Thread: how smooth can it be??

Originally Posted by q31

I'm sure that my edge is good and my razors are sharp.

If you are sure about your razors, then the variables are your preparation and technique, particularly the shave angle. It was certainly true in my case that as my technique improved, the razors felt "sharper"

Originally Posted by q31

I'm sure that my edge is good and my razors are sharp.

I'm sure I'm gods gift to women, but most would disagree hehe

Sometimes, even when we are sure, we may still be wrong.

But I am sure I'm gods gift to women (joking of course.. But i can wish)

IME it takes time and practice to discover the optimum angle and stroke for each area of your face but over time it all falls into place. I've been shaving, not exclusively, with a straight since May 2010 and still I'm improving, I get a very close shave now but its never quite BBS. That said BBS is IMHO not something to go all out for, whiskers will always grow back and trying too hard can lead to irritation. If it happens then alls good but if it doesn't then that's no big deal either.

I've been doing this for several years and the only thing I'm certain of is that my razor could be sharper.

Not that I have years of experience but what helped me a great deal was keeping a shave journal for each of my razors, I would take note of how the beard prep was done, the stropping, the way I shaved (WTG, XTG, ATG) and as much details as I could, that way I could change one thing at a time (such as stropping, beard prep, etc....) and see what kind of change it made in my shaving. But there are some razors that no matter who hones them just don't cut it, 90% of the time it's the one who wields the razor that's doing something wrong. Greets Ron

Good shave makes your skin as smooth as skin of a child. I'm rather old, my hair is hard, but I manage this effect. That's fantastic!

Oddly enough we still don't know what kind of razor you are using or what kind of progression you are using while honing or how many razors you have honed...

Perhaps you could tell us and we can eliminate some of your problems...

Should my shave be as smooth and tug free as a new mach 3 or the likes or am I playing with a whole different box of crayons with a straight razor?

I think you are over-thinking it. It's just shaving, not rocket surgery, enjoy it for what it is. A properly honed straight, with good prep, and good technique can still give you a slight tugging sensation, not painful or uncomfortable necessarily. There are way too many variables to make a blanket statement that applies to all straight razors and all shavers, everyone experiences it a little differently. Some steels take and hold a better edge, and yes the properties of the different grinds make a difference in both sound and feel.

If you are confident you have a shave-ready blade, just experiment with prep and technique until you achieve the "smoothness" you are comfortable with. Don't over-think it.

Originally Posted by q31

Should my shave be as smooth and tug free as a new mach 3 or the likes or am I playing with a whole different box of crayons with a straight razor?

I'm sorry, did you just use the terms "tug free" and "mach 3" in the same sentence? I am no master shaver by anyone's stretched imagination least of all mine, and I have had less nicks, cuts, burn and tugging from my straight, even when I was playing around before I got my stones and sharpened it with some 2000 wet'n'dry, than I ever had with a mach 3. There wasn't a shave went by that thing didn't try to amutate part of my face.