Thread: Worried - razor differences?

Hi folks,

I've received a couple of new razors in the mail this week, and have tried one of them out the last 2 days. It's a 6/8 quarter ground Wacker with a spike point and horn scales from John Crowley.

My question/observation is that it shaves completely differently to my other razor.

I started on a 5/8 Dovo Bismarck and after 4 or 5 weeks practice I can get a nice comfortable shave on 2 passes. But with the new razor, it seems to drag a lot more on across the grain passes. I have to take at least 3 passes and some touching up spots to get the same closeness as I get with the cheaper Dovo, and I also get quite a bit of razor burn which I wasn't getting before.

Is it normal for razors to shave completely different to each other? Both are fine quality steel, well ground, and are both perfectly sharp enough. Will I get used to "any" razor I try in time, or will some just not agree with me?

I'm hoping it's not down to the larger size of the blade, as I also have a 7/8 Henckels Friodur to try tomorrow and 7/8 Maestro in the mail!

Any observations/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It's a gorgeous razor and I don't want to have to sell it!

Thanks

It's not the size difference. The new blade just isn't sharp enough. Did you opt for Crowley's sharpening service when you ordered it? I don't think he sharpens them automatically anymore.

I've never noticed variations like that, but I don't keep a fleet of blades either. I'd think it has to do with honing variations or stropping issues. Since John's razor may have been a sharper more fragile edge is it possible you rolled the edge a little with the strop?

Have you tried stropping it with a taught strop and a little added pressure for a bit and then released back to a light touch?

What do you have available for honing?

Its possible to roll an edge simply by shaving at too steep an angle.

The three likely causes that occur to me in order are:
1. Rolled edge from shaving or stropping (wider blades have a slower cadence on the strop)
2. Its honed with too low a grit (pretty unlikely)
3. You left some honing "paste" on the blade (a long shot too)

Maybe someone with more experience with wider blades needs to chime in . . .

I agree with mparker. The razor needs honed. Virtually all new razors need honed. The bevels are never quite right straight from the factory, in my opinion. Properly honed, it should be an oustanding shaver.

Sorry yes I should have said, I paid extra for John to hone it before posting it out. I wondered about this after my first shave with it, so I gave it 15 very gentle passes on the 8K side of my Norton, then 3 strokes on the strop. I always try to be very gentle on the hone and the strop.

I have noticed a slight amount of roughing on the the strop after I strop in one direction, so I'm wondering if it's overhoned or I rolled the edge. I guess I could try some very gentle back-honing, then 15 gentle strokes on the 8K, and some light stropping.

It's odd, it shaves the hair on my arm perfectly and seems fine on a purely with-the-grain pass. Just across or against the grain it seems to pull a lot.

Originally Posted by Iwan

It's odd, it shaves the hair on my arm perfectly and seems fine on a purely with-the-grain pass. Just across or against the grain it seems to pull a lot.

That's not unusual, it just means it needs a little refresh on the hone.

This is a manly 1/4 ground razor, so it needs more time on the hone than those delicate little flowers you've been shaving with. I'd give it 5-8 no-pressure laps on the 4k, then if it's popping hairs do about 15-20 on the 8k, then work your way up with the pastes. But at each step it's gonna need more laps than you're used to.

I keep harping on this, but putting a little magic marker on the blade is invaluable for making sure you're getting even pressure and getting a good bevel. You can wipe it off when you're done with a little acetone, shaving lather, or oil.

I'm not sure the roughness on the strop means anything, some razors strop more smoothly than others, and that spanish point may be feeling funny on the strop. I've got a big 8/8 W&B frameback that feels terrible on the strop, but nonetheless strops up just fine and shaves beautifully.

Ok thanks I'll try that, though I may wait a few days as I have a pasted paddle strop on its way from Tony at the moment. So far I've been going from 8K --> strop and that's been ok, but the paddle will be better.

Cheers,

Iwan

You have been given some very good advice here. The only thing I noticed in your post was that you are stropping an insufficent number of strokes. The minimum for me and many others is 30 roundtrip laps on the plain leather strop just before shaving.


Hope this helps,

Randy Tuttle

Do you have a microscope or a loupe that you can examine the edge and compare it to your Bismarck with? Close visual examination has saved me a lot of test shaves and razor burn.

I got the same razor last week, but forgot to get the honing service from John. This weekend I took it to the Norton. Did a 3/5, 1/5, .5 paste then test shaved. No go. Then I did 1/5, 1/5, 3/5, 5/5, 1/5, 1/5 (testing on leg hair throughout), then .5 paste and test shaved. Again, not just there yet.

I've seen/read that "wedges" should be angled at 30-45 degrees while being honed (X-pattern). Does this notion apply to this razor and other 1/4 hollow grinds? What about 1/2 hollows? Thanks!

Jordan