Thread: to shave or not to shave that is my question?

Hello to everyone. Let me start out by saying I haven't shaved in three days and I really want to. My major malfunction is this, I'm the dummy that went to AOS with my wife for my Christmas gift she bought me a nice Thiers Island razor, it's not the fanciest but I love it. Being new to the game I had no idea what to do or what to get, so I let the sales guy talk me out of buying a strop, he said it would void the warranty and I should only send it off every eight months to get it done. With all of the helpful suggestions I got here, thanks again too everyone by the way, I learned he probably was just misinformed and in no way intentionally misled me, and meant honing. Anyway I have shaved with it a few times, and I'm happy to say it was as great as I thought it would be just in the experience alone I did my whole face the first time and its been great since, but i found out from suggestions here that it wasn't even ready when i got it even though it said shave ready. Now surely after a few having never been stropped I'm sure it's worst now, but i really want to shave. My question is can I shave, and if i do does it pose a risk to messing up my blade? If it does i won't but if it's ok I realy want too.

Thanks,
Ronny

It won't hurt the blade, but it may not be a very comfortable shave.

Get that puppy honed up and get a strop (Whippeddog is your friend here)

Oh, so you're that guy I saw in the store that... Just kidding.

Personally, I wouldn't be shaving with a dull edged razor. Besides the fact you really don't know what a proper sharp razor even is a dulled edge can be dangerous. Send the thing out to be initially honed and get a strop and learn how to use it. Stropping is one of those things that is not an option when using a straight. It's mandatory.

Originally Posted by rwebb1683

(a) Being new to the game I had no idea what to do or what to get, so I let the sales guy talk me out of buying a strop, he said it would void the warranty and I should only send it off every eight months to get it done. . . .


(b) Anyway I have shaved with it a few times, and I'm happy to say it was as great as I thought it would be just in the experience alone I did my whole face the first time and its been great since, but i found out from suggestions here that it wasn't even ready when i got it even though it said shave ready. Now surely after a few having never been stropped I'm sure it's worst now, but i really want to shave. My question is can I shave, and if i do does it pose a risk to messing up my blade? If it does i won't but if it's ok I realy want too.

Thanks,
Ronny

(a) There's no excuse for that level of "misinformed" about products the store sells.

(b) If you got decent shaves from it, maybe it _was_ shave-ready when you bought it. You won't mess up the blade by shaving with it as it gets duller and duller, but you probably will mess up your face.

Suggestion:

. . . Get a strop (linen + leather), and run the razor over it for 50 laps (linen) and 100 - 150 laps (leather).

[Read some of the Wiki's on stropping before you do that.]

You might be lucky, and restore the edge to shave-ready condition. If not, there are lots of people who'll hone it for you.

Charles

Ronny,

Glad to hear you got a decent shave from your AOS razor. However, I do think you'd be surprised at the difference between your razor's sharpness and what we consider "shave ready", especially when properly stropped - it's like heaven on earth, man! . I agree with the others, buy a decent strop and send the TI out for honing and you won't regret it.

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

(a) There's no excuse for that level of "misinformed" about products the store sells.

Definitely not. This isn't just slapping a cartridge on and pulling it over your face, this is an open razor straight razor with no safety. And the advice not to get a strop... leaves the edge to degrade much faster, necessitating a honing much sooner, a service The Art Of S--ing most likely doesn't offer, which also increases the risk of injury.

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

(b) If you got decent shaves from it, maybe it _was_ shave-ready when you bought it. You won't mess up the blade by shaving with it as it gets duller and duller, but you probably will mess up your face.

Oh, I believe the flipped "teeth" or whatever get progressively impacted and will need a deeper "refreshing" then if they were maintained well from the start. I'm pretty sure it's a lot like the concept of cutlery: the better the edge the better it does its job and the less force for wrenching, slamming, crunching and consequential impactions.

Seriously, guys. Nice idea to support a vague idea of traditional shaving.. but this? Yeah, maybe the lathering products still contain tallow (and maybe they're being reformulated yet again...) but this company deserves no respect, it's no longer quite TOAS... it's Proctor and Gamble. You're getting it in the Proctologist-knows-where and taking a gamble...

You're lucky, I had the same experience in a shop over 30 years ago but that razor (a dovo) was far far away from shave ready. And there was no one around to guide me so the razor was never used again.