Thread: What constitutes a bad razor?

I've done a lot of reading since I'm new to straight razors, and finally able to get a clean shave with comfort. I got two high end razors and a few starters from shooter (a great fella I met on the forum). I've been using his as a bench mark for how my newly honed razors should work.

I started with a super small (from spine to edge) and super hollow john prince razor. I really fell nicely into 5/8 razors so I thought this should be awesome. It's super light weight and had a bevel. I jumped on the 1k and evened out the bevel. Made sure toe mid and end cut fine. Went onto the 4k/8k and did a pyramid. Went onto the canvas, did 60 laps and 100 on leather. This was saturday. Today I rushed home like a school kid and ran to the bathroom to shave. Wtg was ok but something felt off. Xtg was a little less comfortable and still had this weird feeling and finally gave up and went with one of the wostys I got from shooter. It was like friggin night and day. It felt so sturdy and comfortable.

I went back to the John prince and tried a bit of atg. That was a nightmare. It felt like the blade was giving way it just felt flimsy and week, and a little like it was pulling. It was just horrible all the way around.

I tried a biedermeier wedge that I also honed Saturday and trimmed the beard on my checks and shaved my mustache. Got a great bbs shave with it. So now I'm confused as heck and frustrated.

My neck was where I tried the John prince, and it is a very sensitive part of my shave. so I'm not sure if I could of got an equally good shave on my cheeks with the john prince and if the wedge is not sharp and would have failed on my neck.

I know neither are as sharp as the wosty I got from an expert honer. But my questions are:

Is the John prince crap?
Could it be crap steel?
Is there a razor so hollow it feels flimpsy during a shave?
If I followed the pyramid why would I not be as sharp and smooth as a pro honed razor?
Can someone give me passes on a 4k/8k that will get me sharp?
Is there such a thing as a crap shaving razor? I've heard beauty razors are.

I've read the term "popping hair" everywhere but haven't seen it in action. I know I'm supposed to make hairs pop out of the 1k. But I'm not sure what that is. I've ot the razors on the 1k to have hair at the base of the shaft with not preside but skin contact at a 30 degree angle. That I thought was enough so I feel if any issues it is at the 4k/8k level. But now I. Confused because the hair doesn't pop on a 1k it just shaves off cleanly.


Thank you in advance. Specially if you remember to answer all my questions.

Welcome to SRP! Sounds like you didn't go far enough with your bevel setter. Try cutting arm hairs when you finish on your 1k. If the hairs don't just fall over dead go back to the 1k. If the hairs poop, your close but still need more on the 1k. After the 1k drops hairs the following hones just polish the edge. Sounds like you are stropping way to much but I guess if you are doing it correctly it doesn't do much harm. Good luck.

I am going agree 99% with Joe on this, a crappy razor is a blade that will not take or will not hold an edge. That said, most vintage razors do not fall into this category. It sounds to me as if you need to go back to the 1k level, I like to get my razors to "popping hair" at this stage whereas Joe seems to like his to "poop". He must create one "scary sharp" edge to achieve this!


Joe, please do not edit your post, its just too funny!

On the face of it, it would seem that a crappy razor would be more likely to make the hairs poop than one that wasn't crappy. Or if it wasn't already crappy, then shaving through the hairs and making them poop would make it crappy quickly.

Originally Posted by Joed

Welcome to SRP! Sounds like you didn't go far enough with your bevel setter. Try cutting arm hairs when you finish on your 1k. If the hairs don't just fall over dead go back to the 1k. If the hairs poop, your close but still need more on the 1k. After the 1k drops hairs the following hones just polish the edge. Sounds like you are stropping way to much but I guess if you are doing it correctly it doesn't do much harm. Good luck.

after the 1k i'm able to shave pretty much to the skin, i mean hair is coming off with little to no effort, at about 30 degree angle. Its not popping but it is slicing the hair with no effort right from the root. i read mention of hair cutting at mid shaft, so i figured cutting at the root pretty much skin was a good sign....... NEVER saw popping effect though. i tried going with the prince past the point of being able to shave arm hair to the root, and it just dulled it and i had to start over again. does that make sense?

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I am going agree 99% with Joe on this, a crappy razor is a blade that will not take or will not hold an edge. That said, most vintage razors do not fall into this category. It sounds to me as if you need to go back to the 1k level, I like to get my razors to "popping hair" at this stage whereas Joe seems to like his to "poop". He must create one "scary sharp" edge to achieve this!


Joe, please do not edit your post, its just too funny!

can you describe the popping effect in more detail? or is there a video i can find? at the 1k hair kinda just falls onto the razors face. doesn't fall over to my arm, which i thought was a good sign because i'm going with the grain.

Originally Posted by ace

On the face of it, it would seem that a crappy razor would be more likely to make the hairs poop than one that wasn't crappy. Or if it wasn't already crappy, then shaving through the hairs and making them poop would make it crappy quickly.

now i am thoroughly confused.

thanks for all the replies, once i get into a project. Unless i succeed greatly, i get obsessed, and can't think of anything but finishing the project. I wish i had started this closer to the NY/NJ Meet in November. I can't wait until then to figure out how to get at least a descent WTG shave with a self honed razor.

i'm an idiot, i just read an article posted by a mod on popping hair. It is done against the grain, with the blade above skin level. I took one honed by a pro, and it popped hairs. So now i know the action. Mine did not do that, but then again i never tried it properly before honing too much on the 1k and having to start over.

I know this is a stupid newb question, but as a safe bet how many laps on the 1k will get me to popp hair? i saw Lynns video that is posted on the front page he only did 50 circles and about 10 laps, and that got him to where he was comfortable. then someone shaved arm hair with the grain at skin level. and they agreed it was good. went on to the 4k. so taking that literally i did 60 laps on the 1k it shaved arm hair, and i went off to the 4k. Obviously this did not work like Lynn intended it to work on his razor.

anyone know why?

There is no magic number just stay on the 1k until every part of the razor (point to heel) Cuts hair. As stated above some where you set the bevel with the 1k(this is the majority of your honing) then move on to your polishing the edge hones 5-10 passes should do for each hone. Then strop linen side 40-60, then leather side 60-120 there is no magic number here either.
Hope this helped

Colin