Need advise with shaving woes

Hi All,

I recently decided to give the joys of straight razor shaving a try, I had read a little bit of info prior to taking the first steps but made the silly (although well meaning) mistake of purchasing a strop and razor from ebay, as I was unwilling to fork out hundreds If I found I didn't enjoy it (combined cost of £20).

Obviously when the razor arrived it was about as sharp as a the flat side of a butter knife, and shaving was not the joy I had hoped, I purchased a 'King' 1000/6000 grit waterstone and tried my hand at honing. I am largely unsure how well I did with this although after hours of honing I am no closer to cutting a hair (I am aware that 6000 will never get it super sharp) but at least now I can actually cut some stubble with it although shaving is not exactly smooth, leaving me red and chaffed.

My question basically is this:
Is the discomfort likely a combination of my face getting used to it, poor technique, amateurish honing and imperfect soap (glycerin based 'King of shaving' gel but not ideal).
Or am I going to have to accept that a cheap ebay razor will never hold an edge and so never be more than scraping a lump of jagged metal across my face?

I am probably willing to splash out for an entry/mid level Dovo if advisable, but I just want to be sure that it is a must and not just me wanting a shiny new toy.

Many thanks,
Sillyfishyboy.

What brand is the Razor? and yes you will need to get it to someone who can hone imho to get it in shape for you if its a decent brand. for that price I really doubt its worth fooling with but have been wrong before. Anyway would love some more info please.

Thanks Doc,
Unfortunately the razor I have does not even consider itself important enough to have a brand, no markings on blade, tang or scales, it came in an imitation leather case wrapped in a plain cardboard box with the strop (again without markings)

In that case I would say give it up as a lost cause and look in our classifieds section for an inexpensive vintage blade most will come resharpened from the seller but ask to be sure. Also consider posting a want to buy ad there as well. Most of the guys here will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sillyfishyboy

me red and chaffed.

Or am I going to have to accept that a cheap ebay razor will never hold an edge and so never be more than scraping a lump of jagged metal across my face?

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It depends, it is easily possible with some research and patience, to get a razor in the UK from Ebay for around £10-15 from one of Sheffield's best makers. It's really important though that you get it shaving sharp, possibly send it to Steve at Invisible Edge. So for around £30 you'll have a good razor. Or just buy a shave ready vintage one for £40-50. Obviously a good strop, soap and brush will cost about the same. Even if you decide cutthroats aren't for you, the soap and brush will improve shaving with any type of blade. I found a curio shop locally with NOS (new old stock) strops on sale at £4.50, the leather was perfect.

Anyone mind a difference of opinion? Back when I dhaved with a double edge one of the major teachers was mantic who used to say that your face needs a little time to get used to doing the job a different way. Although i would not think that the irrtation is due to the straight razor at all. I would think that this is left over from your former method of shaving.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jbcohen

Anyone mind a difference of opinion? Back when I dhaved with a double edge one of the major teachers was mantic who used to say that your face needs a little time to get used to doing the job a different way. Although i would not think that the irrtation is due to the straight razor at all. I would think that this is left over from your former method of shaving.

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With all due respect,,,I could not disagree with you any stronger...Doc hit it spot on on his reply. The razor is the problem and the solution is to get one more suited for the task at hand,,shaving. Just my 0.02

Many thanks for the advice people,
I think the new blade option is possibly the one I will be looking at, ultimately I would like to be able to hone my own blade so having a cheap spare to practise on is probably not a bad thing and at least this way I will not be able to blame a poor shave on a bad razor.

Are refurbished vintage razors better than new ones? The reason I ask is that while obviously the razors in your classifieds are fantastic bargains, once shipping to the UK and customs charges are added I may be better off with a Dovo or the vintage ebay option (although obviously I may need advise on finding a decent one if I go down this option).

btw. Fantastic quote welshwizard!

I think you will be surprised to find quite a few straight users in your neck of the woods. I'm sure if you post a WTB in the classifieds stating your area, you will be rewarded. Also there are online stores located where you can avoid the extra cost on the shipping. If you need further help with this ,,,just drop me a PM.

Some sellers will actually sell oversees with international shipping included. I have shipped to England before, although I will not have razors until late August. I happen to have a small Double Duck Satinwedge, but PM me if you are interested. It will not be listed in the classifieds. I will also keep shipping down for you. Its not fancy, but it would work for you.
As for the quality, to me the older models are better quality than the newer Dovos and TI's. Most of the sellers here also have outstanding bargains and some of the craftsmanship of the restorations is far better than anything being made today. Plus as Doc said, most sellers here will have the razor pre-honed.
Get a better blade and the shaving will be much better.
Trey

As previously mentioned in the UK The Invisible Edge here is a fine source for a new or vintage straight razor. Though I am in the USA I have bought a TI from Steve and it was delightfully sharp when I received it. Check out the SRP Wiki here for tutorials and videos on all things straight razor related and make sure you read SRP founder Lynn Abrams on your first straight razor shaves here. :gl:

It does take the skin a little time to become accustomed to a new shaving method. Many people find that they suffer irritation at first. This is likely lack of good technique though. That said, your problem does seem to be crap kit. You really don't stand a chance.
PM me your address. I'll take a chance & lend you a razor so you can find out if it works for you. No strop though, i'm afraid. You'll have to sort that out yourself. Let me know if you're interested.

Forgot to add. KOS just isn't good enough for a straight. Get a cheap brush (even a wilko one!) & a tube of palmolive. Under £1.50 total & far, far better.

Hello,

I would suggest purchasing a new DOVO from SRD. I just bought my second one from SRD and was pleased. I made the mistake with my first razor before knowing of SRP. It was also like a butter knife. A lot has to do with the quality of the steel used. I ended up sending mine out to be honed by a pro. The classifieds may be an option. You can get a decent razor for a fair price.

Thanks Guys for all of the advice, this is without a doubt the most helpful forum I have ever had the pleasure of visiting!

I am very much looking forward to a proper shave with a proper razor and will be investing in some decent kit like soap and maybe a hand-held strop.

I will let you know how I get on.

When I began my adventure with straight razor shaving, I bought a real bargain priced set (brand name "Selective") that included a new strop and three new razors. I could easily judge the quality of the strop -- it was very cheap junk. I later bought a nice strop, handmade by Tony Miller.

The razors were another matter. They looked new and shiny, but they weren't sharp enough to shave with. After reading these forums I realized that I really had no idea how to tell if a blade was sharp or not. I decided to eventually get some honing stones and learn to sharpen up those 3 blades, but in the meantime, if I was ever going to know what a sharp blade feels like, I had better buy one that is professionally sharpened. I bought a new Dovo from SRD that came professionally sharpened. This is what I learned to shave with.

Later, I bought a set of hones and tried to sharpen the cheap new EBay razors. What a joke! The edges were not parallel to the spine, so sharpening them was not possible.

I have since bought some vintage razors on EBay. I had good luck with a seller named Altima55. When he advertizes a vintage balde as "shave ready", it really is.

Hope this helps.