Need advice on what I'm doing wrong

Okay so I started shaving with a straight about two weeks ago. Bought my first razor a TI silver steel full hollow 5/8. Straight from a website not honed I got it and couldn't resist shaving with it so I did once then logic kicked in and I sent it off to Lynn for sharpening... While it was out I "had" to buy another razor to fill in until I got the TI back. I bought a Dovo 5/8 full hollow French point from a different site this one came honed by none other then Lynn. I then was compelled to buy one more razor a swedish Rex NOS from holli4pirating. Both the dovo and Rex gave me better shaves then I felt I had anyright to expect being new... Little trouble with chin/upper lip which led to too many passes=razor burn but I was still pleased. Then on Saturday I received my TI back from being honed. Needless to say I couldn't wait for my whiskers to grow long enough to chop then off with my prodigal son razor (it was gone but then it came back). Finally come Sunday night I decided they were long enough for an easy shave. Well the TI worked okay for the cheeks, but seemed to do nothing anywhere else. I ended up having to grab the Dovo and finishing with it. Since I was in essence doing two shaves on top of one another I had to quit before getting a prefect shave as the burn was getting to be a little much. So basically I want to know what I am doing wrong... I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression I'm not saying the TI isn't sharp, it obviously is I've read enough here to know Lynn is more then reliable and since my Dovo was also sharpened by him I have evidence of it myself. So obviously I'm doing something wrong. The two razors are the same grind and size and I can't imagine what I am doing different. The tang on the TI is significantly bigger/heavier but I don't think I'm holding it any different... I'm going to try again next time but I'm looking for any pointers on what I should do differently. As it was the first shave with both razors I did not strop before using as per instructions. I'm also not super confident that my lather is perfect it's worked so far but I'm sure could be better. As for prep, took a hot shower and wrapped hot/damp towel around my face while I built up my lather. So to wrap up why is my TI not working as well as my Dovo both of which are honed by Lynn and both of which are 5/8 full hollows?

Thanks for your help

ps this was posted via my phone so please disregard any typos

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Originally Posted by thehekler

Well the TI worked okay for the cheeks, but seemed to do nothing anywhere else. I ended up having to grab the Dovo and finishing with it. Since I was in essence doing two shaves on top of one another I had to quit before getting a prefect shave as the burn was getting to be a little much. So basically I want to know what I am doing wrong
...

As it was the first shave with both razors I did not strop before using as per instructions. I'm also not super confident that my lather is perfect it's worked so far but I'm sure could be better.

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Hi,

If you are relatively new to straight shaving, you probably cannot reach a perfect shaves from the beginning. It takes some time and practice until you learn how your razors work.
Good shave isn't just about razor, but also about the lather and your skills and experience. Take your time to practice and you get better results. Little by little.
To your question i would say, as in my opinion, that if you can get good results in your cheeks but not elsewhere, then at least part of it comes from your technique.
Stropping might also help although there are some who do not strop their freshly honed razors. I always strop mine. Remember also that learning to strop properly takes some practice as well.
Better luck with your next shaves.

I can't answer for sure, but as you get relatively decent shaves from the two you already have, it is a bit mysterious.
Usually I'd say immediately, it's you. You're in need of practise, but it is strange that the shaves from the other two are ok.
Have you stropped it? Could be that you have rounded the edge slightly?
From your experience with your Dovo, you know that Lynn knows his stuff. He hones more razors than I can even imagine. It could be that there lies the issue. No disrespect to our esteemed leader! :bow It's just that the only other thing I can think of is that he is only human. Could be that one slipped through that isn't quite up to his standard. It surely has to happen one day?
May be worth you using the two you have till you have developed greater skills. In a couple of months, try the blade again & see if things have improved. Not ideal, but I just keep thinking, it can't be the honing!

I've been at is 2 months now, and the lip and chin still give me a hard time. They get a little easier with each shave, but the cheeks are a cake walk in comparison.

I had the same issue. It takes time to get your technique to the point where you do it the same way each time. Keep at it, things eventually fall into place.

What does it even mean???

Starting at the Sideburn line on a properly prepped beard, using your dominant hand, you should be able to use the razor with one WTG stroke to smoothly shave to the Jawline...The SR should remove the hair, it might not be BBS, but you should feel smooth WTG to the touch

The razor should not skip or pull, assuming you do two things correctly, one you have to use at least close to the proper angle, two you must shave with a confident hand...

Everything else is practice and technique...

Each razor can have it's own personality too, I have about 80 razors in my personal collection most are what most people would consider pretty close to the same, they pretty much fall into the 5/8-6/8 full hollow grind category, and some shave me way differently than others... Some are effortless, and others require a different touch and much thought... oh yeah, this is after 29 years :gl:

We have always said this is a fun hobby LOL

shot in the dark but when I have someone from this site hone my razors I don't strop for the first shave with it. If you stropped in your prep it could be inconsistent stropping undoing the hone work.

Then again each razor has it's own personality as Glen described.

Are you converting over from a Double Edge razor? When learning the DE, I used to get razor burn all the time at first, until I learned not to press down.
:gl:

Thanks for all the useful advice. To clarify as per the instructions I did not strop the razor after getting it. I simply rinsed off the oil that was applied to protect it and attempted to shave. I did strop it after my shave so any new problems I have with it are entirely my fault. Lynn has already made a more then generous offer to look at it again and I plan to take him up on the offer if I cannot figure it out over the next couple attempts. I know it's unreasonable but I was looking for a magic answer, something that I was obviously missing but would appear obvious to a more experianced str8 shaver. I know it's hard to pinpoint what I am doing wrong through a post but thank you all for the help.

Maybe it is the equipment and not the operator......;)

Thanks for the vote of confidence Ryan82, but just because I didn't screwe up the blade via stripping doesn't mean I did not error in another way. If I have learned anything from reading posts on this site it's that newbies like myself screw up in almost every possible way while blaming those that only look to help out... So I am extremly hesitant to point the blame when there is a 99.999% chance that the fault lies with me.

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Originally Posted by thehekler

Thanks for the vote of confidence Ryan82, but just because I didn't screwe up the blade via stripping doesn't mean I did not error in another way. If I have learned anything from reading posts on this site it's that newbies like myself screw up in almost every possible way while blaming those that only look to help out... So I am extremly hesitant to point the blame when there is a 99.999% chance that the fault lies with me.

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Nice to see humility in a newbie! You will go far here. Practice makes perfect.
:gl:

First off I would like to thank all of those that responded to my original post, especially those that offered advice and insight into possible problems that I was having. Second and most importantly I am glad to report that I have significantly improved with regards to the TI that I was originally having problems with. I found three main areas where I was able to improve and in doing so impove the quality of my shave and felt that others might gain by me sharing them.

1) Angle- I found that I was attempting to shave with too aggressive of an angle. Although I have read over and over <30 there is a large difference between 29 degrees and 15 degrees. Also the thickness of tang and weight of the razor as a whole caused me to hold it slightly differently then I did my two thinner razors, so I have learned that it is important to experiment to find the best hold for each individual razor.

2) Stroke- I read about scything but for some reason, fear/mental block/whathave you I was having problems implementing it. I'm still not confidant in my stroke but I have improved and it is getting more comfortable each time.

3) Lather/beard prep- while I had good prep I did not have as good a lather as I have begun to develop. Part of this is due to using a higher quality soap a tallow based "Fitjar" which I heartily recomend and also spending more time building the lather.

Well these are the three areas which I was able to improve which drastically improved my shave. Tonights shave in fact was so good that it reminded me to write a follow up to this post. Before tonight I did not understand how people thought they could get a closer shave with a straight that a DE. (ah the mistakes we make when we are young/inexperianced) well now if I had not just eaten my latest slice of humble pie I would say that I "now" know what smooth is. But alas for the time being I have been humbled and look foward to finding I am wrong and there are closer shaves out there.

I was going to write some random mistakes/things I have learned in a seperate post but figure this is a good a place as any, so here it goes keep in mind these are just my thoughts if you think you know better, you probably do and are welcome to correct me.

1) shaving in a new location with distractions is a no-no. Recently I was staying at a friends beach house shaving to start out tge day someone knocked on the door I turned and razor hit the faucet. :cen The words that left my mouth would have made Patton blush but when I calmed down I looked and saw the chip was almost non-exsistant and I was able to finish the shave with no I'll effects though I do plan on getting it honed out eventually though I'm not in a hurry.
2) practice stropping. Though I am not am expert I have found it to be extremly valuable and the more I improve the better shaves I get. You can always send your razors out to get honed, but you cannot AFAIK send your razors out to be stropped. I also find it to be a relaxing and enjoyable way to begin and end my shave
3) this one I learned just tonight. Do not move you gave and the razor at the same time. Maybe this is unique to me but tonight as I was finishing up under my nose I brought the razor it while turning my face for a better angle and SLICE!!!! My best cut so far.
4) alum rocks have a strangely unique and addivting taste. I'm not saying they taste good just that they are like nothing else and that that first taste of your lips after using one is an eye-opener.

Well that's it for today thanks for listening!!