Maybe it's time for this thread to close.
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Maybe it's time for this thread to close.
Please, let's not become unfriendly over this. Lynn is a professional who has honed probably tens of thousands of razors, and taught me how to do my own honing with his video, and it's going to take a whole lot more than one complaint to shake him up.
I can remember my humble beginnings as a straight razor shaver. The "100 shaves" threshhold is something I missed by a country mile. It was 6 months before my first BBS, and two years before I really got the hang of it. I've been doing this for five years and my straight shaving the last two years far eclipses my first three years.
When I was a noob, I cut my thumb down to the tendon switching hands. I was so focused on technique I forgot to notice where the blade was. The doctor laughed at me like I was a nut while stitching me up. Of all the ways a knucklehead can injure himself....
My first razor was honed by Lynn Abrams. I couldn't shave with it. I latched on to a YouTube video and memorized the choreography to the inch and still couldn't shave with it. It would be grossly unfair to blame Lynn for my failures, because at the time I couldn't find my butt with both hands. Lynn can handle inexperienced shavers and doesn't take their feelings personally or else he wouldn't be a leader in the business.
The OP may not be a noob but he's relatively inexperienced. I bought another razor and had better results with it. Later on I went back to Lynn's razor and it worked. Perhaps the grind was different. I didn't pay attention to full hollow, half hollow, etc. when I started. I can't identify the "ah-ha" moment but it occurred.
Early this year, with five years experience, I ordered 5 Dovo Special razors from Lynn, the same model as my first razor that he honed for me in 2010, and I could shave with them! I doubt that Lynn got better at honing, but I got better at shaving.
So let's not make this "Lynn's forum," where a complaint incurs the wrath of other members. This forum has a niche as being a haven for purists IMO. At least I've learned more from this shaving forum than others. Let's do everything we can to make people feel welcome, enjoy the fellowship all of you have afforded to me, and to learn. Otherwise we will develop an unfriendly reputation.
Sometimes we just have to overlook a post that someone writes if it rubs someone the wrong way and conclude that no offense was intended. Rather, I think the OP expresses a real desire to straight shave. Hey, I can identify with that!
Might I suggest that we close or delete this thread, let the OP take up the matter with SRD, and start over again?
And I have. My razor in the mail already. I have no doubt my issue will be resolved. Which may be them telling me it's me, and not the razor, I admit.
Let's remember we are supposed to act like gentlemen here and stop the personal attacks. The op posted he had a problem, he emailed the vendor and his solution is now days away. That's it, simple. the rest is just talk and that's we we're here for.
Issue resolved :beer1: no more :argue: though we may not agree on everything all the time and exchange some words occasionally we are all here for the same reason more or less.
My only thought is that I had a similar experience going from a Wolstenholm to a Kropp. After looking very closely the Kropp was more hollow than the Wostie and needed a slightly lower angle/spine closer to face. Although many vintages are called full hollow, it does vary actually quite a bit.
I have purchased 5 razors from SRD. One was an Aust on Special. I sent it out to DOC226 and he corrected the fault but I knew that going in when I bought it. The other 2 came in ready to shave. I cleaned off the oil, did 10 laps on my SRD modular strop and before I shaved, checked out the edge under a glass and the bevel was perfect. I wasn't concerned with SRD honing, I wanted a reference for the future when I have to hone it. I always do that with new razors.
For those of you on tenterhooks wondering what my outcome was, as promised I said I would keep you up to date. I received my Ralf Aust razor back from SRD today - making me very happy - and will try it tomorrow morning. Once again, the enclosed slip says to wipe of the oil and give it an initial strop, but I am not going to strop it, in case it was my stropping that led to my initial problems. SRD/Lynn hones and strops them, so I think it would be good to try without my interfering with a stropping of my own before the first shave. Anyway, I will let you know, including if it turns out to be me that is the problem, which as we all agreed is a distinct possibility.
I shaved this morning with my Ralf Aust SR, which as you know I sent in to SRD/Lynn for assessment and revisiting. My shave was perfect, a two-pass effort that left me with a DFS. I'm very pleased indeed. For those of you who believe I should have gone to SRD with my issue instead of coming to this forum, I suppose it can be said that my issue would have been quietly and excellently resolved if I had simply gone that route. I don't agree that my original posting was inappropriate, but reasonable minds can, and in this case do, differ. Bottom line, though? I have a new Ralf Aust with a perfectly honed blade that I am damn happy to have in my arsenal. Thank you for all of your input on this.
Always approach the seller. Calmly state the problem. Ask them to make you whole.
See what they say, take ownership of the situation. You got lucky in the sense that you did business with SRD.
Others have done business with all sales are final.
Gentlemen always take the high road , before we take you out back and bend em over the sawhorses.
You need to be aware that you stated there was a problem on the site of the man that founded this site.
If you had walked into a bar and said they served crap whiskey, all the regulars would take exception to your presence. Maybe you did get bottom of the barrel, I wasnt there. Been here for years and my drink has always been top shelf. How you stated your situation could be perceived as a slight. Read it without your personal feelings involved. How would the regulars perceive the words only? That has a bearing on the responses. vocal inflections dont translate to this medium.
Glad you got it solved.
I am glad your problem was resolved Smyth.
I will close this thread now since the issue is taken care of.