Thread: New straight razor question

Originally Posted by choirmaster2000

Hi everyone. I have read the forum for awhile, and had been shaving with a Dovo shavette. I recently ordered a Dovo 5/8" straight razor, which I picked up sharpened and shave ready from an apothecary. I have watched stropping videos and tutorials and have stripped accordingly.

Result: so far, I hate my straight razor because it feels like an awful shave. I greatly prefer the shavette. Am I doing something wrong? Is there something wrong with my razor?

Any and all suggestions are most appreciated. Thanks!

Bill

Hi Bill - and welcome to SRP. First thing: hang in there. Everyone struggles to a greater or lesser degree when starting out, but with time, practice, and patience it will get better.

My first question is the source of your razor. An apothecary? I don't know that this would be my first choice in terms of sourcing a shave-ready straight razor. Depends on the apothecary of course, but my assumption is that such businesses tend not to specialize in razor honing.

Now, there are many factors that contribute to a good shave. Face/beard prep, pressure, angles all play their part. But a truly shave-ready blade is essential, and that would be my first suspect in the equation. Where are you located? If we know where you are, it may be possible to suggest someone to take a look at your razor and verify that it's good to go. Another option is to send it to a pro to get it honed. There are a number of honers who advertise in the classifieds here on SRP: http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...wcat.php?cat=4
Getting it honed by a pro won't cost that much, but the difference can be night and day, and you'll at least be able to eliminate that as a possible cause of your troubles.

Another possible factor is stropping. Even if the blade arrived shave-ready it is entirely possible that you dulled the edge when stropping. This is very easy to do especially when starting out. If/when you do send your razor out to be honed, do not strop it before using it for the first time. It will be ready to go and by not stropping it you eliminate the risk of damaging the edge before using. Then you'll have a benchmark for how a shave-ready razor feels/works.

The good news is that the Dovo 5/8 is a very decent blade to start out with, and you don't have to worry about having bought junk.

Good luck!