Thread: First time using a straight razor

I just received all the necessary items to start using a straight razor. I shaved for the first time today and I feel like my razor isn't sharp enough. I have a new Dovo 3" full hollow ground but I had a lot of pulling from the razor. I took a hot shower before and washed my face as well as used cream and a brush. Does anyone have any suggestions? I also have a 8000 grit sharpening stone and a strop. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Originally Posted by Adamstahly1986

I just received all the necessary items to start using a straight razor. I shaved for the first time today and I feel like my razor isn't sharp enough. I have a new Dovo 3" full hollow ground but I had a lot of pulling from the razor. I took a hot shower before and washed my face as well as used cream and a brush. Does anyone have any suggestions? I also have a 8000 grit sharpening stone and a strop. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Well, you have a long way to go. Just hang in there and listen to the advice from the experts that you'll receive here. I'm not an expert but, my advice to you would be look at the youtube videos to get an idea of what and how. The key is knowing your face, be patient, don't get in a hurry, and learn correctly or you will get cut a lot! Good Luck to you!

Thanks man I will

There are a few factors. Many new razors need to be honed first. Not all retailers hand hone the razors, or even check them before they are sent out. That is one factor, another possible is technique. Stropping is a crazy important skill also. Poor stropping can kill an edge as fast as you can pass the blade over the strop. Shaving technique is also a big one, not only can it give a poor shave but it can also dull the edge much more quickly. Geofatboy on YouTube covers the shaving and stropping fairly well.

Originally Posted by RezDog

There are a few factors. Many new razors need to be honed first. Not all retailers hand hone the razors, or even check them before they are sent out. That is one factor, another possible is technique. Stropping is a crazy important skill also. Poor stropping can kill an edge as fast as you can pass the blade over the strop. Shaving technique is also a big one, not only can it give a poor shave but it can also dull the edge much more quickly. Geofatboy on YouTube covers the shaving and stropping fairly well.

This is the gospel here. First, have one of the guys here hone that razor for you, then watch the videos and read in the SRP Library.

My first razor was a shop bought Dovo and it pulled and tugged . The shop insisted it was shave ready from the factory.
You need to find a professional and get it honed rite.
Good luck

Id bet the above posts are the issue to start with. Not properly honed by hand. That and the lack of experiance. I always recommend having two razors to start with. Use one daily until it needs sent out for honing then use the other. This way hou learn one razor at a time and always have a proper edge to fall back on when the time comes. This also keeps you shaving while sending one out for honing.

This takes time to learn even with proper equipment. But dont think you need to spend a lot of money to learn. The more an item costs doesnt make it shave better. Only experiance can make shaving better. As long as you have a proper edge!

I have shaved off a 1k as well as a 4 & 8, is it comfortable at the 1k level not really but 8k is not bad, I would say most if not all factory edges are not shave ready to most standards but technically shave so unless yours was hand honed it needs some attention.

You can find a lot of great resources here on honing but a razor is not a knife so be careful on how much honing you attempt to do on that 8k you have as you can do damage, it’s also possible you rolled the edge if you stropped before shaving and lastly it could be technique.

Your beat bet is to have it honed then just use without stropping on its first outing to get an idea on a proper edge, I will gladly offer to hone for free to my standards just ask you cover shipping.

Welcome Adam. You have gotten a lot of good advice already and I don't have anything much to add to what has already been said except to reemphasize the importance of proper stropping and how much it can improve or diminish your edge.
Also just some words of encouragement. We have all been where you are and are here to help. My first shave with a straight ended with me looking like I got attacked by a cat. Don't get discouraged. It takes time like anything else worth doing. If you look on the home page of the site you will see a.post about how to find members in your area. It may be worth finding someone close to help, a sort of mentor if you will.
In any case, it's good to have you with us and I'll be interested to hear about your progress.

Although you have an 8k stone I would suggest you don't use it to try to hone that razor.

You don't know yet what a truly shave ready razor looks and feels like yet because you have nothing as a comarison.

You can do more harm than good to you razor if you go at it with your stone, so the advice of others here to send it out to be honed properly is a very good one.

There are some very good honers on this forum that live in CA I think, in fact after making your razor shave ready you might even be able to get some shaving advice too.