Thread: Shaved straight for 6+ months, ready to toss it.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Can I have your stuff?

and here I was just thinkin' it... but I wasn't going to say it!!!


+1 on sending it to lynn and getting it honed, he does an excellent job.

+1000 on getting your razor professionally honed by one of the honemeisters on this forum.

Also, do you have a good strop? If not, you absolutely must get one (and learn how to properly use it!) once you get your sharpened razor back.

Everyone is saying the same thing--is it sharp enough? The fact that you made no mention of honing or even stropping is what gives me pause. Did you ever have it honed? Most new razors are not ready to shave out of the box. What is your stropping routine?

I'm really curious about the condition of your razor. So much so that I'll gladly hone yours for free if you're interested. I don't claim to be a honemeister but I can certainly get your razor sharper than it is now after 6 months of shaving! Send me a PM if you are interested or post here if you need to find out what a PM is.

You're doing it wrong. Read more, practice more.

Originally Posted by philaudio

Trouble is, no matter how good I get, my face always hurts. Always. And the shave is, well, really bad. My Quattro, at this point, gives a vastly superior shave.

If anything, a well honed razor is much gentler to the face than a disposable with multiple blades. It may take skill and practice to get as closely shaved as with the cartridge, but the improvement in skin condition and lack of irritation should be instant. If not, there is a serious issue with the edge of your razor. That, or you are scraping your face, instead of shaving it. (I'm writing this, because there is a website somewhere that actually advices people to use a scraping motion.)

Originally Posted by philaudio

Another thing: even with a disposable, I'm not able to shave against the grain ever. ATG=horrible irritation and red bumps always and every time. I can't even imagine what ATG with the straight razor would do.

If there's one shaving tool that will ever allow you to get away with shaving ATG, it's going to be a traditional straight razor.

Originally Posted by philaudio

And overall, is there hope?

Yes. People with sensitive skin and tough whiskers are actually adviced by dermatologists to use a razor with a single blade. Without any doubt the straight razor is even gentler to the skin than the DE, albeit is takes more time to master.

Your razor needs to be honed, no question about it.
After that, do you have a good strop?

You've come to the best place imaginable to receive good help.

All the best,
Bart.

Before you pack it in take Utopian up on his generous offer, read a little, & make sure you're getting things right. It would be a shame if all that was stopping you really enjoying it was the fact that your kit isn't at it's peak.
I can't shave ATG either, but out of all the methods, it's least awful with a straight. I just don't bother & it doesn't matter. You can get pretty close XTG.
As for the HHT, although it's not an accurate guage of blade sharpness, after 6 months of use, it's not surprising it doesn't pass.
There is hope, but while you get your razor up to standard, you can take a break & have a fair go when it's returned to you shave ready!

how often are you shaving? i know when i first started i would shave with my straight on sunday and then with my DE the rest of the week, which was only 2 more times as my beard doesn't grow all that fast. it seemed to let my skin recover a bit as my technique wasn't all that great as far as pressure and angle goes. a DE is a handy thing to have around.

So, you've got a short-term motive and a long-term motive for sticking with it.

Short-term motive: wife's happiness, or at least her sense of pride in getting you something you'll like and use.

Long-term motive: it really, really, really is much better than what you're currently going through. And as the others have said: it sounds like you've been doing a good job with an unprepared tool. So, with a truly sharp blade and a good stropping routine, things could improve for you very quickly.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Can I have your stuff?

Originally Posted by elginrunner

and here I was just thinkin' it... but I wasn't going to say it!!!


+1 on sending it to lynn and getting it honed, he does an excellent job.

...the vultures are circling... doesn't sound like this one's a goner quite yet. I think if he gets that honed we'll have to go back to bottom feeding on eBay.

+1 on getting it honed. Your straight is simply not sharp. You can also click the link in my sig for some more info on angle and other stuff.