Thread: Watch those spike points!

Originally Posted by mparker762

I'm gonna have to disagree with you X. I've got a Union Spike too (I'm assuming that's what you meant by your "Spike" brand) and it's as I described it, the part of the tip near the spine looks like a square point, but about midway down the blade it angles forward just a bit towards the tip.

I think you've got an anomoly there. Not wanting to start a fight, just sticking my wet finger up to the wind and it feels to me like the vast majority of straight afficianados have always used these terms interchangeably.

X

Yes I can relate to watching what and how to handle those spike points or square points, whatever they are.

I'm currently wearing my spike point mistakes. I have a very nice cut both sides of my face, running from the top of the ear to lobe. You would have thought I would have learnt after doing it once, but to do it twice.

My excuse is I wear specs, and for those sides of my face I take them off. The razor is sooo sharp that you can't feel it cutting, and I'm doing everything by feel as I really cannot see what I'm doing.

So I will have healed enough by the end of the week to resume shaving, and hopefully I have learnt my lesson. The razor by the way is a DD wonderedge.

John

I too was nervous about learning with a spike. You just have to pay attention the same as any other sharp knife. Today I don't know what I would do with a roundpoint, the spikes let me get close to and perfectly define my ring beard in a way inever was before.

I actually had 2 good scars on the right side of my face, seperated by about an inch and both happened on the down stroke. The only thing (other than being square points) that I can deduct is that these razors were both sharpened by very experienced sharpeners who hone many razors.
I think that a honemeisters razor should be used as a referrence only until you can get your sharpening skills up to par. If you're using a straight every day, it may take a month or so. I am of the thinking that there are 2 learning curves that should cooincide; shaving and sharpening. If one gets ahead of the other, bad things will happen, either it will be razor burn or war scars. BTW-Mine are all but gone now and it's been over a year, but a good summer tan may cause them to reappear, who knows.
Anyway, don't throw away your spikes (or squares, whatever) because I think you will learn to like them as skill improves. I love my square points for putting an exact edge along my side burns.
Good Luck,
Fred

I think everyone here, especially those that have been straight shaving for a while are used to doing their normal routine with the normal strokes like they always do and for some strange reason on this day we do the newbee thing and the sharp pain and the line of red stuff and we say "how the hell did I do that, I never do that" must be evils spirits or the full moon or I knew I shouldn't have used that grim reaper, that little guy put the hex on me.

Yea I know bunches of guys say I never ever nick myself and I say if thats the case I'm the King of England. No matter the style of razor we all have our errors. I don't think the style of razor matters once you used them all. For a newbee the spike is just one more thing to be concerned about when your starting but after that its not an issue.

So whats my point here, well as a matter of fact this morning I was shaving with my DD Grim reaper and that little guy put the hex on me. That sharp spike got me might smack dab on my adams apple. Nothing serious but it sure got my attention. So just be careful with all razors and everyone's homework assignment is to reread my axioms of shaving. There will be a quiz next week!