Thread: Singing razors: what do you dislike about them?

I have a variety of blades: singing hollow ground, half hollow, near wedge and full wedge. My honing has improved to the point where they all seem to give me a really nice close shave without irritation and I have a beard with thick hairs.

In my experience, pre-shave facial prep is really important:
- hydrating the beard before shaving (shower, hot towel, immerse face in the sink ...)
- using a good pre-shave treatment (optional, but a benefit if your face needs it)
- working up a good, moist lather with a good quality shaving soap or cream
- letting the lather sit for a bit so it slicks up the skin and moisturizes the beard

BE PATIENT before you start dragging sharp metal across your face at the correct angle.

If my blade is truly shave ready and well stropped and my facial prep is spot on, my shaves indicate that it really does not matter what the grind of the razor is.

All these shave as good as the other.



Ranging from the 1700s, to today.

IT'S YOU.!

Originally Posted by DZEC

In my experience, pre-shave facial prep is really important:
- hydrating the beard before shaving (shower, hot towel, immerse face in the sink ...)
- using a good pre-shave treatment (optional, but a benefit if your face needs it)
- working up a good, moist lather with a good quality shaving soap or cream
- letting the lather sit for a bit so it slicks up the skin and moisturizes the beard

Since pre shave facial prep has been brought up with the preface of "in my experience" I'd just like to add that, unless you consider splashing my face with cold water before lathering up and shaving, I do no pre shave facial prep. I have never connected having a shower with shaving, never used a hot towel on my face but have tried a few pre shave creams that did not make a difference in my shaves. The biggest difference in my shaves came when I quit using hot water and that did reduce irritation.

All that is to say everyone's experience can and will be different and you have to experiment to see what works for you. It's all worth exploring to see if you get a benefit from it or not. Personally, if I get no benefit I see no reason to carry on doing as I like to keep things simple. There is more than one way to skin a cat but knowing what a good lather is and how to make it does not change with whatever pre shave facial routine you finally settle on.

Bob

Are you making a voluminous lather or a more of a compact, slick lather? IMO straight razors work better with the latter. A slicker lather should fix any skipping with the razor.

I go for a tight, slick lather.

Originally Posted by BobH

Since pre shave facial prep has been brought up with the preface of "in my experience" I'd just like to add that, unless you consider splashing my face with cold water before lathering up and shaving, I do no pre shave facial prep. I have never connected having a shower with shaving, never used a hot towel on my face but have tried a few pre shave creams that did not make a difference in my shaves. The biggest difference in my shaves came when I quit using hot water and that did reduce irritation.

All that is to say everyone's experience can and will be different and you have to experiment to see what works for you. It's all worth exploring to see if you get a benefit from it or not. Personally, if I get no benefit I see no reason to carry on doing as I like to keep things simple. There is more than one way to skin a cat but knowing what a good lather is and how to make it does not change with whatever pre shave facial routine you finally settle on.

Bob

Totally agree with your conclusion Bob, but I have to admit to enjoying the feel of the hot towel and warm lather on my face. I don’t have to shave every day anymore, so I include whatever makes me happy in my shave ritual and take as much time as I want.

If a razor gives you a harsh shave ATG, look at the edge. Any grind should shave well ATG, especially a full hollow.

Full hollow razors are easy to flex, if you flex the blade while honing, stropping, or shaving, (yes shaving), you will lift the edge off the surface. The back of the bevel acts as a fulcrum and the edge comes off the surface.

When honing and that happens you are not honing the edge, same for stropping, shaving, you are cutting hair unsupported, your neck is more sensitive than the rest of your face, so you feel it more.

As said a quality Full Hollow will shave a dream.

The second a razor does not shave well, strop and look at the edge with magnification. If it was fully honed, the issue is stropping, it is a common issue. It just takes time to perfect your stropping stroke and full hollows can be unforgiving.

Originally Posted by BobH

I have never connected having a shower with shaving, never used a hot towel on my face

Same here, no prep, no shower, no towel, no pre-shave anything;
All I do is face lather and shave.

Personally if I have to do anything pre-shave to my beard, it tells me my razor doesn't shave how I want it to.
And in that case it's my fault and not the razor's, which I'll have to fix with honing.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Any grind should shave well ATG

Truth

Originally Posted by Wayne1963

A slicker lather should fix any skipping with the razor.

Also true, if your technique is and razor's edge are good.

It's a combination of your razor's edge, your shaving technique and your lather.

These three have to be right, if one is not up to par your shaves will be crappy at best.
(other factors come into play as well, like stropping, your finishing stone, etc.; but pure shave wise those 3 must be right)

I keep hearing the “any well honed razor will shave like a dream” argument , but if that was the case, we wouldn’t have favourites.

I personally find that for my beard type, I like a extra hollow 7/8 or 8/8 best. It provides the closeness I seek from a full hollow with the added benefit of heft.

A superbly honed 5/8 full hollow razor will stil give me a great shave, whereas a superbly honed 7/8 full hollow will feel more effortless.

"The best thing about Straight Razor shaving is that it is infinitely adjustable to each individual face, The worst part about Straight Razor shaving is that it is infinitely adjustable to your face" ~ gssixgun circa 2010

You can literally adjust just about everything involved with you shave, much more than any other system, this means that it takes time to figure out what is best for you.. As long as your shaves keep getting better then you are on the right track