I recently received a straight razor which I bought from the classifieds here at SRP, and it was to be shave-ready upon arrival. Razor was shipped very quickly and in good packaging. The first thing I did when I opened it was do the hanging-hair test. It didn't perform as well on this test as I had hoped, but then again I am very new and maybe it did just fine.
I tried shaving about 3 times with the blade, but was never really satisfied or comfortable with it's action on my face. It seemed to be "skipping" accros my stubble, not gliding smoothly like I thought it would (once again, I am a newbie).
So I decided to wait and give it a good stropping once my strop arrived, to make a final judgement on whether or not it was shave-ready when it arrived. After stropping, it seemed a little more sharp, but still did not provide a smooth stroke like I was hoping for. It still shaved me very close, but didn't feel quite right.
Maybe... 1. My shaving cream is bad (I'm using walmart brand gel-stuff until my brush arrives, so I can apply my Tabac), or 2. Maybe it's common for new guys to hold the razor improperly and thus have an unsteady draw accross the face, or 3. Maybe I am accidentally not going WTG, or 4. Maybe it needs a good strop.
Could it be one of these things, or should I send this out to be professionaly honed? Thank you