Quote Originally Posted by gssixgun View Post
The Straight Razor Phenomena:

The newer a person is to this hobby,

The tougher their beard is
The duller their blade is
The weaker their edge is
The floppier their brush is
The harder their water is
The more cupped their strop is
Heck even their Aftershave stings more..

It always amazes me how these thing all seem to get better with time
I'm working through that stage as we speak. I refuse to buy hones until I'm sure that I can get decent shaves repetitively from at least one of my 3 new (in the last 6 months) razors from SRD. I have one that I'm best with...a 5/8 Ralph Aust; one that I'm ok with...a 5/8 Dovo Klang; and one that I'm awful with...a 6/8 R. Aust stainless. All were honed by you know who before I got them, so that isn't the issue. The common denominator among the 3 is ME.

I prep the same; lather the same; strop the same, but the 5/8 R. Aust still stands out, even though it has been used the most. It has to be my technique and confidence with it over the others. If I never get any better with the others, I'll use my re-hone certificates and sell them in the classifieds. If I do that, they'll be good bargains for someone.


The good news is I'm learning my beard (and face) with each shave, and I'm semi-confident that I'll find a routine, if I'm patient enough (big if) to last it out.