Thread: Shaving comfort.

I've been shaving with str8 for about 2 1/2 yrs and do my own honing. I get a good close bbs shave but if I shave everyday I'm sure I'd have some discomfort.

My question is this - is it possible to hone my str8 to the level that an everyday shave wtg/atg and across the grain will not cause irritation?

Rich

“You ought never to take anything that don’t belong to you - if you can not carry it off” – Mark Twain

I use my razors every day with no irritation, so I don't see why you couldn't do the same. Assuming your razor is fairly keen, you might try using a pasted strop to further refine and smooth the edge. Most guys find that using some chromium oxide or diamond spray works wonders in the shaving comfort area while it adds a bit of sharpness. Seems like a contradiction in terms, but that's sort of how it works.

A preshave oil with a well prepped face along with a nice lather is the first place to start. As simple as it sounds, it does take a little experimenting to find your best results for your various passes. I will assume you have this down. When I have this in place, almost any blade will work as long as there isn't too much tugging.

Next, how many passes are you making to get your BBS results? When I was learning my techniques to get BBS, I was making more passes than 3 and my skin looked worse than it felt.

Next, perhaps some of your face will do better with an XTG pass vs ATG pass.

In the end, there are too many little variables to pinpoint it with one message, but I hope these thoughts move you along in finding a solution.

Pabster

Thanks fellas! I use the green paste as my last step in honing but I'll try a couple dozen more and see if it makes a diff. I'll also try and substitute the xtg in place of atg. I had a Torrey that I just sold and it seemed to give a more comfortable shave than my dovo.

Rich

"There is no native criminal class except Congress,"- Mark Twain

FWIW, my Torrey is my best shaver, I'm thinking it is a 1/4 hollow and it is super smooth compared to my full hollow Wostie.. both pass the HHT easily, but for comfort
the Torrey hands down..
funny they both feel smooth on the WTG stroke, it is the ATG stroke where the smoothness really shows..

I just shaved with my first Torrey this morning (thanks GW).
It looks to be nearly full hollow and measures 5/8.
Two passes, WTG/ATG and I am so smooth.
It's a phenomenal blade, and GW gets it really sharp with that cerium oxide stuff he uses.