Thread: gisen and forsthoff razor

Originally Posted by UKRob

You don't get to know angle and pressure from watching videos - you get it from shaving regularly. If you think the razor is not sharp enough get it evaluated by one of the seasoned honemeisters on this forum. If they spot a fault you then have some genuine evidence to go back to the supplier. Either that or ask the supplier to test shave it himself and see what he says.

My money is on poor technique.

but, is it possible that this razor is not a good razor? like i said i shaved with a gold dollar, a very cheap carbon steel razor and had better results than this razor

I know that being you haven't nicked yourself is probably a great thing to be proud of...but I have a razor from classic edge as well. There is nothing wrong with the razor nor the edge put on it. I can gaurantee you that it is either your technique or prep or both. The gold dollar may seem like it was smoother because your not used to a truly shave ready edge like the Forsthoff. Videos are awesome but you can not feel a video. Theres no way for you to say "oh that guy put this amount of pressure I now know how much to do myself" from a video. It takes time and practice and experimentation. In fact only recently have I thought that I have gotten really good technique and pressure. I have been at this almost a year now. I would still consider myself a newb. If the razor was skipping..it's you not the razor. I don't mean to sound confrontational but thats the problem.

The reason for Phrank's short post about the Gold Dollar is that they are not a reputable razor with many manufacturing problems and blade geometry issues. Some have gotten lucky and most have not. Some people will "modify" them by fixing the issues the razors has. They have to many inconsistencies that most people just avoid them.

Once you figure out how to use your new razor properly you will be a very happy person. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are people here that have been using a straight for 30+years.

And no its not the razor. Gisen Forsthoff is a good brand.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

I know that being you haven't nicked yourself is probably a great thing to be proud of...but I have a razor from classic edge as well. There is nothing wrong with the razor nor the edge put on it. I can gaurantee you that it is either your technique or prep or both. The gold dollar may seem like it was smoother because your not used to a truly shave ready edge like the Forsthoff. Videos are awesome but you can not feel a video. Theres no way for you to say "oh that guy put this amount of pressure I now know how much to do myself" from a video. It takes time and practice and experimentation. In fact only recently have I thought that I have gotten really good technique and pressure. I have been at this almost a year now. I would still consider myself a newb. If the razor was skipping..it's you not the razor. I don't mean to sound confrontational but thats the problem.

The reason for Phrank's short post about the Gold Dollar is that they are not a reputable razor with many manufacturing problems and blade geometry issues. Some have gotten lucky and most have not. Some people will "modify" them by fixing the issues the razors has. They have to many inconsistencies that most people just avoid them.

Once you figure out how to use your new razor properly you will be a very happy person. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are people here that have been using a straight for 30+years.

it wasnt skipping per se it was just grabbing the hairs instead of slicing through, it really hurt a lot to shave with, and the bumps on my face are disastrous. how come my shaves with a DE razor from the start have been great? there was no learning curve for me.

DE's are easy compared with a straight. Even with the cheap blades I get from walmart I can still get a decent shave from my DE's. The hardest part about learning a DE for me was moving the razor to go with the curves of my face because the head doesn't pivot like a cartridge razor does. What is your face prep when you use a straight? What soap/cream do you use? The suggested angle for a straight on a WTG pass is 30 degrees or about two spine widths. I personally like the angle a bit shallower but thats me. How's your stropping technique? That could also be a problem.

Another question I think might have been overlooked is when you honed your gold dollar, what is your honing setup? I don't suggest you take your new razor to the hones your self. You haven't yet have you.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

DE's are easy compared with a straight. Even with the cheap blades I get from walmart I can still get a decent shave from my DE's. The hardest part about learning a DE for me was moving the razor to go with the curves of my face because the head doesn't pivot like a cartridge razor does. What is your face prep when you use a straight? What soap/cream do you use? The suggested angle for a straight on a WTG pass is 30 degrees or about two spine widths. I personally like the angle a bit shallower but thats me. How's your stropping technique? That could also be a problem.

Another question I think might have been overlooked is when you honed your gold dollar, what is your honing setup? I don't suggest you take your new razor to the hones your self. You haven't yet have you.

no i was too scared to hone this by myself because its expensive compared to the gold dollar and didnt want to screw it up. im going to try to hone myself tonight. my stropping technique is fine and i didnt even have to strop the razor becasue it was shave ready and still i found it wasnt very sharp. i forget what the soap is that i use, i bought it a while back and its been lasting a long time. i would say i for sure keep a 30 degree angle shaving with the grain. im kind of leaning towards selling this razor and buying a thiers issard

Dont hone it. Please don't hone it. I am not saying that you can't do it but I am not saying that you can either. I don't know your abilities and will make no such claims. Also you haven't mentioned what hones you have. All I am saying is maybe send it to one of the honemeister members here. Also add your location and maybe try and get with some one in your area. What you learn in person in an hour or two can not be replaced with a lifetime of videos.

Of course if you are set on selling it... some of us sure wouldn't mind.

i have a naniwa 400, norton 3000/8000k, and a 12,000k, i sharpen my japanese kitchen knives all the time

Originally Posted by deejaykamoe

i have a naniwa 400, norton 3000/8000k, and a 12,000k, i sharpen my japanese kitchen knives all the time

Sounds like you have what you need. I think you mean naniwa instead of norton. Razors are different from knives. I don't claim to be an expert and in fact have only begun to hone my razors maybe a few months ago. I say if you really want to hone it yourself then go ahead. I would start on the 12k and do 10 or 20 laps on that and see what that does. The worst your going to do is wear away metal and not get it shave ready but in that case just send it out. Best case scenario you get a good edge and voila all your problems are solved.

What is your location? You might benefit from having a one-to-one meeting with a more experienced member of this forum.

It is a lot easier to discuss shave prep and proper technique in person than to do it reading a forum or watching a video. There is no human facial hair that is too thick for a properly honed SR, assuming proper technique is applied.

My take is when in doubt set the bevel and start over. Thats just me. I would say if I had your setup, the 3k sounds about right. I wouldnt use the 400 except for chip and heavy bevel work.