Thread: Issue with new Ralf Aust - thoughts?

My lovely wife bought me a new 5/8 round point Ralf Aust for Christmas. This would be my first brand-spankin' new SR. I have been shaving with a straight for about 18 months, using an old 4/8 Real Red Point honed and gifted to me by our inestimable own Cudarunner, and a 5/8 Mandarin I bought honed from Larry at Whipped Dog. Both razors have been providing me with BBS and DFS shaves, and I assumed my new Ralf Aust would come ready to do the same. But it didn't, it seems. My first run was so poor, I had to finish with one of my old straights. I thought maybe it was something I did different, but on the second shave attempt a couple days later, it was only slightly better, and even then only because I worked so hard at it - and it was the first time I've had true razor burn from a straight. And it still wasn't a good shave, about the same or worse than a single pass with a safety razor.

I followed the direction to wipe any oil off and to strop the razor before my first shave. And of course I stropped again before my second shave.

Any thoughts? I expected a shave ready razor from SRD, but maybe they just missed this one? Or is it something I could be doing different without realizing it? As to the latter, I'm not sure how that could be, in that it is almost identical in dimensions and style to my Mandarin.

You will tell me to contact SRD, and I will, but in case there is some user-error possible I'm not thinking of, I wanted to start here with my compatriots.

Playing the devils advocate, you were NOT to strop before first shave to be able to judge the edge , it was ready to go from them. Tc

They say to strop. From the SRD website, on the Ralf Aust razor I bought: "When you receive the razor, all you need to do is wipe off the oil and give it an initial stropping and you are ready to shave."

You stated it came from SRD. That is not what they said in the letter accompanying the razor, they hone it and strop it from the factory, so that it is ready to shave and for you to judge the edge,,m sorry but the Aust website ain't where you should have read, it's now SRD,s baby. Tc

Read again, my friend. That quote is from the SRD website. I've never been to the Ralf Aust site.

Full quote on the SRD website: "We include in the price of each razor professional sharpening, shave testing and disinfecting. We have also placed a thin coat of Straight Razor Oil over the blade to protect it. When you receive the razor, all you need to do is wipe off the oil and give it an initial stropping and you are ready to shave. You also get a certificate for your second honing on us."

My apologies , that was never the case when I was purchasing from them or many people since , but if they have changed their policy I will read it so I won't misquote again, even Lynn on his DVD said that. Tc

Maybe Lynn will come along to clear it up for you

We changed that awhile back as a result of new guys receiving a razor with oil on it and then trying an HHT or trying to cut arm hair midway with the oiled razor and proclaiming them not shave ready. Rinsing and stropping solved the problem. It is a rare thing when someone can't shave with one as they are shave tested as well.

The advice to contact the vendor first was appropriate in my opinion.

Have fun.

Just to bring this to our attention there are a fair amount of claims on the other forum about razors coming from SRD not shave ready but with a factory edge stropped on .5 diamond leading to rough pulling shaves.. this is coming from people who re-hone them for the beginner who is lacking techique in the first place but also stropped the razor prior to shaving potentially rolling the edge.

I'm not saying this is the case at all.. I don't know what happened. My opinion echos Lynn's as this should have been directed to the vendor instead of making a thread about it when you have enough experience to know what a razor should feel like..

I think it is weird to suggest that I should not have inquired here first or at all. This is a straight razor shaving forum, and there was a pretty good chance someone would have some helpful advice. I do know that I could not have made the razor shave this poorly with my brief stropping, given my experience with my other straights. The razor comes with a free first honing, but I didn't expect to have to use that before my first use. Oh, well, lesson learned.

Thanks Lynn, for weighing in. FWIW, I did none of those things. I suspect this one somehow missed the "shave test" before being sent out.