $ you can buy a great beauty of a razor from him. Or even get a custom razor hand-forged for you by Robert Williams. A number of members sell / trade nice razors, generally we have a fairly dynamic marketplace here

Cheers
Ivo

I don't suggest buying a 4000/8000 right off the bat. That's what I did, and I ruined a brand new TI because of it.

If you've never got a good SR shave, then you don't know what your razor's keen edge even feels like, so it's unlikely you'll know where to go with it on the 4000/8000. And from my experience, if you want a shave that feels great, you can't get there on the 4000/8000 alone. Getting a chromium oxide setup of any kind is what you'll need. I just have some sample pieces of leather, about 8in X 3in. One side is covered in the chromium oxide, and I just clamp it flat onto a table. Do 15 laps on it if my razor is shaving uncomfortably.

I was at the same EXACT spot as you about 4 months ago, so I'll just go through my experience.

The useful Steps that I took, that I suggest you take:
(I took a whole LOT of useless steps):

1. MOST razors aren't shave ready when you get them. Send it to someone here to hone. This will give you a measure of what a REAL shave ready razor is like.
2. Shave more frequently (once you have a ready razor): As X has said 100 times on here before, it takes a little while for your skin and hairs to get used to the razor. "Depiling" or "exfoliating" are terms often used here.
3. For that neck area: If you're like I was, I didn't shave very regularly, a few times a week if I was lucky. With more frequent shaving, this area gets better regardless of technique. It's just a sensitive area. Also, be sure you're not going against the grain. Sure you've heard that a billion times, but, if you're like me, my neck hair grows very peculiarly compared to the rest of my face. Last, short strokes work best, get a good angle on the blade. The more sensitive the area, the smaller the angle. And STRETTTCHHH that skin like it's never been stretched.
4. Don't buy too many acessories early on. You'll just waste money and get frustrated.
5. Things I suggest you DO buy: A Strop, and Some sort of "touch up" setup (Chromium Oxide coated strop/paddle/leather, newspaper, whatever). There's a difference between honing and touching up your razor. Touching up takes place on the chromium oxide or equivalent setup, happens after 10-30 shaves (whenever you feel it's not shaving comfortably), and just prolongs the amount of time between ACTUAL honings.

That's all I can think of for now, I'm just taking slacker-breaks from my parallel programming assignment due in the afternoon!

-Jorge

DISCLAIMER: This is just my experience, and cannot claim myself to be an expert in this field <3 And as such, take no responsibility for anything ever!

I'd actually recommend shaving LESS frequently for the first few weeks. Every two days for two weeks, for example, will give your face a chance to heal a little between shaves and still keep sending it the cues that it needs to stop being quite so tender.

xman is in lotus land actually and it sounds to me like that razor isn't sharp enough. Unless you bought it from a straight razor shaver who claimed it is shave ready, then it almost certainly isn't. I can hone it for you if you want. PM me if you're interested.

X