Is it me or my new blade?

So I bought a straight razor on ebay. Pretty cheap price but it is stainless steel and has a nice faux-motherofpearl handle.

Anyway, I hot toweled, used and exfoliating scrub, hot toweled again, then Proraso and rubbed it in well. No matter what angle I put the blade up against my face it will not cut the hairs by simply pulling it across the skin. Even if i "chop chop" down with it the knife barely cuts hairs off. Do they need to be sharpened out of the box or is the knife junk or is it my technique?


Here is the knife

Master USA Barber Straight Folding Razor Functional - eBay (item 390101961049 end time Nov-03-09 00:26:56 PST)

Oh man. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that is indeed a knife, not a straight razor. There are several brands which are just no good aside from the latter, Kriegar, Zeepk and various others. Look at brands to avoid in the wiki.

That master USA is made from low quality steel and poor workmanship from what I have heard and will be unlikely to take and or hold and edge.

If you want to find a cheap straight razor that will shave properly, and not a razor shaped object, please check the classifieds for a shave ready razor.

What scipio said. Here is a link: Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki

So its not me!?

Are you guys saying that this came to me not sharp enough and its probably not worth trying to sharpen it further?

Welcome to SRP. :) So you got a bad razor. Time to start over. This time, with a little more education under your belt, your straight razor experience will be better. :)

The best place to start is the Beginner's Guide.

Straight Razor Place Wiki:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Good luck with your next purchase. :)

Oh man,,this is like telling someone he has aids. Sorry about that straight bro but always look on the bright side keep it and practice your honning and stropping with it.

do not worry, we all have made mistakes...i even bought one of those before i found this site...read everything you can find here. look in the classifieds for a shave ready blade..do not give up. you will find in the long run that you will enjoy this type of shaving once you get everything you need. everyone here is very helpful...good luck

Welcome to straight shaving and the forums!

I'm sorry you have had this bad experience. My first straight experience was similar. I had been researching for quite some time but hadn't started buying yet. My mother bought me a wonderful zeepk kit (razor, strop, brush, brush holder, and a puck of soap) for Christmas... I already knew they weren't of the highest quality, but I figure what the heck. Couldn't hurt to try right? The short answer is: WRONG! My face hurt for a week. I managed to get close to a BBS shave (amazingly) but I learned my lesson about sharp razors immediately.

Here is a link to the classifieds: Main Index - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Take my advice and make good use of them. Your face will thank you!

Regards and happy shaving,

Sean

Hi, and welcome to the forum. What they said...

I read the list on Ebay and you can get your money back if you so desire. It might be a cool knife? Check our classifieds here. You should be able to find a razor. Good razors are not cheap, and cheap razors are not good. A new qualtiy straight razor out of the box, like Dovo will run about 80 bucks, give or take. Straight Razor Designs is having a sale on them right now, it will be honed by Lynn Abrams, and it'll be good to go. If you decide to go on the classifieds and need help, Most anyone here would be glad to help you, or PM me. Welcome......

Rich

Welcome to SRP. Sorry to see you got a bum razor. To answer the 'is it me' part of your question .... until you go through the learning curve and pick up the preparation, lathering, blade angle and light touch it will be you even with a shave ready razor. Just be patient and persistent and follow the tutorials in the SRP Wiki and you'll be getting bbs shaves sooner than later. Here is a post by SRP founder Lynn Abrams on starting out shaving with a straight razor. :gl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zib

Good razors are not cheap, and cheap razors are not good.

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Right on , Zib ! It's a shame that they are allowed to call these things razors . They are not razors . They look like razors , but the steel and heat treat are far short of what is needed for a functional razor .

Oh look a soap box!

Those are pretty poor razors, you can ask an Admin to change your user name too if you want.

As you mentioned you didn't spend much, so not much loss on that one.

Buy a real razor and start over again.

Never, never, never use a "chop-chop" method with a real straight. I don't have any idea what that is, but keep your face and no "chop-chop", okay?

Now, soap box in place.

Its never a question of "is it you or the razor", you are always responsible for both. So, to answer your question, its still you. So, choose a good blade and learn how to use it (to include honing and stropping). But, its not really the razors fault, even though you'd be better off with a spoon.

Okay, down from my soap box.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by USA1

So its not me!?

Are you guys saying that this came to me not sharp enough and its probably not worth trying to sharpen it further?

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Its sad but oh so true!:boohoo:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AFDavis11

you'd be better off with a spoon.

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*stares at a spork*
*stares at the forge*
*stares the sharpening stones*
:D

:chop:Chop Chop is baaaaddd! Sorry about the razor :( It sucks to get robbed. I have to tell you I have purchased some very nice shave-ready razors from the classifieds here. I've never been sorry. SRP has a hoard of straight shaving information that will take you away from chop chop and on to smooth BBS shaving glorious goodness.

I like what I see on razor designs. I will try and find something there and with the 10% off DOVO sale I will probably go with that brand.