Thread: Tugging and Pulling

I've been shaving for three days now and my new Dovo (shave ready) razor seems to be pulling and tugging. I got it from Vintage Blades and it says it was honed by Lynn so I assume that it is good. Anyone else think otherwise?

Also, I've been stropping pretty judiciously and don't think I'm doing anything out of the ordinary or have trashed my edge. I'm super careful so I'm not sure what's going on.

My lather and everything is fine - I'm an experienced DE user and get really great shaves with my slant-bar razor. Any ideas guys on why I'm getting this tugging sensation?

Could be you need practice to get the angles right. Or the stropping rolled the edge.

Is it really that hard to roll the edge though? I didn't do anything strange with my stropping.

Originally Posted by Forestsandman

Is it really that hard to roll the edge though? I didn't do anything strange with my stropping.

More pressure than needed and the edge can roll, I do not know how you strop just mentioned that it is possible that might be a reason.
We see a lot of newbies with the same issue of razor pulling, but most of the time it is user error. Some times it is a razor issue, hard to tell without seeing the razor in hand. May be the best way to address the problem is to talk to the vendor and see what they have to say.

How did your razor shave at first? If the edge sharpness has deteriorated then you might need more stropping. Are you getting good contact of the edge on the leather? There are many variables, if there is someone where you live that can offer you some mentorship and see the condition of your edge that will make things much easier, especially given that you have no point of reference with straight razors as far as sharpness goes.

When I first got it I would describe it as "okay". It didn't glide like crazy over the whiskers as expected. I sent the vendor an email to see what he thinks. I'll pay really close attention to my stropping tomorrow morning and see if that makes a difference.

The blade has seemed about the same the past three shaves.

One thing to note is I can whiddle hairs with it though so maybe it is sharp enough...

As a DE shaver we are used to extremely sharp blades. The edge on a straight, for the average user, is not as sharp. But the edge will shave you smoothly if your prep is good. Your beard must absorb water during the prep. You should feel it relax. If not, try washing your face with different soaps or lather until you find what works. DE blades let you get away with skimping on the prep. If you have a coarse beard and you want a close comfortable shave with a straight, you prep must be first rate. This is from personal experience.
Good luck.