Double Arrow Shaving

I have a very subjective question (which is typical when it comes to shaving in my opinion, but anyways)...I have a 'standard DA'...I wish it looked one of Seraphim's recent razor customizations of course....

Using my standard honing/stropping process that I use for all my other razors which always works wonderfully, anytime I try to do the same for the DA and shave, the way it cuts/shaves, its like a rough coarse feeling...

I dont really get it, it passes all the HHT / arm tests/ you name it (which of course I know doesnt always mean shave ready) but the minute I put it to skin, its "scratchy" not very smooth/silky like my other razors...is this normal in peoples' experience? Is this the shaving characteristic of the DA Chinese steel?

Obviously different razors have different 'feels'... take a wapi for example...the wapi needs to "relax" a bit and after a few shaves / linen rounds it 'settles' down and begins to shave well...but in my opionion, the first couple shaves post honing, the feel is simply different...

Soooo, what about the DA? is this 'rough cutting' simply the characteristic of the DAs, like it or leave it, or am I doing something very wrong here??

Thanks.

My DA came shave ready from KenRup and is one of my best shavers so far. Course I am a newby, so what do I know?:shrug:

I too have a Wapi and a DA. The DAs are singing razors, very different to the wedgy Wapi. They need a slightly different shaving style. My first DA shave was pretty poor, the next was OK. I think it's a question of learning how to use it, and whether it is appropriate for your beard.

I did find the DAs very easy to hone to a super-smooth edge. Under a microscope they are cleaner than anything else I have (bear in mind I don't have many razors and I am fairly new to straights.)

I can't say the DAs are my favourites, but maybe if I get round to rescaling them and using them more I'll learn to appreciate them better.

I have 8 of them, that I use for comparative honing tests. They have been honed many times with many different approaches. Once they have a good bevel, they hone up without problems. They sure have the potential of being smooth shavers. They're not very well finished, but the steel and temper is just great.
Have you access to magnification?
How is yours honed?

Bart.

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Originally Posted by Rajagra

I too have a Wapi and a DA. The DAs are singing razors, very different to the wedgy Wapi. They need a slightly different shaving style. My first DA shave was pretty poor, the next was OK. I think it's a question of learning how to use it, and whether it is appropriate for your beard.

I did find the DAs very easy to hone to a super-smooth edge. Under a microscope they are cleaner than anything else I have (bear in mind I don't have many razors and I am fairly new to straights.)

I can't say the DAs are my favourites, but maybe if I get round to rescaling them and using them more I'll learn to appreciate them better.

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Ray has it right.

The DAs take a fantastic edge (see my ad, it shows the edge at 200x, as smooth as any of my other razors), but a full hollow requires a lighter touch than a heavier grind.

The shave from the DA reminds me very much of the shave I got from my 7/8 Friodurs, which were also 7/8 full hollows. If you bear down too hard, it will feel rough (but still give a close shave). If you go light (which requires a very sharp edge as well) it will repay you with a fantastic shave, and better technique.

As always, everyone has a different experience...Interestingly, my 7/8 friodur gives me a wonderful shave but its worlds away from even coming close to the feel I have with my DA...so either this is simply an example of different beard types/preferences or I am doing something wrong...

I will start by trying to shave with even a lighter touch but to be honest, more of a light touch might not be possible, I learned how to use the lightest one possible whe learning because I knew how important it was....Would changing the vector of the shave change the way this particular razor cuts hair? Meaning, rather than going NS, perhaps Ill try shaving more diagonally, maybe this will change something, Im not sure...

Honing setup:
1K/2K if needed
4K/8K (no 12k yet)
.50 CRO
.25 Diamond
Skip linen
TM strop (x60-70)

I agree the honing process is very easy on the DA but again, my original problem is the quality of the shave...Im confident I am honing correctly based on my expereince with my other razors and more importanly, my shave quality, but perhaps Im missing something...

If this setup gives great smooth shaves with other "harder" to hone razors then it should be more than adequate to handle the 'easy to hone' DA....

Have users of DAs found that it requires another step in finishing? Perhaps a .25 paste or even the mysterious newspaper finish? Maybe the DA just needs a little extra push...

I have a wonderful DA in custom wood scales that I think looks fantastic, Ill try to post a pic...I want it to shave properly...so thanks again for the advice...

I can honestly say I have honed a few DAs.:w They often take less time to hone and give better results then many razors costing a whole lot more. I finish all my honing on a 0.25µ bench strop. I then strop them on horsehide. I get consistently great results every time.

You might try shaving with a shallower angle. It might just be that the razor is too vertical and your getting a a scrapping motion rather then a cutting motion.

You could also be over honing. I worked one up a few weeks ago and it shaved quite nice. The bevel was not quit set. I went to a 600 diamond to cut the bevel in, 1200 to clean that up, 4K, 8K, 0.5 chromeox and leather. Try skipping the .25 paste, uses a few less laps on the stones if the angle does not take care of i

Yes, try skipping the 0.25 diamond, that may be leaving the edge a bit too harsh..