Thread: Baffled by needing many passes

First post here - thanks for the resource! Started shaving this week with a strightrazor. The thing I can't figure out is the number of passes. My first pass results in very little hair removed, and I'm always doing at least four passes before it looks like a real shave. I must be doing something wrong, but what? My blade was honed by a service, and I'm wondering if maybe I messed up the blade the very first time I stropped, when I didn't understad how to flip the blade and flipped in over on the blade side instead of the spine. any ideas? thank you!

Sounds like you rolled the edge to me. My first wtg pass knocks off all the stubble & leaves me pretty slick in that direction.

After a shave like that, with so many passes, do you have trouble with irritation or razor burn?

Edit: I'd recommend sending it to be rehoned. While its out you might consider getting a straight that uses disposable blades like a shavette or feather artist club. That would allow you to practice shaving with a known good edge every time while you're getting the basic stropping technique down. Straight shaving has a lot of things to learn all at once, good prep, making a good creamy lather that'll cushion the blade, stropping & so on.

Give your strop technique another try before sending it off for another hone job. Give it a hundred laps or so, and try it again. May be just the angle of the razor on your face.

4 passes is a bit much to start with. Re-read the Wiki, look at the videos, and try just your sideburns and cheeks in a single pass. If you are satisfied with the results there, it's probably your technique that need a bit of refinement.

One step at a time. You will get there.

One pass should leave you pretty well off. After a couple months of learning I started on multiple passes and I find that its not always necessary. With that said, +1 to both of what was said above. First try a good stropping and if that's not working you might want to send it off to fix the edge.

Ken, if I rolled the edge, can proper stropping recover it? I've been stropping properly for four days now, and my shaves get better every day, although its impossible to tell if its me or the blade.

It's hard giving rookies advice because there are so many things that can be wrong. It can be the razor, it can be your lack of experience and technique. There is a learning curve and it can take months to get really good shaves so since you just started this week I'd be leaning towards the experience and technique thing. You can test the razor by doing an easy part of the face like under the sideburns. You should get a good result if your razor is proper sharp unless of course your skills are really off.

Originally Posted by medicineball

First post here - thanks for the resource! Started shaving this week with a strightrazor. The thing I can't figure out is the number of passes. My first pass results in very little hair removed, and I'm always doing at least four passes before it looks like a real shave. I must be doing something wrong, but what? My blade was honed by a service, and I'm wondering if maybe I messed up the blade the very first time I stropped, when I didn't understad how to flip the blade and flipped in over on the blade side instead of the spine. any ideas? thank you!

The memories of my learning how to straight shave came flooding in while reading your post. First of all, don't blame yourself for any difficulties you are having. Second, the strop isn't going to dull your blade. Third, there is no time limit on how long it takes to learn or how long it takes to shave. You will naturally take less time as you gain experience. Fourth, until you get the routine down you will, out of necessity, distract yourself while pre-determining your angle and movements with the razor. And finally, you'll eventually know what to do without thinking about it and get the results you want.

This video taught me the most about shaving:


These three videos are among those that taught me stropping:

1. straight razor stropping - YouTube