How sharp is Classic Shaving's "Pre-Sharpened" Straight Razor Set?

First, because this is my first post, I want to say what a great forum this is. I did a lot of searching here, and I was pretty impressed. There are a lot of articulate, insightful and helpful people here, all of whom are linked solely by a love of shaving with a straight razor. That seems strange at first glance, but I suppose it sheds some light who you guys are, and it's a very favorable light.

I should also say that, in general, I don't like shaving. On vacation, for example, I won't shave until my beard gets itchy. Recently, (and I hope that this confession doesn't make me terribly unpopular here) I've been using a Braun electric to get the job done quickly.

So, I thought I would take a different tack. I decided that I wanted to make shaving as pleasurable as possible: not a task to either avoid or get through as quickly as possible, but rather something to enjoy, and perhaps even savor.

With this mindset, I bought Classic Shaving's "Pre-Sharpened" Straight Razor Set. It came with Lynn Abram's excellent DVD. I watched the DVD the night I got the set, and shaved the next morning, which was yesterday.

The good news is that I really didn't get any major cuts or nicks. A few drops of blood, but I didn't even reach for the styptic pencil.

The bad news is that I got some major razor burn. I took Lynn's advice seriously, and I also read it several times elsewhere here, to start with the cheeks. So my damage is confined.

But I also noticed that the hair wasn't being cut as easily as I was expecting. I played around with the angle, and at times got closer than 30 degrees to my cheek. It just never seemed to cut through my beard the way I was expecting. (I should add that my hair isn't particularly dense, and each hair isn't particularly thick.)

I think that the razor burn along with not cutting hair well indicates a dull razor. Although I've heard it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools. :rolleyes:

Has anyone had any experience with this Classic Shaving kit? Is it as sharp as advertised?

I should also point out that perhaps my skin has gotten a little soft because I've been using an electric recently. I also didn't shower before my shave, but instead used lather and a hot, wet towel the same way that Lynn did in his DVD. I stropped about 20 times before shaving. Please let me know if there are any other details that could help you advise me.

So what exactly should I do? A thumbnail test to see how sharp the blade is? Get a loupe to examine the edge? Try it again? (That last one doesn't seem to be a good idea; nothing's changed since my last attempt, and I don't want to get discouraged.)

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Matt

A fellow newbie will probably give the best advice- so here goes.

First of all, welcome!
As far as razor burn, that can be attributed to a few things (although I assume you had Lynn hone your razor first before you recieved it!)
First and foremost, razor burn virtually unavoidable for your first shave or 2 (or 3). Your skin has to adjust and exfoliate... infact, I wouldn't be too suprised if your braun electric did the same thing to your face right at first. Once your skin adjusts (which should just take a shave or 2), you'll be fine.
Secondly, watch closely and make sure you are stropping properly and going through enough strokes. 20 is the low end, to be sure.
Don't deviate too much from the 30 degree rule right at first and don't put very much pressure on your face!

If you are doing everything else correctly and your razor is honed then don't worry...it's a normal process your skin goes through...an adjustment phase...let us know how it is after another couple shaves.

Thank you for the reply. I realize that I should have been more clear.

I had chosen a fancier razor than the one that comes with the kit. Once the (very friendly and helpful) woman told me that it would take a week to send to Ohio, and some amount of time to be honed, and more time to ship to me, she suggested that I buy the Pre Sharpened kit because it was pre sharpened.

So: no, I don't believe Lynn did sharpen it. Unless he sharpens all of their Pre Sharpened kits. And that's also why I asked if anyone else is familiar with these Classic Shaving kits.

Also, not to say you didn't, but I know I had a hard time getting the correct angle down with my razor, which in turn caused some irritation at first. Make sure you are keeping a good angle. Any blade at the wrong angle will cause redness.

I believe Lynn was the honemiester. He lives in Ohio, and as far as I know is the only guy who hones razors from Classic with the "pre-honed" option.

Smiles,

I'd recommend that you don't use a Thumb NAIL Test to attempt to verify the sharpness of your blade, you'll likely dull it by that means. The TNT test is used to help determine if all the mini or micro chips, chunks, and uneven sections of the edge have been smoothed out before going to finer stones in the honing process. What you may want to assay is the sharpness of the edge by means of the TPT, or Thumb PAD Test. With this you take the dampened, meaty, fingerprinted thumb "pad" and very lightly, ever so gently longitudinally and just barely, slightly latitudinally, drag it along the razor's edge to feel it oh so very easily slice into your epidermis. Once you've become accustomed to the feel of this hopefully less than minor surgery, you can use this test to help evaluate the quality of the edge before putting razor to face.

Comparing a TPT of a new double edge blade, used as a basis point, to your razor should give you a idea of how your straight razor should perform.

good luck, good shaving

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smiles

I played around with the angle, and at times got closer than 30 degrees to my cheek. It just never seemed to cut through my beard the way I was expecting. (I should add that my hair isn't particularly dense, and each hair isn't particularly thick.)



Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Matt

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Welcome to the forum Matt , you have found the right place to be if you want to learn to use a straight razor . Your shaving angle should be 30 degrees or LESS . I would suggest that you first try shaving with the razor almost flat to your face , and gradually work up to your ideal angle . With experience , you will be able to feel when the razor is shaving at the correct angle . Be patient , it will take a little time to develop your technique .

I bought one of the "Pre-Sharpened" Dovo sets in February. In short, I had to send it to Lynn for honing. Pre-Sharpened is NOT the same as pre-honed. Do yourself a favor and send the razor to Lynn. Also, I would strongly suggest getting different soap. Your experience may be different, but I did not enjoy the classic soap and really noticed a major difference after switching to TGQ soap. Just my $0.02.

Hi Smiles,

Want to say welcome, I had the EXACT same problem on my first shave.
After posting on here and a few more shaves I found that on my first shave the #1 Prob I had was I applied way too much pressure which caused my face and neck to feel like it was on fire. When I let up on the pressure I found the the shave MUCH better. The angle took me the a little while figure out, but as I was told on here the razor will just glide across your cheek.
A home-made PRE-shave oil also helped me quite a bit.
Hope this helps.


Wes

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Originally Posted by Lunchbox16

I bought one of the "Pre-Sharpened" Dovo sets in February. In short, I had to send it to Lynn for honing. Pre-Sharpened is NOT the same as pre-honed. Do yourself a favor and send the razor to Lynn. Also, I would strongly suggest getting different soap. Your experience may be different, but I did not enjoy the classic soap and really noticed a major difference after switching to TGQ soap. Just my $0.02.

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Thank you. Go raibh maith agat. That answers my questions exactly.

I'll send the original razor to Lynn. (I also think I made a mistake in getting stainless scales, because these can only nick the blade.) I'll also send him another two razors that I've fallen in love with.

Or, I might try it myself. I ordered a Norton 4K8K. I could possibly make it work.

Thanks again, Lunchbox.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smiles

Thank you. Go raibh maith agat. That answers my questions exactly.

I'll send the original razor to Lynn. (I also think I made a mistake in getting stainless scales, because these can only nick the blade.) I'll also send him another two razors that I've fallen in love with.

Or, I might try it myself. I ordered a Norton 4K8K. I could possibly make it work.

Thanks again, Lunchbox.

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If you are interested in honing your own razors, by all means, pick up a Norton 4/8 at some point. Right now you owe it to yourself to start with a honemeister sharp blade. I don't know if Lynn does the pre-honed razors foe CS but I think he does. That means that the razor you received should fit the bill, no problem. I know that Lynn tests each razor that he hones, and believe me, the guy knows what a sharp blade feels like;)

I wouldn't be too put off by what seems like a little pulling. We get a lot of feedback from our blades and I think that sometimes that can be mis-interpreted as a razor that isn't cutting. If you have a something like a full hollow you will hear and probably feel the whiskers being cut. That's normal, but it can be dis-orienting if you are new to straight shaving. Unless you are really bearing down with a super dull razor you shouldn't be getting razor burn once your face acclimates to straight razor shaving, so that may be nothing more than a case of giving things a day or so to recover and trying again.

If you read the posts dealing with early straight shaving problems you will probably come away with the observation that there are a lot of things that have to go right to get a great shave, especially with a straight. I guess that may be true, but once you get it right, there's no other way to shave in my book. So, keep after it with proper equipment and it will soon fall into place. Welcome to the forum and feel free to post your questions and results.

note these are just my opinions:

I have an entire range of sharpnesses on my blades and to be clear though sharper is better it has little to do with shaving rash except if you are shaving with a tin can lid.

You are scraping your skin. It's not necessary to press down or scrape the same spot multiple times with the same stroke. (here's the opinion part) I like medium to short length strokes this week with no pressure, Last week I liked long strokes, next week I might like short strokes. Light touch and not scraping the skin is the critical part the rest is just what works for you.

If you are heavy handed like me start with learning how to shave your cheeks first and use your regular razor when you get in trouble till you are comfortable with it OR Start with with the grain shaving and don't bother going for against the grain or 3 pass shaves till you are comfortable going with the grain.

Think multi-pass and reduction. I am getting far better shaves than with my Mach 3 now and with far less skin irritation. I don't think I've had a pimple on my face since I switched.

You will enjoy a sharper razor more because there is less "pull" on the hair. It will simply cut. If you are getting clean cutting on your chin and upper lip without uncomfortable pulling anywhere along your edge it is probably sharp enough. Stropping may tame the edge but more honing isn't likely required.

-Bob
:w

"That means that the razor you received should fit the bill, no problem"

I don't understand - I thought that the pre-sharpened razors at classic shave are the razors that are machine sharpened for you, and that Lynn's honing is an extra service.

"Once the (very friendly and helpful) woman told me that it would take a week to send to Ohio, and some amount of time to be honed, and more time to ship to me, she suggested that I buy the Pre Sharpened kit because it was pre sharpened" - It sure sounds like he did not get the razor honed but rather was marketed the quicker alternative.

I very much doubt that a machine sharpened blade will fit the bill with or without problems.

Get it hand honed by Lynn so you can eliminate blade dullness from your troubleshooting list!

Thank you, everyone, for the responses.

Just to be clear, here's the set I ordered:
http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...11/3875031.htm

Does anyone know if Lynn, or someone else, hand-hones the razor that comes with this?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Smiles

Thank you, everyone, for the responses.

Just to be clear, here's the set I ordered:
http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...11/3875031.htm

Does anyone know if Lynn, or someone else, hand-hones the razor that comes with this?

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Why don't you call classicshaving and ask them? I suspect that Lynn honed these razors, but none of us and probably even Lynn won't know for sure.

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Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I thought that the pre-sharpened razors at classic shave are the razors that are machine sharpened for you, and that Lynn's honing is an extra service.

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This is exactly the case. When you order the set, do yourself a favor and have them send it to Lynn enroute to you. It may take an extra week, but in the end it's faster and easier than ordering it, discovering it's NOT sharp enough, sending it to Lynn, and waiting for him to hone it and send it back. I know because this is what happened to me. I bought one of the Dovo 5/8 Blackstar sets, which is basically the same thing as you're getting. In the long run, and the short run, too, it's faster and less headache to just get the honing service when you buy. Learn from my mistakes if nothing else.

Best of luck.

If you are getting razor burn, and it is removing hair, I would say it was probably honed. A dull razor usually won't usually do both.
Try stropping your razor on newspaper, it may take 50- 100 passes before you see a difference, but it can make a big difference.
If this doesn't improve your razor, or if you are really in doubt about it's sharpness, send it to me, I will check it out, and if need be make it shave ready.

In the mean time, you can try adding glycerine to your lather, or use a preshave oil... I understand even olive oil will work. (I use shave secret...)
Try using no pressure at all, keep the spine of the razor lifted off your face about 1-1.5 times it's width (15-20 degrees) and just try to remove the lather.

Again if you just don't want to take any chances, send it my way, and I will hone it for you. (I'll just ask you to pay the shipping)