Benefit of knowing what sharp is!!

I got a razor on ebay last week and spent a little time honeing it.
It cut the hair on my forearm so I decided to test with a shave this AM. Two stokes in I realized it wasn't sharp enough and pulled out old faithful that I had gotten very sharp. Finished with a great shave. The reason I was able to identify that it wasn't sharp enough before I hacked my face up was I had shaved with a very sharp razor before.
Now to the point. If you are new to staright shaving do your self a favor and get your first razor from someone in this group, who will sell you a very sharp razor. You will then have an idea of what it is supposed to feel like. I started with a new Dovo which was not sharp enough out of the box and had a frustrating start.

Thats an interesting concept, what a sharp razor feels like. I really don't know that there is any one feel to a sharp razor. I have a bunch and they all give excellent, smooth shaves yet they all feel a little different. On some you can't even feel them cutting while with others you can feel them cutting the hairs but they are still smooth. Certainly if a razor pulls or skips or cuts your skin or just won't shave you know something is wrong but is there really one feel that every razor should have?

I've noticed along brands the feel of a razor is similar. I have several DDs and Dorko's and they are among the quietest, smoothest and closer shavers. Some others just don't have the same feel to them. Would you therefore say that those razors need a bit more work or are there just individual characteristics to each brand and each razor?

I agree that there are some that feel different, but the way I tell is during my first strokes on my cheek, if the razor is not sharp enough the cheek is not smooth. By trial and error I know that if my razor does not clean the hairs on my upper cheek it will not begin to cut the tree trunks on my jaw and chin.

jmsbcknr

jmsbcknr,

Yes that is exactly what I meant. Thanks for making it clearer. Also a newbie may never have experienced a shave with a really sharp razor.

I agree with the above, I found out the hard way. It took me a while before I finally got some sharp razors from forum members. I wasted a lot of time and got frustrated. I had bought a few razors on the bay, but none of them were shave ready. All I got out of them was a lot of pulling and cutting myself for having to put too much pressure with dull edges.
Lynn sent me a great razor, and Lance put a proper edge on one of my ebay specials. From then on I had a reference. I got myself a norton from Ray, and now all my razors have become great shavers. I don't think it's possible to learn to shave without a sharp razor, and the same goes for learning to hone. The technique is simple, but you have to know what you're going for, what's sharp and what's not. There's a Dorko, a Filarmonica, a le Grelot from Thiers, a Wilbert, all give a different shave, but they all shave great and smoothly.

I wasted 8 months for not asking a member to send me a good razor that did suit me sooner! beyond all the tips and advice I found on the forum, I think THE best thing about it is the possibilty to get a proper shaver from members. Thanks to all of you out there, and if there's someone who needs some help in the UK, I'll do my best to help!