Thread: How to tell if a straight razor is sharp

Did you buy the razor directly from Invisible Edge. Steve from IE posts at theshavingroom.co.uk as Spartacus, he seems to have a very good reputation there. Look at the 'dovo straight razors' thread and there's a discussion about shave readiness, he says the razors he sells pass the hht. Get in touch with IE and see what they say. I've started using a pass around straight from tsr and I am not sure if it's pulling because of the razor or my technique, though it's getting better each shave so I suspect it's my technique.

I have been talking to him for the past two weeks about what kit I should buy. He is on holiday for a week now though. Will talk to him when he gets back.

Also I want to say he is a great guy and has been very helpful.

Okay, if the other razor has been shipped I'd wait until you get that then if you still have a problem contact Steve when he gets back.

Couple of points here gents...

These posts are one of the most common posts on this forum in the beginners section...
Steve, at the Invisible Edge has a stellar reputation as a Honemeister,
Testing the razors with anything but a "Shave Test" does nothing
Learn what an actual "Shave Test" is

Most everytime a post like this pops up it turns out to be anything but the edge of the razor, so look at everything else first before you call that into question..

Take the next week figuring out your technique and then if you still can't get it down, contact the vendor


@Fossala, you accepted the challenge that learning to shave with a Kamisori was going to be a bit more difficult, this is the reason why, most all the advice available on this forum is going to pertain to Western Razors, so you are going to have to work around that..
There is very little info for real "Beginners" on a Kamisori...

Here is what I can tell you,

Get really light on the pressure, if you push they won't cut
Get thinner on the lather so it glides easier
The correct angle is going to be difficult to find, wrong angle and it won't cut

This is only what I have found to be true you are going to have to find your own truths..

I touched up my shave an hour ago. Went better than the first shave. I think the razor could still be sharper though. If I'm still having problems in a week I may send it back and pay him to have a look at it. I want to make sure he doesn't come off in a bad light, he has been nothing but fantastic, best seller/shop I have ever dealt with.
EDIT: It is catching on my hairs, that may be the angle though, no?

Here is a video I did on kamisori shaving. This may help you with some angles and what not.



Hopefully this is helpful for you.
Glenn

Yeah, I've watched that many times over the last few weeks... The bloke got back to me, he said it passed HHT before he sent it. I will update the thread as I progress.

I say lather up and give it a go. work on the angles. The razor is for shaving, so see if it does. Learning to straight shave, initially, with such a razor seems daunting. Perhaps learning on a western grind and taking on the Kamisori after some experience is gained would be helpful? I have never shaved with one, but stropping it might be different than with westerns too.
Theinvisibleedge seems to have a stellar reputation from what I know.

Just to be sure, your best bet is to get the razor/razors honed many of the senior members offer honing or even get it honed by lynn. Contact them and see what they charge for a honing. To test my razors to see if they are sharp or not, i do the hanging hair test. Best of luck and Happy Shaving!!!
Josip

All my razors passed the HHT until SWMBO got her hair coloured (I used hers for the HHT - very fine and red) - this completely messed it up for me - now none pass.
Small changes mean a lot in this game.