Help buying new razor... maybe

I need a little help regarding a new razor. Here's a little background info about me.

Been DE shaving for over 5 years. I have tried more DE, SEs, brushes and soaps than I care to admit.

I have about 20 straight shaves in so far. The results are decent but not comfortable. Certainly not as close as my DEs.

I have a JA Henkels zwillinswerk 72 1/2 and an AOS grenadine wood straights. I think the AOS is Dovo, but not 100%.

I had both honed my another member on another forum.

Here are my questions

Are these razors any good?

If I buy another more expensive razor, will it be more comfortable?

How much is a decent razor?

At what price point am I just paying for name, rareity, luxury?

An example would be Shavemac brushes.I believe Shavemacs and Thaters to be the best knots available at ANY price. Any more than these and your just paying for a name, handle material, customization, etc. certainly a TGN Finest is a great starter brush, but is doesn't compare to a Shavemac.

I want to know what is the Shavemac of straights or the price point of these razors. I don't mind paying a little more if the comfort will increase. But there has to be a point where performance does not increase and the price is driven by another variable like rarity, name, etc.

Ive seen the BST section but don't know if a $100 razor is more comfortable than a $50 one.

Sorry for the long post and thank you for any help/advice.

If these are decent razors I will continue to use them. I just don't want to quit if a better razor will increase the comfort.

Hi and welcome. The Henkels is a quality razor and if the other is a dovo it will be as well. As to honing without knowing who we couldn't comment on if they are truly shave ready. Add that you are new your stropping might not be maintaining the edge.

I find grind and size more important than price at those of comparison tend to shave about the same cheap or expensive. The stones used for honing can also affect comfort and could be a factor

9 questions in 1 post. I think we have a record. :D

Thank you for the response Ed. I figure I have about 10 shaves on each. I am stropping on a SRD 3" strop. 25 on linen and 50 on leather. Is this enough to ruin the edge?

I'm going to echo what eddy79 stated. Your razors are of good quality, so either they were not honed as well as they could have been and/or your stropping has degraded their edges. If it was the latter at fault, then you should have noticed this degradation over time.

You should probably get the blades refreshed by an expert honer and also review how to strop blades proficiently -- be sure to go slowly at first and not apply too much pressure. A well-honed straight should give you a closer shave than a DE, and the blade should feel comfortable so long as you are not over-pressuring the edge. I bought too many razors straight away and decided to also learn honing since an expert was located only 100 miles away. This is not usually recommended by I'm unusual by nature. :p

More money for a razor doesn't necessarily mean a better razor. For years now, the bigger blades have been commanding higher prices, but cost is not an indication of shave quality. Sizing is a preferential thing; some prefer smaller blades while others like the battle axes. I've found that I prefer sizes between 6/8 to 7/8, but I can get a great shave from a 5/8 all the way up to an 8/8. My favorite is a 13/16 DT #13. Trying out other grinds is also interesting to see which ones you prefer. So get more blades if you want to try out other sizes and grinds, not because your razors are sub-par.

Hope this helps you out.

Welcome to the forum. The previous posters covered the shave readiness of the blade and whether or not stropping has helped or dulled the blades.

I'll take another tack and say that if those two things are OK then it is down to shaving technique in order to get a smooth, comfortable and close shave. You are only 20 shaves in and as a guideline give yourself about 100 shaves/3months to get your technique up to a decent level. Getting a decent shave with a straight razor is a lot harder than most people think.

There are quite a few things or combination of things that could be wrong when you are starting out that it is hard to say exactly what the problem/problems could be.

Bob

Patience is key.

You have the rest of your days to get this hobby down.

While both your edge and your technique are under question here are some technique tips that helped make my shaving improve quickly.
Wet lather
Good skin stretching and holding
No pressure, skimming the lather not shaving the whiskers.
Low blade angle.
All of these points can. E a game changer for shave quality.

Thanks for the tips gents. It's good to know I am not fighting an uphill battle with awful razors.

Knowing this I think my money is better spent on touching these two razors up again.


Today's shave was better. I used a cream instead of a soap and the lather stayed hydrated longer. I took my time and the results were very good. I also stropped the razor 20 on leather between passes. I am only doing two passes right now, plus touch ups.

To be honest, today's shave was actually very good. After an hour all sensitive, trouble neck areas feel good and the shave was very close.

I have been alternating between straights and DEs to give me skin a break. I think this was comfortable enough to try a straight again tomorrow.

None of us were perfect straight razor shavers right off the bat. It is always a matter of progress and learning. The other thing tha had not occurred to me earlier is the whole beard map notion. I have never been a DE user so I have no idea it they apply to DE shaving, I presume they do. However if you have not mapped your beard and devised a shave routine based on the direction of whisker growth now might be a good time. I do two multidirectional passes that gives me a great shave with no irritation and very close.

To get a great shave, you need both a great razor edge and a great shaving technique. A great shaving edge does not necessarily correlate with the price of the razor. For example, an inexpensive Chinese Gold Dollar can take a great edge if honed properly, but it may not hold its edge for long. If you get an expensive custom razor with hard steel, it might be difficult to hone a great edge on the razor, but once you get a great edge, it will hold it for a while.

I now have a collection of 18 straights including vintage, production and custom models. I find that my best edges come on razors that use Solingen steel or Sheffield sliver steels. Dovo makes some nice razors, but I prefer Ralf Aust, Boker and Wacker.

At this point in your shaving journey, you should be able to shave with no more than an occasional nick or weeper. It may take a while longer to learn how to get a close shave without irritation. If you have not done so, try to map the grain direction of your beard for every section of your face and neck. You may find that what you think is with the grain on your first pass is actually across the grain or against the grain. There are some good videos on face mapping.

You will also need to learn the proper razor angle to use for each pass. Generally, it is recommended to start at about a 30 degree angle for the with the grain pass and the decrease the angle for across the grain and then again for against the grain. You also have to know the right blade pressure to use. Then you have to know how to stretch the skin on each area of your face and neck. If it seems like an insurmountable mountain to climb, never fear, before you know it, all this will become second nature. Look at a variety of shaving videos. Not every shaver uses the same technique. Find the technique that works for you.

Part of a great technique is knowing how to get a great lather. You want a slick cushioning lather to soften your beard and protect your skin from contact with the razor's edge.

You will find lots of great folks here who love to help newcomers with finding the right razor, learning how to shaver, learning how to strop and hone, finding the right soap, cream, and brush and learning how to create a great lather. So welcome to the forum.

It took me probably 30-40 shaves before I got consistent with prep, angle, stropping etc.
Try a one spine width off your face angle and see how that goes, also if you have linen on your strop try 30 linen 50 leather before shaving

I have mapped my beard. On my neck it goes in all sorts of directions. With a DE, these multi directions are a breeze. A DE is much more lenient on angle and grip.

With a straight I go down and then up. This is the most ATG and XTG. I am not comfortable enough with the grip on a straight to tackle the weird directions to go a true ATG. Plus the blade seems too wide/long. I have like two cow licks one each side of the neck. Even with a DE it is a task. The DE is more nimble and that makes it easier.

I may have to settle for CCS rather than BBS with a straight.

Glad to hear of your progress. I'm one who shaves every other day to avoid skin sensitivity issues. I find I get closer shaves this way, too. I get an even better shave if I wait until the third day but don't usually wait that long because straight razor shaving is just too much fun. :)

With time you will figure out how to use the razor differently. You could just use the toe or heel etc. Rarely do you use the full blade at once. There are also different ways of moving the blade like scything strokes. Learning your own face takes longer than you would expect

Lots of excellent advice.

I own and have sold $30-40 razors that shaved just as well as $300+ razors, if not better. Brand is nothing, steel and skill are everything. I also think you got some great advice already, now it's all about practice.

:tu

Good job