Is it safe for me to use a straight razor yet?

I got my Dovo Astrale, had it honed by Lynn, and stroped it, and used it.

And bad technique.

And after a few tries, I destroyed the blade. Then I attempted to re-hone it after a month (myself), and bad job of that yeah....

So I bought a Feather AC RG. The blade on that thing gets replaced every so often (so rarely), so no problems there. I can destroy blades as much as I want until I get it right.

And I have!

...

But that blade is so f@$*I*@$ harsh! It ALWAYS cuts me! It glides over the skin and then my face gets peppered with little red dots. My neck takes a beating from the thing (oddly, it shaves the neck with less pain than a DE... cuts the hair so easy).

The Astrale, as hard as it was to use when I started, couldn't cut me. It didn't even give me razor burn. Way, way better than the Feather.

At this point I can get a decent shave with the feather, though not without plenty of blood showing. Think it's safe to have my razor honed (or try my hand honing it myself on the Norton 4k/8k?) and try again? I just bought a Chinese 12k wetstone that I'll likely use with lather to fine-polish the blade, or perhaps an oil? I'd be tempted to use mineral oil (the laxative?)....

I'd send the razor out to get honed and in the meantime keep practicing with the feather.

Have you tried lessening the razor angle? Also, are you using pressure?

Get the razor honed. Then try just doing the easy parts of your face. Once your comfortable with those sections, expand...

Jordan

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Originally Posted by bluefoxicy

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But that blade is so f@$*I*@$ harsh! It ALWAYS cuts me! It glides over the skin and then my face gets peppered with little red dots. My neck takes a beating from the thing (oddly, it shaves the neck with less pain than a DE... cuts the hair so easy).
....

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I started with a replaceable blade straight and had a similar problem. For me part of the issue was caused by poor technique. My angles were steep, and I was using a bit of pressure. The other problem was the blade I used. It was a flimsy double edge blade meant for a DE razor. I tested a few other blade types, and found injector razor replacement blades worked best.

they were stiffer, so they didn't contort or flex while cutting the hairs. Try looking at your technique, and once you feel comfortable with that, maybe look at some other blade options for the feather.

Disposables are very unforgiving of bad technique and using the correct angle and pressure is of paramount importance. How did you destroy the straight through shaving? As has been said you start off slow with the easy parts of your face and advance when your ready.

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Originally Posted by Nolig23

I'd send the razor out to get honed and in the meantime keep practicing with the feather.

Have you tried lessening the razor angle? Also, are you using pressure?

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No pressure. The Feather's awkward, wedge with suddenly a thin protruding blade. Low angle, stretch the skin and ... yeah the feather drags a lot on my face.

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Originally Posted by jnich67

Get the razor honed. Then try just doing the easy parts of your face. Once your comfortable with those sections, expand...

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Oh good idea. The easy parts of my face are my cheeks and neck; under my chin and around my jaw is hard.

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Originally Posted by freyguy

It was a flimsy double edge blade meant for a DE razor. I tested a few other blade types, and found injector razor replacement blades worked best.

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Yeah that's the feather. I've considered thicker blades (Super Pros). I've used the ProGuard and Pros.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

How did you destroy the straight through shaving?

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Steep angle at some point and stray movements (like twisting or such) causing the blade to drag and roll. If you scrape your face with the blade at a really steep angle, you'll dull it. I've had really steep angles at some point, but also repositioning the blade on skin by rotating and dragging will quickly do it; you really need to lift the blade from the skin when not cutting hair.

Yes, the disposable razors are unforgiving. The key is to learn quickly on the shaving technique and face prep. Light touch and multiple passes always win! Starting out, the 3rd shave was always the best with the disposable blades because it was more forgiving for my technique.

I came from an M3 right into straight shaving with a disposable and it wasn't easy as 1,2,3. By the time I picked up a fixed straight, I had about 25 shaves in and I still had to gain an understanding of the stropping process.

A good face prep: Hot Shower, badger brush, and a good shaving soap went a long way in improving my straight shave experience.

The SRP Wiki has great advise for starting out. I had to re-read it several times and try it several times. Before I knew it, straight shaving was a smooth experience.

Pabster

A friend of mine got a straight razor neck shave and said it "hurt like a motherf*******" but gave him a smooth shave.

Something must be wrong.

I thought SRD had a certificate for one free honing when you bought a razor.

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Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I thought SRD had a certificate for one free honing when you bought a razor.

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My razor from SRD came with a coupon for a free honing. However, I don't know if Lynn makes the same offer when he hones a blade.

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Originally Posted by freyguy

My razor from SRD came with a coupon for a free honing. However, I don't know if Lynn makes the same offer when he hones a blade.

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No, he doesn't charge for 2 honings; he charges for 1. When you get a blade from him, it's honed, and he offers a free honing on top of it. After that, it's 20 bucks a pop.

From all I have read, sounds like you are using too much pressure. You may try less angle, but no pressure...i can't say it enough.

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

From all I have read, sounds like you are using too much pressure. You may try less angle, but no pressure...i can't say it enough.

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Thanks for clearing that up. I knew SRD razors came shave ready with a free honing on top of it, but didn't know if Lynn's personal honings came with the same offer. I didn't want to proliferate any misinformation.