Quote Originally Posted by smills View Post
Hi. only been on SRP for a short time, seen the suggestion to dull a bad razor even more then use it to PRACTICE stroping or even shaving. What I don't understand is.... how do you practice if you can't check your results(if your not doing it right you are only reenforcing a bad habit)?
I think the thing is: If you use a dull blade and go slowly, you can actually see your mistakes as you strop. Some of the most common mistakes are visually obvious, see here. If you happen to have a brain fart and roll the blade over its edge - or worse - smack the edge against the hardware or something, at least you won't have ruined a good razor. True, the finer points may be learned with a "real" razor, but using a dull razor is a way to learn without the risk. This is really about perfecting a new technique and getting your muscles to memorize the feeling.

In addition, if you're just starting out you'll be hard-pressed to say a rough shave is because of improper stropping as opposed to poor shaving technique, bad lather, ineffective prep, etc. etc. (Unless you've perfected those already ) So I don't think, "How can I see the results?" is a real concern for a newbie. There are a lot of variables that just take time to get the hang of.

Carefully strop at a slower, deliberate pace and watch, feel and listen to your technique. Then, when you go at it on your shaver you can be confident you did it right.