Thread: how smooth can it be??

Originally Posted by q31

Is the smoothness people talk about, just as smooth as if you lathered up and ran a spoon over your face only it's cutting hair

Some razors can give you that illusion... until you apply too much pressure , wrong angle or lateral movement. Then you realise "There is no spoon"

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Some razors can give you that illusion... until you apply too much pressure , wrong angle or lateral movement. Then you realise "There is no spoon"

Only try to realize the truth, "There is no spoon!"

+1 to all of the above q31.
All my razors sound different to each other.
When I got my first shave ready razor from the classifieds here even SWMBO said that it sounded different to the others that I had honed myself without knowing how it should feel/sound.
I know it felt different. Having said that, I can feel the hairs getting cut by all my razors but I think that is more about my prep than the razors not being sharp enough.
I can't wait to get a wedge into my rotation so I can feel what others here say about them.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Some razors can give you that illusion... until you apply too much pressure , wrong angle or lateral movement. Then you realise "There is no spoon"

Would it be accurate to say that some razors just won't get as sharp as other razors?? It seems to me that I've gotten this razor as sharp as I could imagine, yet there is still some tug when I shave. Will there always be some tug or is it possilble to find a razor that is spoon smooth, seriously?

Some razors wont get as sharp or be as smooth as others. this could be due to wear or a cheaper Chinese razor but most razors should get shave sharp and if honed correctly should shave without any problems! What razor do you have? Do you have a photo?

Also, Saying that you have gotten the razor as sharp as possible wouldn't be as sharp as an experienced user could get it. In time you will fine that you get angles right and learn to strop the razor better to keep the razor sharper etc.

In saying "I've gotten this razor as sharp as I could imagine" Have you honed the razor or is that just from stropping it?

Originally Posted by q31

Would it be accurate to say that some razors just won't get as sharp as other razors?? It seems to me that I've gotten this razor as sharp as I could imagine, yet there is still some tug when I shave. Will there always be some tug or is it possilble to find a razor that is spoon smooth, seriously?

Sounds like your imagination may be limiting your honing Just kidding... kinda

It would be more accurate to say that most but not all razors can be made equally sharp but one razor may not hold that edge as well as another.

If the tugging is present from the first stroke it is not likely the fault of a quality razor. If the tugging occurs near the end of the shave it still may not be the fault of the razor but it becomes a possibility.

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.