Thread: Tearing me up.

K guys, i need some insight here. I am very new to all of this and I am having trouble with my shave, so if it's just me being new then let me have it. I have no problem taking criticism or admitting when I am wrong. With that out of the way, I received a new Dovo that was "professionally honed". Does not pass the HHT at all. I understand that the HHT is relative. I am ok with that, but the bevel looks uneven on this razor and it just tears my face up. As previously stated, if its just because I am new, then I will return to the sink and continue this endeavor. Pictures included, and this is not due to my stropping because these pictures were taken BEFORE the razor ever came in contact with a strop in my possession. Sorry for the BIG pictures, I wanted as much detail as possible.

I would recommend stropping it up and working on your angles. I am taking it for granted that your beard prep is OK. At this stage, the HHT simply pre-disposes your thinking regarding the razors ability to shave. 30 degrees or less with very light short strokes followed by longer clean up strokes. Have a read at the many posts with new folks having the same problems and getting better with practice.

Lynn

Ya, beard prep is not the issue. I have been wet shaving for years. Just recently made the jump from an old Gillette DE to a straight. I guess my major concern was just the bevel. Looks bigger on the heel and point and dissipates in the middle.

Judging by the edge on the blown up pics, it looks fine. Having honed it and tested it, it shaved well.

It is not uncommon for new guys to look to the razor for fault when they start out, but in virtually every case, it boils down to learning the proper shaving angle and practice.

Re-honing one is never a problem either.

Lynn

I've used that same model before. From the factory, they come "honed" but still not sharp enough to shave without taking off most of your face! I found that out the hard way when I first started using it. If it is only factory honed, it still needs a "professional" honing. Are you sure it was honed by one of the reputable dealers, like at SRD or Classic Shaving? If not, then it's not ready.
I know from experience that that Dovo will take a very fine edge and give an outstanding shave.
Even then, I have found that the professional honing jobs I have received, although very good and truly shave ready, still were not as sharp as I can get them myself, with a touch up on a leather pasted with CrOX, and then careful stropping. I have a tough beard and I need a very sharp edge.
So make sure you got it honed by one of the guys here, then, if you want to get into honing, check out the Wiki and honing forum for info on getting the edge even sharper with pastes, etc.
And also, of course, the angle that you hold the blade against your face has a lot to do with how the blade will shave. It won't cut well if you don't hold it just right. Like riding a bike, it takes practice. Check out the Wiki for diagrams on blade angles.

Gentleman I appreciate the excellent advice and information. I am slightly ashamed that I followed suit with so many beginning shavers and blamed the razor. As previously stated, when I am wrong, I admit it. I am wrong. Eliminating the razor from the equation will only bring me closer to that "perfect" shave.

Never to worry.

The objective is always to get you to where you can learn and enjoy straight razor shaving for ever.

Let us know whenever we can help.

Have fun,

Lynn

I got my first razor from SRD and I also thought my razor was not sharp enough. On the third shave I began to realize the blade was great, and I needed to use a different blade angle in order to take advantage of the blade. I am about two and a half months into straight razor shaving. The first week or two is the hardest, but it is also when you learn the most. I was hard headed and hadn't found SRP yet...so I shed some skin and blood trying to learn. After I found this site, I learned how important the razor angle and pressure really is.

If your blade is sharp (and it probably is), try using an angle where the spine of the balde is at an angle that looks like you just fit two or three quarters (twenty five cents) between the spine and your skin. Next you can try experimenting with the pressure of the blade against your skin.

If you have used a safety or electric razor you are probably used to using quite a bit of pressure against the skin. With a good straight razor you should try to just glide the blade between the lather and your skin. Using to much pressure was something that was hard for me to give up. The muscle memory of using pressure was learned over about 35 years of shaving and was hard to unlearn.

Once you get the angle and the pressure right, you will notice the shave is smooth and you will hear the whiskers cutting without feeling them cut. After this you just need to learn how to avoid razor burn by not going back to using to much pressure and avoid taking the blade over the same area more than necessary.

I am a person that learns by doing better than by reading or listening, so I am still learning more with every shave. I still go to SRP to learn from the more experienced shavers, then I experiment with the advice and information they provide. Now everytime I shave...I am rewarded with a great shave that lets me know I am on the right track to becoming proficient with a straight razor.

One tip I would give as a fellow beginner who is going through the same thing has to do with the light touch thing. The "visualization" I give myself when I am doing it is to "shave with my fingertips" rather than hold the razor in a death grip of sorts which I find myself doing often. This isn't to say use the motion of your fingers to shave, but gripping it there helps keep the touch light, gives a nice feel, and makes the blade more forgiving when you would otherwise hack up some skin.

Originally Posted by MrClean

Ya, beard prep is not the issue. I have been wet shaving for years. Just recently made the jump from an old Gillette DE to a straight. I guess my major concern was just the bevel. Looks bigger on the heel and point and dissipates in the middle.

The width of the bevel is controlled by the ratio of

. . . Spine thickness :: blade width

(which determines the bevel angle) and

. . . Blade thickness at the edge

If the razor has a thickness that varies from heel to center to toe, you'll see a matching variation in the width of the bevel. Such variation _does not_ affect the "shaveability" or "sharpenability" of the blade.

Keep practicing, I'm afraid . . .

"Too much pressure" is a common cause of razor burn. It's an easy mistake to make.



Charles