Quote Originally Posted by Charliebrian24 View Post
I took it to a knife sharpening store in Nyc that supposedly hones straight razors as well according to various internet sources but the razor doesn't seem to work any better.
The razor is a 5/8 dovo best quality I bought brand new from pastuer's pharmacy in Manhattan so to be honest I'm not even sure if it was "shave ready" but assumed it was as ive read that usually dovos come that way straight out of the factory.
Yeah, factory edge is not shave ready. As other's have stated, send it to a good sharpener (see classifieds or try places like SRD) and get it pro honed. Make sure to ask them to assess the razor, as they can tell you the condition of the edge (and the razor, since it has been honed by people who clearly don't know how to hone a straight razor).

Once you get it back, shave w/o any stropping. Note how it shaves, as that will be your benchmark. Any subsequent honing (which, once you've got things down pat, will be infrequent) should match that result.

It should be great, and if not, will likely be a technique issue. It takes quite some time to become proficient at straight razor shaving, and to become good at stropping. Just keep an open mind, if you encounter a problem with the comfort of the shave with a properly prepared razor.

You mentioned having shaved with other straights? If so, and you still have them. I would send them out too for pro honing. This way, you can keep one razor (assuming your other razors are not toast) as a reference, and then can also compare the shave feel of your other razor, after stropping. Also, when one becomes dull, you can send it out for honing (or hone yourself, once you learn how), and use the other razor.

Be sure to take advantage of the tips from members here, as it'll save you lots of time and trouble (I wish I had, early on ).

You'll get it sorted out...