Hello! And "what's best sharpening service?"

I'm Jim, and a newcomer to straight razor shaving! I switched from Gillette fusion a few months back, sick of the unconscionable cost of cartridges. First step was DE safety razor (with nice badger brush, good soaps and creams, etc - all the good wet shaving stuff) then a Parker SR1 straight razor that uses disposable blades. yesterday I had my first shave with the real deal - a thierrs issard piece i got off eBay, sharpened by Classic Razor. I'm sure my minimal pre-shave stropping didnt help the edge (it was my very first time stropping), but the razor seems slightly less sharp than the disposable blades used with the Parker- i expected a better edge. I still got a good shave. I actually did two complete "lather ups" and passes without a nick, but still needed to clean/buff with my DE - that's my last pass until i get really good at buffing everything out with the SR. Who likes VintageBlades sharpening (is that Lynn??) vs Classic Shaving? I have another vintage piece from eBay on the way that will need a first time sharpening from the pro's - a "Black Devil Wedge" by William Marvy - just looked cool and price was right.

Also, my strop is 2 1/2 wide so i need to use X pattern. Maybe i will get used to it but on day 1, what a pain! Not sure it's worth another $80 or so to get a good 3 inch deal - what do you think?

Lynn is Straight Razor Designs. Classic Shaving is apprentices to Tim Zowada. Idk who Vintage Blades is done by. This is all Ive heard mind you. Hopefully, there are those who know more than I and can chime in.

Vintage Blades sends all their razors thru Lynn.

A wider strop will help. Especially if your still learning. Here's a link to a 3" that is decent quality and won't break the bank if you need to replace it. Or you can always grab a Poor Mans Strop from Larry at Whipped Dog.

http://shop.starshaving.com/New-Desi...Strop-0049.htm

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Originally Posted by BossManBill

A wider strop will help. Especially if your still learning. Here's a link to a 3" that is decent quality and won't break the bank if you need to replace it. Or you can always grab a Poor Mans Strop from Larry at Whipped Dog.

New Design 3" Wide "Big Daddy" Black Latigo Leather Strop

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I really don't know the difference between yours and mine but this is the one I have and I am really happy with it: 3" "Bid Daddy" Leather Strop

I, too, recommend the 3" strop, because you have enough things to learn about straight shaving without having to make sure you get your entire blade covered while stropping.