a noob-worthy question

Hi there everyone!

I have been wanting to get into shaving with a straight razor for some time, and I recently received one as a gift. Until this moment, my interest was only that: interest. Now, I feel compelled to learn as much as I can, and I am totally enjoying the process!

However, after reading the FAQ/Noob Guide in the forums, I would like a little education about the blade I have now. My razor says "SOLINGEN" all over it, and it seems to be good quality (after all, it says so right on the blade, lol!), but I have attempted to shave with it, without a lot of success. I have not bled yet, but I have also not gotten a decent shave out of it. My blade tugs at my beard and gets caught a lot. I am sure this is due to my ineptitude, but after reading about all the "solingen" fakes out there, I wanted to see if any of you could enlighten me about the quality of the razor I have.

Attached is a photo. I don't know much more about it beyond what you can see there. The handle is faux mother of pearl and is stamped "solingen", and the shank is engraved "SOLINGEN - made in germany". The blade is says "First Class - Original Solingen". I was told the blade is carbon stainless steel.

The reason I ask this is because, while I am totally willing to suffer through the learning process of shaving with a straight razor, I would feel better if I am starting out with a nice blade. I don't want to toil needlessly, or - worse still - send this off to be honed if it is not worth the time/effort.

I would love for someone to tell me that this blade is good enough for a noob like me and I should just keep practicing, but I would also like to know if it is low quality and I should think about getting a better one.

Thanks to all who respond - I welcome any counsel you have to offer!


http://home.comcast.net/~echo_galaxy/straightrazor.jpg

I don't know the history of the blade before it came to you, but it sounds like it needs to be honed. And yes it is worth it.

It looks like a good blade but I can't see the brand. It needs to be honed well, stropped carefully and then used correctly. Therein is the learning curve in all three areas. I learned all three before a BBS shave was had. Many have followed (not all) and then I learned more in small increments and am still learning.
Stick with it. Read and study, it is worth all the time.

Monte

I can't provide any info on that particular blade, but it *LOOKS* authentic to me.

I agree with Mike. Has your razor been hand-honed by a professional (shave-ready?). Check out THIS THREAD for more info on what shave-ready really is (if you haven't already).

~Chris

From the picture the blade looks good. Standard recommendation would be send it to a honemeister make sure it is shave ready. However before you do that try hanging hair test (HHT) if it passes that at multiple places along the blade then it is probably shave ready, or at least real close. The next question is do you have a strop. If not even if the blade is shave ready it won't stay that way, so unfortunately the razor is only the beginning you will need other equipment.

Good luck and welcome to the sight. You will find the help and support you need here.

If this turns out really long I apologize but as a newbie myself I have learned a few things. First make sure that your razor is shave ready. meaning hanging hair test. Pluck a hair out and set the spine of the razor on a table with the edge up. Try to cut the hair with the blade it should pop with minimal effort. Second if you don't have a strop get one, and read all about stropping and watch Lynns videos as well as read the stropping posts. Third get a good quality shave soap or cream. My reccomendation is mama bear, she has a post on the vendor section and the soaps are incredible, also as a newbie get an alum block, and stypic pencil. The alum block is great for antiseptic reasons but also closes the pores. Absorb as much info as possible here and also ask as many questions as you can. I would reccomend using a honemeister and asking them questions. All of the ones I have dealt with here are very friendly and full of advice. Other than that start slow shaving only easy areas first, like the cheek then finish with your alternate choice for shaving. Keep with it and good luck
Kevin