new to straight shaving help!

Hi i have been shaving with a straight for about a month,started off shaving a balloon (don't laugh) to get accustomed to the feel of the straight and i have built up to shaving my face and head with no problems however my razor needed sharpening so i honed it and stropped it myself to the point it was sharp enough to pass all the tests including tree tops and hanging hair but when i shave with it it like shaving with a butter knife could i have ruined the blade ? It does shave but not very well and it feels like its really tugging at my skin my lather is good i also tried hot and cold method and i use oil under the lather . Any suggestions ? i used various welsh wet stones finishing on a 12k stone and its my first time honing but i practised on a old razor first and really took my time about 5 hrs actually but 5 hrs doing it good or bad i cant really say just looked at loads of utube vids first.

Hey. welcome to the forum and I am not laughing at the balloon trick either. Read somewhere that is used to teach barbers, makes sense to me. No I don't think you ruined your blade. It is funny how many times people seem confused that the blade passes "tests" but does not shave well. The only test that counts is the shave, as you now know. Anyhow, you might want to prove a little more info on what hones you used, how you did the honing and if this is your first time honing a blade. That will help people make some suggestions to help you improve on your honing and get a good sharp edge.

Bob

Most initial honing attempts are about as successful as most first dates. Mine was, in both cases.

thanks for your comments i have added some more info also i should say its a enzo England razor which i have read lots of bad reports about so may need to just buy a new razor now i am a little more informed

The Enzo razor just may be the problem but members with more experience will likely comment. It is on the forums razors to avoid list Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki .

Bob

yes i spotted that earlier didn't exactly fill me with joy think i will save time and money and just buy a trusted brand rather than getting this one honed. I was thinking of buying a cheep shave-et in the meantime so i don't loose my feel for using a straight until i can get enough to buy a good straight or is that not a good idea

You could buy a shavett, but I would check the classifieds here or buy a sight unseen razor from whipped dog. There are a lot of good deals out there. Plus if you want to practice your honing you could do it on a quality razor that didnt cost a lot of money.

hi thanks for the advice it got me thinking i have a very old razor that may be worth restoring for £25 worth a shot thanks

I would suggest buying a used razor that has been honed from one of the vendors on this site. Do focus on ONLY two things right now. Stropping. Shaving

thanks for the advice i just received my dovo and have had a few shaves , what a difference! thanks guys :-)

I'm actually very impressed that for someone who seems to be newish to straight razor shaving (as I read it) you shave your head. I've only ever done that once with a DE...

thanks i have been shaving my head with a SR for years so its a natural progression i guess but i should say it takes for ever compared to a SR but the result is well worth it.its like anything i suppose if you have the drive to do something don`t do it well do it great.