Thread: "Smooth shave" / Comparison of Str8 vs DE

I have 2 razors prepped by highly thought of honemeisters from this forum (they will remain unnamed as I do not wish impugn their names with something that is likely my lack of experience), and I cannot describe my experience with them as smooth. However, my frame of reference is a DE with Merkur or Israeli blades. In comparison, the str8 seems to tug considerably, and leaves me with some irritation (though it always passes within a few hours). I have a very course tough beard, and I have read that cutting dry beard hair is just as damaging to an edge as the same diameter copper wire, I could believe it with mine.

I have put extra effort into my prep. For example, I gave up on my chin on one shave and picked up the DE, and the DE went through the beard like a hot knife through warm butter. I have also experimented with angles, and I can't get much flatter to my face without touching the spine down, but adding any additional angle seems to make the tugging worse.

Additionally, I get a scraping sound as I am shaving that I am not used to with a DE or cartridge.

So I guess what I need is for someone with more experience than I have to help me set my expectations, and provide some comparisons of the differences they experience between a DE and a str8.

Thanks gents!

A couple of quick points ...... You didn't mention stretching the skin as you go with the straight razor. That's right behind a keen razor and good prep in importance.

Remember, too, that the straight razor requires at least a couple, if not three passes, to work its magic. The DE or other T-razors with mutiple blades often take only a single pass.

It is usually the case that a straight razor, even a keen one, will leave a little irritation for the first week or two of steady use as your skin adjusts to the blade. If you get irritation beyond that, you may need to adjust your shaving angles and/or add extra post-shave disinfectants and moisturizers.

uthed,

I think I do a reasonably decent job of stretching the skin.

By saying that I need to make multiple passes are you implying that perhaps I am "pressing" too hard to try to get an acceptable single pass shave?

In answer to the question now that I have raised it, I don't think I am, especially around the "chinstrap", as I really don't know if I could be any lighter there, but I will try.

Thanks for the reply, but I am still looking for the answer to the main question, but I think the actual question I asked is not what I meant.

I am not speaking of smoothness of the face, but rather am looking for smoothness of the razor over the skin. To be more descriptive, I guess I am asking about he sensation of the actual cutting of the hair. Given proper prep, should does a str8 normally feel like it is tugging more than a DE.

In my experience so far, the str8 feels like a DE blade that has been used for a couple of weeks.

This is a difficult question. I believe it does tug a little more than a DE. But I think the "more" amount is really really small. Unfortunately it has a lot to do with the sharpness of the blade. Typically, from what I have seen, and I don't mean to psycho analyze your post, is that guys who receive a honed razor from a master honer, shave, and report poor results and then post about it, without mentioning stropping, are missing one of the important steps in the process.

Stropping is a lot harder than it looks or is discussed. Most guys will send you a great razor but the stopping part is still in your hands.

Do you have anything that allows you to hone the blade even a little? It may need to be rehoned.

Please describe how your stropping the blade?

I suggest a very light touch on a taught strop, about 20 passes. Are you doing this?

Also, I have received some great razors from honemasters but they just weren't up to my speed. I think they were either too sharp or just not right for me. Yours may need some different work to it. This "customization" is one of the most beautiful parts of straight shaving. i prefer blades that aren't as sharp as most people.

You also may need to use a 1/2 hollow razor or a 6/8 width for your beard type, but the problem to me seems to be in the stropping. I can shave with a good 4/8 and love them, and I too have a heavy beard.

A lot of guys will tell you a DE is smoother than a straight but I have had some really nice shaves with a straight being very, very, smooth.

I have been doing 30 light laps on linen and then 30 on plain leather.

I don't think my issue is stropping. I have an ebay special that I have been working on, and it will pop hairs on the middle of the blade prior to stropping, and then on the heel and middle after stropping.

I am still trying to get it to pop them toward the toe before I try shaving with it.

Pardon me if I weigh in here. I have a very thick, coarse, fast-growing beard. My shaving rotation comprises str8s, Schick injectors, and an adjustable Gillette DE (SOTD depends on whimsy). The str8 shave has much more feedback on what the blade is doing to my beard (and vice/versa) than the other two. All three implements require three passes for the BB shave. I think that one reason that the str8 seems to require more pressure is due to the simple mechanics of the thing. The straight is a long lever held by the fulcrum, giving the beard that much more mechanical advantage over the edge than the newfangled gizmos. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.



Wayne

Darkwolf-Sounds good, I stand corrected

btw-if I get a razor that even looks mean at one of my chest hairs I let it shave my face and see what happens...

I can tell you that before I used a straight I used a Mercur Vision DE and it gave as good a shave as any straight I've ever used, for the first few shaves that is.

A straight especially if its a hollow ground will give much more feedback to you as you shave but it should never tug at your beard. I don't have an especially tough beard but I've gone a few days without shaving at times and then I usually use one of my 7/8s and it goes through my beard like butter.

Remember that at one time everybody used a straight and everybody one way or another got good results with them so if there is a problem its either with the razor or your technique. You didn't mention how long you've been shaving with a straight. It does take some time to get good results

I think 30 laps is too many for the linen. I do about a dozen, then two dozen on the strop. NO PRESSURE!!! just touching the blade to the strop will work the magic. Slow and easy strokes work best for me (even though my old barber told me otherise. Maybe in time I'll match him. After a damaged strop I no longer try). If I fail in any this I think I start knocking the edge off.

Also, adequate stretching still isn't as good as excellent stretching, even for me and I've got a light beard for the most part. Even I experience more resistance to the blade than the with Track II. If you're careful a slight cutting angle can reduce this significantly. Think of leading the toe of the blade a little ahead of the heel. A 5º or 10º rotation is enough fo me to notice a difference

30º is mostly optimum for me as a shaving angle. If I go to shallow on the shaving angle it doesn't seem to work as well.

I still have trouble gettin the toe as sharp as the rest as well and am sure it has to do with uneven honing pressure and uneven stropping so I'm trying to think of slowly rolling the blade ever so slightly from heel to toe on the hone, but I'm sure I need to spend a little more time on on end of the roll depending on the grit. I'm looking for a microscope to provide me with the information a little faster.

Just another new honer,

X

Thanks xman, I will cut down on the number of laps on the linen.

Last night I received a 3rd shave ready razor, and as of this morning's shave, I have to say this one is what I expected, including the blood! (My blood of course!). No dragging or pulling, just a good nick above my lip and I must of pressed the square point into my face as I have a vertical 1 inch long shallow cut on my right jaw, and I was only doing N-S passes!

Anyway, now I have a dilema as to what to do. I think I am going to try working the other two "shave ready" razors over a pasted paddle strop and see if they will keen up a little, and in the meantime see how it goes with my project DD. If I get the DD up to snuff, then I will take on the other ones and see what I can do with them.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think the honemeisters did a bad job, I am pretty sure that I did something wrong in stropping, and I think working on the project razor has made me more proficient, and I just didn't mess up my latest addition (yet ).

Thanks to all for the great advise, and please keep posting if you have any more ideas!!!