Thread: 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.

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.

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.