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my first straight just came in the mail. It is "shave ready". I get to use it tonight! Any last minute tips/advice?
I have a strop "Dovo" smooth leather on one side and rough on the other. Do I strop first? with just the smooth side or both?I am thinking about shaving a little first and then stropping to see the difference.
If my wife picks up a microscope for me tonight, I will inspect the edge at different stages.
The pics are from the vendor.:y
did the vendor give you any instructions because if it is shave ready that tells me it is ready to shave with when you get it i would try to shave with it if it pulls then it will need stropped as for stropping ill let the others with more experience guide you but there are some great tutorials here
I believe the blades from The Invisible Edge are shave-ready, meaning they've been honed by hand and stropped, tested and re-stropped. In this case, no you would not need to strop the blade.
Very nice razor Pyment! Just remember, take it slow, watch your angles, and above all...enjoy yourself!
~CHris
Hiya, both my razors (honed razors) are from Steve at theinvisibleedge. They were both shave ready. Shave with yours first, at least that way you know what the edge should be like. I have no problem with Steve's edges, the two I have a wickedly sharp. I strop soon after the shave (once I have dried the razor) and then again a few hours later when I have time. Stopping does "do something" good.
Nice looking razor that one, I was watching it too !
enjoy you pro honed blade.
Marcus
ps leave some razors for us when you catch RAD
I must add that, from other things I've read on this forum, it is recommended to strop right before you shave. The edge can have a tendency to bend ever so slightly, and you want that edge as straight as possible. Also, oxidation and humidity can cause a VERY small, unnoticeable amount of rust and such on the edge. Stropping will help clear the edge of any impurities before scraping your face with it.
~Chris
If this is your first shave I reckon you've got two choices:
1. Strop before you shave. Benefits are that if you do it carefully and correctly you'll get the full benefit of a freshly stropped edge. On the down side, if you do it wrong you may impact your edge and potentially get a nasty first shaving experience.
2. Trust the edge that's been created for you and don't strop. Benefits are that you've removed one source of potential problem and can just focus on the shave - if the blade pulls, for example, you'll know it's because of the angle or pressure and not because you might have rolled the edge stropping it. Cons are that you might get a smoother shave if it had been stropped.
So my advice would be to really assess, and be honest with yourself about, how confident you are with stropping. First shaves are important events - you want it to be a good experience as much as that's possible.
Good luck and enjoy. :tu
James.
Well its done. I started with 2 passes with the straight. WTG and XTG my darling wife came in between passes and said I wasn't getting as close a shave. I explained that I had 3 passes to go and she had never observed me at this point in my shave since I went to wet shaving. After my fist 2 passes, I had obviously cut myself in a few places but by the end of my shave these had sealed up. I then took out my DE and relaxed. I shouldn't have done that as I inflicted worse damage with my DE than I had with the straight. I went XTG and ATG and finished up. BBS shave.
Now tthe problems, the straight shave was not smooth - more ike scraping. I am guessing this is because the angle was too steep. I adjusted and began to feel like the razor was sucked up against my face. Definitely smoother, but I didn't feel like I had the control I had had.
All in all, about what I had expected.
Compare to the one you're getting from me and tell us if it's the same.
I always strop before I shave - otherwise I feel the edge is harsher
Cheers
Ivo