Thread: First shave - worried about blade sharpness

I had my first shave with my new staright today. It wasn't close, and was very patchy - I had to redo my whole face with my Mach 3.

Good news: no blood

Bad news: do I have a dull blade?

The razor came shave ready, a basic new Dovo. I didn't strop before the shave. I'm not too worried about the closeness or patchyness, probably just bad technique on my part. What did bother me though is that my beard (3 days growth) was really difficult to cut through as if the bristles are really hard, but I don't have that kind of beard type. Can bad technique cause this? I used really light contact at approx 30 degrees. Should I be pressing a little harder? Is longer hair just harder to shave than short 1 day growth?

The blade failed the HHT but shaved some hair off my arm pretty good, so I went ahead.

Here's How I shaved:

wet face with hot water
applied good lather
hot towel
wiped off lather
reapplied lather
shave WTG only, 2 passes
whip out the Mach 3
finish the job

Any advice appreciated!

It took me awhile to get the technique down. Here Lynn recommends an easy way to break into it. Worked well for me. I finished with my DE on my chin and mustache for the first couple of weeks. My technique, stretching and blade manipulation improved over time and so did my shaves.

Great to hear that you are shaving with a straight. I think that this section of the wiki may be useful to you:

Category:Straight Razor Shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Before anything else, it may be a good idea to establish if the razor is in real shave ready ready condition. Your results (shaving the arm) suggest that the razor has a bevel set. If the razor is shave ready, the problem is probably due to technique, which is not unusual. I would strop the razor next time (please check the wiki for details):

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

You would find that improving bear preparation goes a long way. Regarding your questions, yes, improper technique can lead to poor results. It may be the issue of pressure but usually it is the other way around, too much pressure, what is problematic at first. Longer whiskers are typically easier to shave than short ones. It is possible that you may have to adjust the angle for better results and definitely, different passes require different angles:

Advanced shaving techniques for the straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

When you shave, try to use the razor as a guillotine, that is at a small angle. I am not talking about the angle between the the plane of the razor and your face, that you already know should be controlled. I am talking about not bringing the razor flat and parallel to the floor but rather leading at an angle. People often lead with the toe of the razor. This is in case that you are not already doing so.

Finally, when developing technique, aim for comfort rather than closeness, and as your technique improves, closeness will come.

Al raz.

Pressure could be the culprit. Length of hair should not make any difference.

"Shave Ready" also depends greatly on where you bought the blade. It very well may not be sharp enough. If it can't cut any hair above your arm (that is mid-hair, not near the skin) you're probably not sharp enough.

Originally Posted by kenneyty

"Shave Ready" also depends greatly on where you bought the blade. It very well may not be sharp enough. If it can't cut any hair above your arm (that is mid-hair, not near the skin) you're probably not sharp enough.

I got the blade from The Invisible Edge site, which seems well recommended on this forum.

I just tried the arm hair thing and it didn't cut, just pushed the hair aside. But shaving the arm on the skin works well, well enough for me to think the blade is pretty sharp, and it's my face technique that is lacking

I was going to suggest several passes to give the straight a fair go, but you say you already did 2 passes WTG and it was disappointing.

How would you feel about making the second pass across the grain next time? Maybe on the easier areas. If you feel comfortable doing it, I bet it will give better results.

WTG passes may be easiest but they are also most likely to skip over the hairs.

Stick with WTG passes if you have any doubts, a bit of practice will see the shaves getting better. It's quite normal for the first few straight shaves to be poor. Mine didn't deserve to be called shaves at all! More of a learning experience.

Hello!
The source of the razor suggests that it is indeed shave ready. Not sure if Steve charges extra to hone them, or sends them out that way as a matter of course though.
It's most likely down to technique. Just keep at it & it'll get better. Stretching is pretty important to obtaining a close shave. Keep the blade angled at about two spines width away fom the face. It's a good place to start.

EDIT. Just checked his site. They are all shave ready, so you can trust that it came that way.

You'll find your shaves get better with each shave as your technique improves. Play with angle of the razor to your skin. A brand new razor from Dovo is not shave-ready, it has a factory edge. I've honed a lot of Dovos and the first thing I do is set a bevel and then hone out from there. They will take a great edge and are a pleasure to hone.

I really would stick with just a little part of the face at a time like the sideburn to the jaw with the grain and then only move to another part of the face as you become comfortable with the razor. It may take a little longer, but in the end, you will enjoy the shaves a lot quicker.

Lynn

Measure twice. Cut once.

Or - it takes a bit of time to learn the Art. Be patient, practice - and Never Give Up!