Thread: Unsure if this counts as a razor 'pulling'.

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

Try holding your skin tight and moving the razor slowly while conducting a shaving stroke and see if that helps lower the skipping.

Don't send it out yet, wait for a little more experimentation.

If you bought a razor in the classifieds here and you feel there is a problem please contact the seller and discuss with them before taking it public. Maybe it's the razor maybe it's you but the first place to start is with the seller.

When I was first getting started I had most of the problems that you seem to be having, as I suspect most of did. The easiest thing to blame is the razor, if a seller on the SRP classified said it was shave ready it mosy likely will be, since they all test shave with them before they are sent. My first razor was sharpened by the king honemiester, even with that my first couple shaves tugged and pulled, but as soon as I started to make more confident strokes, narrowed in on the correct angle, and started to feel more comfortable with the gripping the razor, the pulling went away. A bit further down the road, once the pressure I was using lessened to about the right level, my stropping improved considerably, my lather making skills improved and I learnt how my beard grew, the irritation went away, for the most part. Str8 shaving has a huge learning curve, and even though a sharp razor is essential, learning the other skills is where the most improvement will come from, since that is where most begining problems lie. Imo the angle is the hardest to get right, because I think we have lots of bad examples of str8 shaving, in our subconscience. from the shows we have watched, where they all seem to use about a 90 deg angle. It seems that if the angle is too steep, over 30 deg, it causes pulling, too shallow and it goes over the top without cutting the whisker, get it narrowed down and a smile will suddenly appear on your face, and every whisker will wash down the sink.

Keep at it and it will come, but trust your razor, it will do its job, if you do yours. However if a week or more of shaves goes by and you are still not seeing any improvement, and you honestly believe you have nothing left to add to your technique, contact the seller.

I am a n00b myself but it sounds like angle and loose skin. Pull your skin tight bro and try a less aggressive angle.

Being a FNG to straights, i also having the same problem about not removing any hair. Jasongreat just gave me the insite that i needed. He said a shallow angle will make the blade glide over the hair without removing any. I think that is one of my problems. Thanks Jason for unknowingly helping me with a big issue.

One other thing to take into consideration is the length of the stroke. If you're trying to use a straight like a DE or some other form of shaving implement ..... and you're new at it .... chances are you won't be happy with the performance. Taut skin, correct blade angle and short strokes. So a half inch to an inch at a time. Trying to glide the length of your cheek at a newcomer's level of expertise is not good ..... assuming that is what you're doing.

thanks to all for the responses. I see that I could improve in several departments.

As for pulling the skin taut, however... When I try to pull my skin tighter, my finger just slips on the shaving cream, and I cant really pull it tight. Maybe when I start using my Tabac this will help, or maybe i should grip my skin where there isn't any lather... I'll look into the stretching topic on some of the other forums.
Thanks again all!

Try to find a routine where you are always stretching from a spot that has already been shaved, and try to keep the stretching hand free of lather and water. It will take some time atleast it has for me and I am still refining it day by day. It seems like I have read some posts on using an alum block on your fingers to give a little more grip, but I havent ever tried it. Also, IIRC, there are a few shaving videos in the wiki, along with all sorts of other useful info, and there are a ton of vids on youtube, where you might find a little inspiration. Str8 shaving takes a little longer to get all figured out than we hope at first, I still learn something every day, usually a reminder of what not to do, but the next shave is usually better because of it. No pain, no gain.

Originally Posted by BabysBottom

thanks to all for the responses. I see that I could improve in several departments.

As for pulling the skin taut, however... When I try to pull my skin tighter, my finger just slips on the shaving cream, and I cant really pull it tight. Maybe when I start using my Tabac this will help, or maybe i should grip my skin where there isn't any lather... I'll look into the stretching topic on some of the other forums.
Thanks again all!

What I do is start with a WTG (in my case down) pass on my side burn. I reach over my head and pull up with my offhand above where the blade begins the stroke. Once that stroke is made I have an area where the lather is gone and I can stretch from there. As I progress I continue to remove lather and give myself new stretching platforms. If I am doing an XTG or an ATG say on the neck I would start by pulling the skin taut with my fingers below or behind where the lather begins. BTW, when I stretch the skin I don't pull it drum tight. More like taut. Snug it up rather than getting in a strain trying to pull it like stretching a rubber band to the max.

I happen to have a towel rack immediately to my left where I shave. If I get lather on my stretching fingers I just reach over and wipe them off. If your shave area isn't situated that way a towel over one shoulder is handy to keep the stretching fingers dry. As you gain experience you'll find new ways to grip the razor, stretch the skin, angles of attack. All of it comes in time. IMO a razor should never pull. If it does it is either your technique or it needs to be sharper. Smooth shaving.