Thread: Hey All

This is a great little forum you have here. This is why I love the Internet. Tons of information on something I would otherwise never be able to figure out on my own.

Anyway, some questions.

From the reading Ive been doing on the forum I understand that its best to acquire a "shave ready" razor, preferably from a trusted source like the many on here. It also seems that depending on how often the razor is used you may only have to re-sharpen/hone it every 2 months?

My hair is pretty fine so with cartridge razors I normally have to shave once every other day. Would this mean I could get away with sharpening the razor less often. Just curious. I just don't want to waste time sharpening a blade when its unnecessary.

Also should I take having fine hair into consideration when selecting a razor? I think from what I read it would probably be more appropriate for me to purchase a lighter type razor? Hollow was the word I think used.

Last question.

I'm under the impression that stropping should be done to maintain the blade? This is different then honing/sharpening so how often should this be done?

Thanks in advance for anyone who can help out a newbie.

Welcome,


Most people strop before every shave and hone once a month, some more often some less.

Hi, and Welcome to SRP,

A razor should be stropped before each shave. It realigns the razors edge, so it gives you premium performance during your shave.
After a certain amount of shaves, the overall sharpness of the razor will start to deteriorate, till the point where it is time to hone. Usually this is done on honing stones, but it could also be done with abrasive pastes. How long it takes for a razor to need rehoning, depends on the razor, your beard, your shaving technique, and your stropping technique. Stropping is extremely beneficial for the edge of a razor, but it is equally easy to mess up a razor's edge with poor stropping technique. So my first advice would be to make sure you understand the do's and dont's about stropping even before you take your shaveready razor into the same room as your strop. (it's a joke but I'm not laughing...)

Regardless your beard type, you should expect the first few weeks to be poorly shaved. It takes time to master. A lot of time. But, therefore, it is incredibly rewarding to learn, and great fun too.
After a while, you'll get the hang of it, and most people can actually wait longer between shaves than they did with their previous shaving method. You can always learn to hone your own razor(s), which is equally rewarding and fun to learn as straight razor shaving itself. Frustration is part of the equation too.

About selecting a razor. Coarse beards are generally shaved a bit easier with more hefty razors. That would not be an issue with your beard, but that doesn't mean you can't like a wider, or heavier razor. Only experiment can answer that question. It is best, though, to start out with something average. a 5/8" or 6/8" wide razor, with a regular 3/4 or 4/4 hollow is something you can't really go wrong with. Another good suggestion is to go for a razor with a round point. They are safer, while still learning.

Hope this answers some of your questions,
Kind regards,

Bart.

Wow, some fantastic information there.

I've been a martial artist my whole life so I'm very prepared to take a beating for the first couple of months before I get the hang of this whole straight razor thing.

At the same time I think I'll have my razor professionally honed the first couple of times until I get the hang of the actual art of the shave. I want to master one manly skill before the other. I don't want to put to much manliness on my plate and get overwhelmed.

I'm browsing blades at the moment. They are very beautiful. I can see why people collect them.