Thread: Razor sharpness

I am new to straight razor shaving and have a question!
I bought a CHEAP straight razor from ebay , primarily because I didn't want to spend alot without trying it first, and don't think it's sharp enough.

It's a Pakistani razor that was supposed to be "shave ready".
How much pressure are you using to shave?
Should you have to go over the same area a few times or just once?

I am trying to figure out if it's me or the razor!
Could of course be that myself and the razor aren't sharp enough at all to be straight razor shaving(LOL)!!

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks-Carmelo

Welcome to SRP. If you go to the SRP Wiki link below in my sig line you will find the beginner's guide. In it you will find 'razors to avoid' and the Pakistani razor you've bought will be one of them. Read the beginner's guide for starters and you'll have many of your questions answered but feel free to ask any additional questions you may have. As far as if it is you or the razor, it is definitely the razor but chances are it is you too. There is a learning curve to shaving with these things but it is well worth the effort to go through it.

Im not sure wich razor you bought(theres those that will shave but nothing close to comfortable and those that wont even consider getting sharp at all)

if you got one thats of the really unusable kind its time to start a dispute
Wrong item/ Bad replica because a razor is a tool for shaving and if it cant shave its not a razor

And id like the sellers of this crap to have as much trouble as humanly possible (in buisness not personal)

Originally Posted by janivar123

And id like the sellers of this crap to have as much trouble as humanly possyble

Thank you!

Pakistani razors are actually 'razor-like-objects' that have the appearance of a razor...and that's it. Since you got it off a seller on ebay, send it back and redistribute the money into a user quality blade from the classifieds. Alternatively, you can get a user razor from whippeddog.com

Hi there . Welcome to SRP. Good advice so far.

Originally Posted by en4sir2003

It's a Pakistani razor that was supposed to be "shave ready".
This is almost an oxymoron

How much pressure are you using to shave?
Enough to keep the blade on the face

Should you have to go over the same area a few times or just once?
A few times is ok & is known as "buffing"

I am trying to figure out if it's me or the razor!
As you're new it will likely be both but the razor is highly suspect
Could of course be that myself and the razor aren't sharp enough at all to be straight razor shaving(LOL)!!
As above

Any help would be appreciated.
I successfully honed a Pakistani razor once but the edge crumbled away in the first pass. If you're razor is pulling & uncomfortable it is likely the same.
Some magnification will help to see the edge. If you paid anything like decent money get a refund . Item not as described.

i have a razor i dont use that often, if you can cover shipping, i will send it to you, send me your addy. its not a name brand that i can tell, but it has a good edge to it, and it shaves great, i will throw it onto the 8k and the esher once more before i send it to you. this is my way of paying it forward, for all the things people have done for me on this site, all i ask is you do the same when the time comes.

Originally Posted by wvloony

i have a razor i dont use that often, if you can cover shipping, i will send it to you, send me your addy. its not a name brand that i can tell, but it has a good edge to it, and it shaves great, i will throw it onto the 8k and the esher once more before i send it to you. this is my way of paying it forward, for all the things people have done for me on this site, all i ask is you do the same when the time comes.

A true gentleman in EVERY sense of the word! You are to be commended!

Hello, Carmelo:

I am sorry to hear of your initial straight razor shaving being a bust. Blame the bad shave partly on lack of experience and partly on the razor.

If I may suggest, do not shave with the razor. Save it to practice honing in the future. Take up wvloony on his kind offer.

Also, I suggest to stay off eBay in the early stages of your shaving experience until you gain some experience. The Classifieds here have good razors for you to choose from. Don't forget the reputable vendors who advertise at SRP.

Regards,
Obie