Thread: Imperial Razor 20507 find!

Found this old blade in some junk my father in law and friend dropped off at different times.It had some rust and black stains that I cleaned off,then I ran it over an old hard ark stone I use for knives.Then I stropped it on an old leather belt I have.



I keep a full beard,so when I shave it's only my throat or neck if you like.So my first shave with this razor violated all your rules.I shaved my entire neck on the first try I used canned jell and a hot towel.

So what's with all the prep and money?

It's because we're all just bunch of fools that never tried to sharpen it on a hard ark and strop it with a belt....:P Either you're smarter than the entire community, or your question can only be answered by experience. Don't spend the money and you'll never find out. A puck of Mitchells ain't really any more expensive than canned gel.

Enjoy your shaves sir.

Ok who peed in your Captain Crunch?If this is how this board works,I'll go elswhere.

Many apologies Edwardd. I really didn't mean anything by it. It's hard to put a fun tone in typed words. Which parts are you not enjoying spending money on exactly? SR shaving is pretty affordable overall. The extra prep gets you a better shave, and several people use/have used Arkansas stones, and have used old belts to strop. I'm assuming if you're just shaving one small part of your neck, that it's not enough to really matter whether the razor is optimally sharpened. I noticed when I shaved my goatee off, that my perception of what was sharp and not sharp changed dramatically, when using the razor on my chin whiskers.
I hope this is more in line with your expectations. Please don't judge SRP by my previous comments. There are alot of great guys here, who probably have better advice than me too.

Yeah ignore Regularjoe! I do! Lol

Honestly the prep is up to you, i have a crazy waste of time prep before i shave, just so i can squeeze that last bit out of the "perfect shave". Once your into using a straight razor, it's like falling in love, your always chasing that perfect moment. Or rather that perfect edge/shave. My Prep is cheap but long...My only warning is: if you continue using a straight razor you'll end up beardless! Eventually.

I think a large part of the prep is for the experience and to make shaving more enjoyable. As others have mentioned A lot of people here are looking for the perfect shave not merely a serviceable one. I personally am still working to attain the perfect shave and have many miles to go on the "straight road". I also like doing it because it honors the history of my grandfather and the way shaves used to be. Anyways best of luck to you.

Thanks for all the replies people.I guess I should have given more back info to start.

A few years back I got a bad flesh eating skin infection and spent 3 years on antibiotics trying to kill it.As of now it's in remission but can come back.One of the things my doctor told me was to avoid using disposable plastic razors for shaving because they collect bacteria.Which would bring back the infection.His only answer was for me to use a straight razor that can be sterilized between uses.Thing is I live on a fixed income and can't spend a bunch at one time so finding that old imperial was great,you can't beat a free quality razor!Right now I'm looking for the serviceable daily shave,later given more funds I might persue the perfect throat shave.I have some nasty scars on my face from the infection so the beard stays.


For now I just need to learn what my grandad did and used on a daily basis for his shaves.Doctors orders ya know!

Originally Posted by regularjoe

I'm assuming if you're just shaving one small part of your neck, that it's not enough to really matter whether the razor is optimally sharpened.

No it's my entire throat from one ear to the other and all the way down to the base of the neck.

Well, sorry to hear about your troubles. I'd suggest spending some extended time reading information posted previously by other members. There's a little Google search icon below your notifications. You can type in things like "Arkansas versus barber hone", or "will an old belt work?", "Why beard prep?" and it'll send you to previous posts from other guys that asked the same question, and what the general concensus was. I haven't tried it with those to make sure. It's just a suggestion. The routines people use are what works for them, but if you find something else works for you, and it's cheaper, that's great. I use an India oilstone for part of my sharpening regimin. There's not too many people advocating that. But it was free. I hope you enjoy it here.

Justin