Thread: Technique or Razor Edge? The beginner's dilemma.

( I made an account just to comment on this thread)
Straightrazor.com (and all other Luke wilson websites - The Grooming Network) cannot provide a shave ready blade. They simply don't posses the proper equipment or know how.
They used to advertise that they hone with a chef's choice sharpening tool which is a rotary sharpener for kitchen knives.

OP, I won't clog up your post with a one page long diatribe about how much I dislike this guy and all of his websites, but siffuce it to say my dad bought a $250 damascus letter opener from them as my first straight, and they don't take returns.

You can make some GD's shave worthy, but your best bet would be to get a properly honed straight from one of the members here, and use it as your reference point. Also, if a blade is truly shave ready, you should not strop it before use. The honemeister will do that for you, and it eliminates the chance of you rolling your edge and having poor results.
Good luck!

Wow, that's terrible. I won't even hone my pocket knives with one of those rotary tools.

Also, just FYI, The Grooming Network recently purchased Hart Steel... So I'm not sure where the future quality of that brand is going, but if the past of luke's websites is any indication, the quality won't exactly be improving..

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Watch give it a 110% try then decide

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

I made this vid specifically for this issue if the razor does not pass this simple test then it is the razor, if it passes then adjust your techniques first

Thank you for this video, very helpful!

I would take the others advice and check out the B/S/T section. Can get a great, actually shave ready razor for a really reasonable price.

Originally Posted by yondermountain91

I would take the others advice and check out the B/S/T section. Can get a great, actually shave ready razor for a really reasonable price.

I agree. I've shaved with a DE and shavette for some time but decided to go "All in" and get a straight. A Relative heard I was looking and kindly tried to surprise me, ordering an inexpensive (hopefully) straight and stop somewhere mailed to my home. No name, just a sticker "China". I tried it and Cut the hell out of my face. I found this forum. Started reading and watching the BST, and bought a shave ready, very reasonably priced blade a few days ago. No blood or discomfort. Now I'm sold.

I had the exact same problem with my first blade.
The shop insisted that the blade was shave ready from the factory.(Dovo)

I then sent it out 2 times for professional honing and still it tugged.( even though the honer insisted that it passed his HHT)

Turns out that it is stainless steel which can be awkward to hone.

I then ordered a Hart Steel blade from America and had my first proper shave..
Good luck

OP I bought the exact same kit that you did and have the same concerns about the actual sharpness. I have ordered a vintage blade supposedly shave ready by whipped dog, I am hoping to see a big difference.

In the mean time I have found that stropping much more (think 100 laps instead of 20) helps a lot but you may find you are just attempting to polish a turd. Buying or making a preshave oil will make a difference as well if you haven't already.

In my case I am hoping the better blade makes a difference, then I can use the gold dollat to practice honing, because if I ruin it, who cares? I can't complain too much about the kit though... it is cheap enough to tell me if I had any interest in pursuing it further.

Just to follow up, I bought a Norton 4000/8000 stone and was on my first attempt able to put a better edge on my gold dollar than it came from the vendor, that is simply unacceptable.

The good news is that the blade itself is not total crap, it has just been honed by morons. Don't give up too early. Personal skill makes a huge difference, but you can only learn so much if you are working with poor tools!

The 4/8 is a good start, but you'll probably need a 1K to get that into shape. I'd wager it needs a complete bevel set to shave properly. It can be done on the 4K, but you'll be at it a while.

Edit: For the record, this typically also applies to more expensive razors as well. Most 'shave ready' production razors aren't.