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