Thread: It shaves but it pulls a little too much

It's not the beard my beard gets mowed down with the edge being right,mand I have a very tough beard, it's technique too. In the beginning learning to shave is tough to find what works, I know I felt that my edges were dull in the start, but as I got better the edges turned out to be fine, but it took sometime to actually improve an edge from stropping. So get it rehired, and spend some time to really learn to strop. Maybe look for a mentor to see your process. Tc

I think we all have tough beards and sensitive skin when we start shaving with a straight razor, then our blades get more efficient, our beard seems to get softer, and our skin less sensitive. It was the same way when I first started shaving. I can get more out of my edges between refreshing now, and quite honestly re-hone just for fun, experience, and maintaining the skill of it. Personally, I would use your free re-honing now or you'll wind up like me with 5 coupons in the drawer after you learn to hone your own. It sounds like you've eliminated beard prep as a variable, so why not continue to eliminate the edge as well by using the free re-honing, especially in the beginning.

Go with your gut, if you think it's the stropping, then it probably is, so do less and work up from there. In woodworking, you can also cut more wood off, but you can't put it back on very well. You can always strop lighter, with a more taught strop and for less laps. If that doesn't get your edge better than it was after honing or keep it the same between shaves, then start adding more laps on the strop. If you get to a ridiculous number then start messing with your strop tension then pressure.

When I look back at how I stropped in the beginning, I thought I was doing it right. Then I went to a meet and Glenn told me I wasn't using enough pressure. After using more pressure, I was able to maintain my edges longer between refreshes. Then somewhere in there, I started to add too much pressure on the spine and the edge and was having to refresh more often. Now, I find that I add a light to medium pressure on the strop with the spine, and I use enough tension that the strop deflects just enough to hit the edge, but I just let the edge follow the spine and kiss the strop (so light pressure on the edge). That's what seems to work for me.

Hope this helps!

Hi, here are a couple of thoughts:
Are you stretching your skin effectively? If you haven't already watch some shave videos and you will see the shaver pulling the skin in the area to be shaved tight, you will also see lots of other useful hints and techniques.
Is your lather quite moist, a straight razor seems to need a wetter lather than a disposable or safety razor, if your lather is dry the razor will catch and tug.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Hi, here are a couple of thoughts:
Are you stretching your skin effectively? If you haven't already watch some shave videos and you will see the shaver pulling the skin in the area to be shaved tight, you will also see lots of other useful hints and techniques.
Is your lather quite moist, a straight razor seems to need a wetter lather than a disposable or safety razor, if your lather is dry the razor will catch and tug.

Yep for both. Pretty sure something wrong with stropping and I will figure it out
I will keep you updated

Razor sent for honing...

Any updates?

Got the razor a couple of weeks ago and honestly there is no difference. Tried different angles, but either it pulls, or doesn't shave well for my standard.

How long have you been shaving with a straight? Tc

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

How long have you been shaving with a straight? Tc

5 months now. Tried also two other razors, same thing.

Well, you got a razor from SRD who have a reputation of supplying shave ready razors and have had it rehoned by SRD but still have the same problem. If the other two razors you have were supplied shave ready and you had the same problem with them, I think it might be something you are doing then.

That puts it back to possibly wrong angle on the blade, poor stropping or something else. When you got your razor back from rehoning did you strop it before first use? It is suggested that you shave with a shave ready razor without stropping it first use to see/feel what the original edge was like. Then strop it before the second use and if it then feels duller you know your stropping is faulty.

There is a list of mentors and where they live on the forum. Look it up and see if one is in your area. If there is one in your area contact them by PM to see if they can help you in person. That is probably your best option at this point.

Bob