Thread: New guy here From Ohio.

Hey all. I'm new to the straight shaving scene. I purchased a maxam razor ( i know I know, not the thing to get) But I didn't want to break the bank and destroy a good razor. It came (shave ready) and I stropped it according the videos found on this sight. My first shave felt great. Only one little nick under my nose was all the damage I collected. The second shave, which was several minutes ago was also wonderful, felt very smooth and comfortable. The razor doesn't seem to be as sharp as the first time though. Perhaps its my imagination, but while doing the "hair Test" the blade didn't cut the hair. But when I shave it seems to do well. After cutting against the grain on my cheeks I still feel a little resistance on my fingers when I rub them up my face. is this supposed to be normal? also, is stropping 30 to 50 times ok before and after my shave? how often should I use the linen strop and what exactly does it do? Oh, I strop with an illinois 206 with #354 fromm's strop paste. is this ok?

Hello and welcome to SRP!

Since you are new to straight razors,the best advice I can give you is to read this... http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...zor_Place_Wiki
You will find answers to your questions and even some questions you haven't thought of yet. Once you have absorbed all you can,pop into chat and we will help you in any way we can.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure.

Gary

Ah thank you. I've read all that already ha ha. thanks verry much. I will try to figure out whats going on. I think my problem is an overactive imagination.

The linen is a bit of a mystery, but about a dozen laps, then the leather strop before a shave seems to make it cut the better. Otherwise your stropping regimen seems optimal.

X

welcome to srp

i would've thought that thing won't be able to shave, but it seems that it does the job for you. typically shaves get better not worse though, so if you're not falling in that pattern it could be a bad razor, bad stropping, or anything else.
the hanging hair test is not going to be useful for you, concentrate on shaving.

Where are you located in Ohio? Maybe there is someone close to you that would be willing to help you.

Originally Posted by Bill S

Where are you located in Ohio? Maybe there is someone close to you that would be willing to help you.

I'm in elyria actually. near cleveland ohio. I think my biggest issue is actually the razor its self. I'm not too sure. the blade seems to be decent for shaving, no irritation or anything but the hht doesn't seem to cut. I'm at a loss for words.

i had a couple of those razors and i could not keep an edge on the things. they are really hard to hone and not really worth the effort since they will not hold the edge. you might want to look in the classifieds here and try and find a shave ready straight. i think you would have better luck than what you have now...

The Illinois strop is a decent one, you should be fine with that. Just make sure you have some fine sandpaper or a pumice stone for when you nick it (which you certainly will - everyone nicks their strop at some point).

+1 on 59caddy's suggestion - get a cheap shave-ready razor from the classifieds. Ignore looks if money's an issue. Use that til it needs honing, then send it away. That way you'll have a decent shaving razor that's known to be good, and that will last you for a few months.

Also, ignore the HHT (hanging hair test) - it's a parlour trick, not a reliable test, as it can be affected by so many factors. I have several blades that never pass the HHT, but all shave me just fine - the shave quality (smoothness and closeness) is the best test of all, and the one that most accurately reflects the condition of the edge.

Ok sounds great thanks guys! I think I should probably get myself a new blade then. though it's a cheapo the maxam razor seems to shave decent, I may just be in my own little world. I was looking at a dovo from amazon.com but I'm not sure if it's actually real dovo or not. it's being sold by royalshave but I'm jsut not sure. I'll have to check the classifieds here.