Thread: Discouraged Newbie

Hey everyone! I have been browsing for a few months so I thought I'd join. A barber friend of mine let me use his straight razor at his house and I was blown away. The technique didn't seem hard to master. My first shave was so good that I assume my 100th would be even better. I started asking about maintenence and he told me he has a guy in town hone his every 6 months and strops in between. I am too much of a DIYer to be sending my stuff out so I knew if I were to make the switch I would have to be able to do it myself. I've read all I can find, watched Lynn's movies and others. I have a 4k/8k horton and a DMT diamond coarse flat plate for making sure the norton is flat. I bought a Krieger blade to play with. It was awful out of the box. It took all the hair from my arm in one swipe but I wouldn't use it on my face. I tried honing it according to my knowledge and it is has a nice ball-point pen edge to it now. Kind of discouraged. I really want to buy a nice razor but after the stones and strops I am already in pretty deep $. For me anyway. Not sure I want to invest in a nice razor if I can't do the work myself. Kind of discouraged. :\ Mach 3 works great and I don't even use soap. I will keep reading and practicing. Cheers.

Krieger's are known to be bad sorry to say. Check the classifieds on here, there usually are some $25-$60 razors there and they come shave ready unless stated otherwise

Welcome to SRP, pretty sure that razor is on the list to avoid. Not really a razor, more a razor shaped object or RSO as they are called here. Don't get discouraged, many make the same mistake. Have a look at the classifieds here. There are razors on there that are truly shave ready and a good starting point. Best of luck.

I'm not sure how or if those kriegers are tempered but you would probably way better off finding a half decent looking vintage on eBay.

I assume that the kriegers bevel isn't set, if I were you I would look into getting a 1k stone to set bevels with. If you have a diamond hone to for lapping you can use that for restorative work then use the 1k to set a bevel and you 4/8 to polish and finish. Pretty hard to set a bevel with a 4k but I can be done. Maybe try taping the spine and doing a set on your lapping plate, then go crazy with the 4k.

Not sure what your financial situation is but a 1k hone can be had for less than $30, you don't need a chosera. I use a king, I think I got it shipped for $25-$30. A day or two fooling around on the bay could get you a decent vintage to play with for $20 or less.

good luck, you'll be fine , just need to make sure you apex your bevels.

Welcome to SRP. First off Krieger is a razor shaped object but not a real straight razor, could be why it's on the razors to avoid list. The learning curve for shaving with a straight can be steep, but honing with consistent results is steeper. Check out the list to avoid, it's somewhere in the library I think, then start looking around the classifieds here, lots of decent razors to be had at reasonable prices. Check out antique stores, you just may find a suitable razor to practice honing at a fraction of the cost. You could even try posting a "Want to buy or trade" ad in the classifieds looking for a decent inexpensive razor that may need some TLC. Just my 2 cents so far.

Welcome aboard,,,,
You browsed for a few months, but seemed to have missed the advice in the beginner's section of the library. Had you read it, you would not be having the problems you are having now. Not a lecture,,, so please don't take it that way.

Get a good, credible, reputable razor & have it professionally honed, then learn to maintain that edge,,,,,

So you have hones but still need a razor.
You don't have a razor.

What strop(s) did you get? Hopefully it did not come with the Krieger and is (are) of better quality.

Honing is an occasional thing but a straight razor needs stropping before every shave. You need a decent razor and strop before you can get any sense of straight shaving. A great lather from a quality soap and brush would help too. Of course, you need to learn how to strop, and make lather, and shave correctly too.

Don't be discouraged until you have given it a proper try.

Yout starting off on the wrong foot,go back and start over again.

I've been honing for two years now and still get discouraged from time to time. It takes time, patience and a lot of practice. Even better if you have a mentor around. If you know you want to hone your own, don't give up. Ask for advice and practice a lot.
Once you get a reputable blade, start a journal to keep some notes and share with the forum...

Pixelfixed, you are correct. HAHA. Thanks for all the replies! I am thinking that attempting to hone a Krieger is a good way to think honing is impossible. After looking at the spine I can see why. It's not straight. It's noticeably fatter in parts. I ordered a $40 shave-ready from Whipped Dog to at least have a decent practice razor. I threw the krieger in the trash. I actually noticed when you closed it, it rubs on the wood handle REALLY bad. So. Garbage. The strop is a "Red Deer" off of Amazon and I have Fromm Strop dressing as well. One side is white and it feels like smooth leather, the other side is brown and feels like rough leather. I will give this new blade a try and stick to stropping until I can't shave anymore and then give honing another try. I can afford a 1k stone but if you take care of a professionally set blade, is a 1k stone every necessary? And yes, I did miss the part about Krieger until just now. This thing would be great for flipping small pancakes though.