Thread: Any particular reason razor would feel dull and shave great..

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Something is different. Trying to figure out what, and control it, is what keeps many of us up at night.

It is certainly unsettling haha, I ordered a naniwa 12k so i can know for certain its either me or the razor, thanks SRD!
I'll probably touch them all up on that and see, probably leave the phig/coticule out of the rotation for a bit, and go full synthetic so i can compare without worry of the stone, ill post when it gets here.

Originally Posted by Bowneuscg

But this thing kicks ass at shaving!!!???

I'm sorry what was the problem ?

If you were only comparing the GD, I'd say the Torrey has superior steel etc but the Wester should be up there in quality too.

The illusion of dullness will disappear the first time you introduce some latereal movement against your face.

I can't figure out your progression.

Yea, glad you are getting good shaves, but your edges will improve with experience and you will get more critical about the quality of your shaves.

Do not put much stock on HHT, it just does not mean that much.

Read the first 3 post in the honing forum to get a good grip on honing. Coticules can produce a good edge but are the hardest stone to learn and are also vary the most of natural stones.

A 12k Super Stone is a great choice for maintenance.

Did you buy your Gold Dollar shave ready or the kit?

Good luck.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I can't figure out your progression.

It's coticule, Phig, pasted strops, normal strops

Or for the other razors its 4/8, Phig and the same strops.

Also I've noticed more irritation with the diamond strop

I just bought a gold dollar by itself to feel the stones out then I grinded it a bit flatter with a dremel and honed it to shave ready. the naniwa will be here any day im excited.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I'm sorry what was the problem ?

If you were only comparing the GD, I'd say the Torrey has superior steel etc but the Wester should be up there in quality too.

The illusion of dullness will disappear the first time you introduce some latereal movement against your face.

The only problem is I'm worried I'm not doing something right with the wester I guess. Because it's hard to use something that I know won't shave as well as the Torrey but when it came from Larry it was really sharp and you can tell the smile really cuts whiskers well so I'd like to even the playing field. And I guess learn a bit about razor steel.

Originally Posted by Bowneuscg

It's coticule, Phig, pasted strops, normal strops

Or for the other razors its 4/8, Phig and the same strops.

Also I've noticed more irritation with the diamond strop

I understood what you were using I just don't understand why. If you use the 4/8 well it should produce a nice edge, and then follow that with a finisher and to the strops. I have no idea why all the pasted strops. If all is well from the bottom end up and you have a finishing hone there should be no need for a progression of pasted strops after it. It is your edge and preferences but you might want to claw back on all that stuff. I try to keep it really simple and get a good shave.

Oh ok, I'll try not using the paste when I get back home.

Photos of your razors would be most helpful in advising you.

Any of a number of issues could cause problems, some of which could be the razor. The razor in the photo, assume it is the Torrey, appears to have a slight frown, though it could be the photo. Put it edge down on a flat surface and see if you can see light under the edge. If you can, that will need to be repaired.

The smiling razor, probably just need a rolling X stroke honing. Some ink on the bevels will tell you when you get that stroke and are honing to the edge. The steel should be of good quality.

All of your issues are quite common in learning to hone. Coticules and Chinese Natural stones are each different and will produce differing edges. The Coticule does have a steeper learning curve.

And then, there is stropping. Learning to strop can be challenging and is where most new shavers have their first challenge in maintaining a straight razor. A good shave ready edge is very fragile, just one errant stroke can ruin an edge.

It sounds like you now have a good plan, and a good synthetic set of stones will go a long way to making your learning curve much shorter.

Put aside the Coticule and Chinese stone for now and once you have a much better understanding on honing, then experiment with them.

Also some good magnification will allow you to look at your edges and see exactly where your problems are and better track your progress, maintaining your razors.

The Gold Dollar is a whole other kettle of fish, once properly set up they can be maintained and give a good shave, but each has its own issued. Begin by checking the razor for warp on a flat surface.

The 12k Super Stone is a great choice for maintenance.