Thread: New to SR shaving - dull blade?

Hey everyone,

So after about 2 years of enjoying wet shaving with a safety razor I finally took the plunge and purchased my first straight razor, a DOVO Bergischer Love and a strop.
I purchased mine from West Coast Shaving and chose to have it professionally honed.

My first shave with it was as I was expecting to be honest pretty bad, few minor cuts but I had a burning sensation on my face that day, almost screamed when putting my alum on after the shave hehe.
The razor felt plenty sharp but the shave wasn't super close, I blamed it on technique really.

I've since then shaved 4 times (not a lot), stropping is going well, watched plenty of videos of stropping and even though I'm no expert I feel I'm doing it right, just going slow at the moment.

However my blade just feels like it's getting duller and duller with each shave. Just did a 2 pass shave just now and it just didn't remove any hair at all really. Was pretty annoyed.
Don't know what I'm doing wrong, it must have something to do with my stropping, can you really get the blade this dull so quickly?

It's not passing the falling hair test at all, I just tried shaving a bit of my forearm and really, it's not cutting very well. It cuts some for sure but it just passes over most.

Could it be that maybe it wasn't properly honed, seems unlikely. Or may I have done something wrong in this short time of owning it that may have dulled it this much?
Is it possible my technique is just that bad? Is the falling hair test and the fact I'm having a hard time shaving the hair of my forearm no indication that it's dull?

I live in a fairly isolated part of the world here in Iceland and to my knowledge there is no one here that would hone a straight razor, Wouldn't surprise me if I was the only person here that uses one really
If I need to have it sent somewhere to be honed I will, was hoping it wouldn't have to be in the first week I received it though


Any advise?

It really doesn't take a lot to ruin an edge. Lift the spine of the razor slightly while stropping, especially if you're using paste, and that may be all it takes. I might suggest not using paste until you're better with linen and leather. Could also be any number of things - if you used the thumbnail test a little too often to check sharpness, or you used your finger pad but didn't get the oils and salts from your skin off the blade suitably it may be pitted.

If it's not removing hair, or the razor is tugging at all, then it's dull and time for it to be re-honed. You may want to consider picking up a second, that way you'll still have a shaver when one gets dull and needs to be sent off.

First: set your strop on the edge of a counter/table and do 100 laps as perfect as possible...

Second:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93zQP7CToWQ

Darn, I guess I must have done something wrong somewhere. I may well have lifted the spine when stropping at some point, if that is all it takes I feel it won't be with me for long after every hone, that is until my technique gets a little better

I wish I could get a second opinion somehow before having it sent off, but I guess the best way to find out is just to have it honed and than I will know the difference for sure.
Was hoping it would last a little longer before I would ruin the edge, but oh well.

Any recommendations on where to get it honed? I see that The Invisible Edge in the UK are doing this, I guess delivery to England would be cheaper and quicker for me since I am in Europe.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

First: set your strop on the edge of a counter/table and do 100 laps as perfect as possible...

Second:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93zQP7CToWQ

Thanks, I will try doing that stropping technique and than do a shave test, if that doesn't go well I will send it off to be honed.

It doesn't take much to roll the edge. It's difficult to say without having seen it but I'd wager your first shave the blade was at too steep an angle & too much pressure applied. That would explain the razor burn. Correct stropping is also really important. One mess up, like lifting the spine off the leather, could exacerbate the problem.

On the other hand it could possibly have just been a dull razor, but I wouldn't expect the shaves to get progressively worse so quickly if that were the case.

Gssixgun's post is a good way to find out if it's a rolled edge.

There are guys in Norway that hone, I don't know anyone in Iceland off hand but there is a separate sub-forum for your region that you can ask in


Nordic region

also keep in mind your new at this ,, more than likely its all of the above, technique has a lot to do with perceived sharpness. your extreme razr burn could be too much pressure and angle of use. could be your prep. all these things must be learned over time. but the blade must be right to start with.
I don't know who does the honing at WCS, but there are some real good guys who can hone it right for you. and Glen is one of them, and of course the guys in Norway, like Birnardo can hone right.

and trust me stropping is probably the most important aspect of proper shaving, so yes your stropping could easily have affected the edge. most new guys think their doing good until they actually learn. you being in an isolated area leaves out one on one training, but keep it in mind if you go into Europe.

by the way ive heard the Invisable Edge does a fine job honing, get another razor for when you dull one, and after you have learned to shave and strop get a 12K Naniwa to refresh with Tc

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

and trust me stropping is probably the most important aspect of proper shaving, so yes your stropping could easily have affected the edge. most new guys think their doing good until they actually learn.

That was the case for me. I don't think my stropping damaged a razor per se, but it probably needed a touch up a lot sooner than it might have.

When I was newbie, all razors felt dull to me. I suggest you get the razor honed by a skilled honer (not sure if honer is a word!). When you get it back do NOT strop it, but so a test shave like in Glen's video. You eliminate a big variable by not stropping. If the test shave goes well, you know your stropping may be suspect. If the test shave goes poorly, you know something in your technique is lacking. Ask whomever hones it to strop it real well (I think most honers do that anyway, but ask them just to be sure). Hope this helps.