Thread: How sharp?

Just completed 3rd straight shave,even though razor is taking off hair I no way get a close a shave as I do with my DE's.Using the razor on the inside of my forearm to test sharpness it takes off hairs no problem but when shaving the beard it does not seem to be as sharp as the feather blades in my DE.How sharp does rhe straight need to be, is the angle of shaving, am I using too light amount of pressure? Thanks.

To begin with it does take quite a while to get you technique sorted to be able to get a shave like the ones you are getting from your DE now.

One of the thing that might be effecting you shave is the razors edge. If your Dovo has a factory edge it may not be quite shave ready. The best is to have bought it from a retailer that hones them before sending them out which should fix a factory if it needed it. My test for seeing if the bevel on a blade is set is if it will easily cut arm hairs. That is off a 1K hone and no way would I want to shave with that edge. It has to be taken up through a progression of hones to refine the edge before I will shave with it. So cutting arm hairs is not a reliable method of seeing if a razor is shave ready. The real test is how it shaves.

Poor stropping can lead to a dulled edge also. I can almost guarantee beginners to have poor stropping technique and dull blades at a faster rate than an experienced user. Well, at least I did when starting out.

So, if your blade is shave ready and you haven't stropped it dull then it is down to your shaving technique. A good starting point for angle on the blade is about 1 spine width gap between your face and the blades spine. There is no such thing as too light a pressure on the blade with a straight razor. Having to use pressure could likely indicate your blade is on the dull side.

Hope that helps you some or at least give you some things to check out as possible problem areas.

Bob

Forgot to mention that you reduce stubble gradually through several different passes. You do not get it all on the first pass and if you use pressure to try and accomplish that you incur razor burn.

Bob

Yup, probably need to be honed.

Take a look at the edge, looking straight down on the edge with a strong light, if you see shiny reflections, the bevels are not completely meeting and needs honing.

Here.

When you are new to the straight it is very easy to mess up your edge with either poor stropping or poor technique or both. First, I would suggest getting your razor honed by a reputable person. 2nd, be prepared to give the straight a solid month of use. After a month you will notice a huge improvement in your technique and the quality of your shaves. Follow Bob's advice above with using little to no pressure and keeping the angle of the blade about 1 blades width off of the face. Take your time when stropping and make sure that your technique is correct. Do not worry about stropping really fast. The speed will come with experience. Lastly, do not chase BBS right away. If you get BBS that's awesome but chasing it will often lead to irritation. Be content with a DFS from a 1 or 2 pass with the grain shave as you develop your technique. These are points that were given to me when I started and they served me well. Hope this helps!

I get BETTER shaves (smoother with less irritation) than I do from a DE or feather blade in my shavette. That being said, straight razors have a much higher learning curve. You shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't measure up right away. Maintenance, honing, technique, blade quality, and many other variables all have to be worked out and/or mastered. Eventually you will get there with practice. Rarely do people get it right away or even in a few months but for me it's worth the effort!

Cheers BobH,I'm sure your right,after using a DE I'm thinking the straight is like a magic wand & need to accept that multiple passes are required as with the DE, the Dovo is shave ready by the way. Many thanks!

Is it now ? How long you been shaving with a straight, took me a while to know what shave ready is, and then it took getting it honed properly to know,, but if it truly is, then it's you. Tc

I can't say anything new, and you got some great advice :]
I will say that it took me quite a while (about 6-8 months) to get a proper shave, after I ordered a real shave-ready SR and realized I shaved with a glorified kitchen-knife edge all along...
Give it time :]
Enjoy the learning curve - it's part of the fun :]

I'm sure your right,just trying to find my feet in this interesting & complex sport. Thanks

Originally Posted by Billythebadger

I'm sure your right,just trying to find my feet in this interesting & complex sport. Thanks

If the Dovo you bought came in a factory sealed box, never been opened, then likely you received a factory edge. These have been known to be hit and miss as far as being 100% shave ready. If the edge is not quite there it may shave but not smoothly and with some effort to make it shave.

It is difficult to know as a beginner what is wrong because there can be multiple things wrong. The easiest variable to eliminate is the shave readiness of the blade. That is done by having it honed by a known reputable honer. Once you get it back, shave with it without stropping it. That will do 2 things for you. It will let you feel what a shave ready razor will shave like and eliminate the possibility that your stropping is dulling a shave ready edge. Strop the razor before your second shave and if the razor shave more poorly than the first time you have a hint that your stropping may not be what it should be.

Once you have eliminated the blade and stropping as possible causes for a sub par shave then you know your shaving technique needs work. There is also the possibility that your lather may not be what it should be also.

These problems are something all beginners need work out for themselves and it can be hard to do.

Bob