Thread: I got the dull razor blues...

Your lather, beard prep or lather could be at fault as well as the razor not being sharp enough.

But I've tried synthetic setups, a coticule and a Jnat (2 natural stones) and all give superb shaves.

Oh I do actually remember a post that mentioned why DE's feel sharper but are actually just easier to shave with because of the safety frame creating the optimum angle against your face, Lower the angle of the razor and don't try and remove all the stubble in the first pass.

regards Alex

Although a disposable blade is hard to match it can be done, I would bet the Dovo can go there I don't know if the W&B can but they are two different animals and the resulting shaves from either should be Close & COMFORTABLE!!! Note the emphasis on the comfortable

The real difference in the disposable edge and the SR edge is in the Coating -vs- the Stropping not in the initial sharpness which will be within microns..

The disposable relies on a coating (Teflon) to impart smoothness, a SR relies on your skill with the strop to burnish the blade to impart smoothness read AFDavis /Alan's thread on stroppping and watch his vid on the front page of the forum.. this is where you are missing (assuming the honing starts the edge right)
It is obvious that you like a Wicked Sharp edge if you send me the Dovo I will take it there on the Shaptons and strop it in for you so the first shave when it gets back to you will be as good as that razor can get.. After that shave if that works for you, then you can see how your stropping effects the edge..

PM me if you want to try this out I cover the honing you cover the shipping, I don't know where yer at in the world so if it ain't the US let me know, as I have a few friends on here that know how to hone across the world, and maybe we can get one of them to help out

Thank you very much for your offer Gssixgun,but i wouldn't expect you to hone anything for me for free.Just out of curiosity,why do you feel that a Dovo can rival ad DE edge,but a W$B probably can't.Blade thickness perhaps? Again,thank you for your offer,but I'll gladly pay for your services.PM sent.

Originally Posted by shinyribs

Thank you very much for your offer Gssixgun,but i wouldn't expect you to hone anything for me for free.Just out of curiosity,why do you feel that a Dovo can rival ad DE edge,but a W$B probably can't.Blade thickness perhaps? Again,thank you for your offer,but I'll gladly pay for your services.PM sent.

GSSIXGUN is offering you a very precious gift!

If I were you my friend, I'd take him up on it! Please let him work his magic on his stones!!! His edges are well known, not only on some of my razors, but around the entire straight razor shaving world!!

At the very least, you will have found how far your razor can he honed and how it compares to a DE.

If you take him up on his offer, when you receive it, don't strop it, just give it a go!! You just might be in for a surprise!!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

GSSIXGUN is offering you a very precious gift!

If I were you my friend, I'd take him up on it! Please let him work his magic on his stones!!! His edges are well known, not only on some of my razors, but around the entire straight razor shaving world!!

At the very least, you will have found how far your razor can he honed and how it compares to a DE.

If you take him up on his offer, when you receive it, don't strop it, just give it a go!! You just might be in for a surprise!!

I agree with you completely cudarunner. And though I am sure you are correct in taking GSSIXGUN up on his offer,I just wouldn't feel right about it. A man that has invested his money into acquiring all of the proper stones and equipment,and his time into learning how to use them correctly should be compensated for his time and effort. Not to mention now I am approached with honing loyalty. Should I get GSSIXGUN to hone my razor for being so kind,or remain loyal to the gentleman who did such a good job on my W&B? I know we are not talking about a lot of money here,but as a small business owner customer loyalty is paramount to me. Thank you again for your overly gracious offer GSSIXGUN, I imagine you may receive my Dovo in the near future. I need someone to fix what i probably messed up!

Nosy P.S.: cudarunner,would i be right in thinking that you have a 'Cuda? Between the words "cuda" & "runner" I was wondering if you drag race,too? Sorry for being nosy. Just always stoked to find a fellow racer!

Originally Posted by justalex

Your lather, beard prep or lather could be at fault as well as the razor not being sharp enough.

But I've tried synthetic setups, a coticule and a Jnat (2 natural stones) and all give superb shaves.

Oh I do actually remember a post that mentioned why DE's feel sharper but are actually just easier to shave with because of the safety frame creating the optimum angle against your face, Lower the angle of the razor and don't try and remove all the stubble in the first pass.

regards Alex

Thank you for your reply.Just to be clear on what I am using when I refer to a DE is this.I do not own an actual DE razor,but all of this straight business has me considering it.But to be away from disposable things was the first reason in using straights to begin with.Time will tell...

I would also recommend working on technique here. If the stropping is going well with 50-60 strokes before shaving, then the razor should be shaving well at a 30 degree or less angle. Most guys bend their wrist back when starting which you can get a way with on a disposable razor, but generally not on a real straight razor. They are definitely different animals.

Have fun.

Sorry for the mix up, I started with a cartridge razor as well, they shave differently though as Lynn says, a lower angle should improve your shaving

I hear alot of talk on here about the 30* angle,but that seems way too steep for me.I usually end up holding my razor with the spine just barely off of my skin.Probably only an 1/8" or less.At times the spine will even touch.At 30* it feels to me that the blade is just scraping across my face rather than slicing hairs off.I stropped the dickens out of the W&B and the Dovo tonight.100 passes on both sides of the strop on each razor.I was almost too tired to shave after that! First pass with the W&B wtg and then atg with the Dovo.Somewhat better,but i did end up touching up with the Personna in a few spots.Don't get me wrong,I am getting better shave with the str8s im complainig about than i ever did with a machlll.I suppose i am just overly picky sometimes

I had many of the same problems when I started just a few years back. Nowadays, I can get a smoother shave from my Dovo steel SR than with a disposable SR, though my double edge razor is slightly easier on one part of my face (immediately under my chin), but worse on others. I shave WITH the growth first, and then across (sideways). The problem area under my chin gets smooth after three sideways passes, but this feels uncomfortable if my blade is not perfectly stropped.

So, I found my biggest problems could be solved with stropping:

1. I have a fabric canvas strop. I use this before every shave (just five strokes). It is indispensable. I simply could not keep my blade sharp over several shaves without it.
3. Your main strop should be nice and smooth. I did not strop for long enough before, but more strokes is generally better (I never counted, maybe I should do that next time). I have a wide strop and a narrow one, but I actually prefer the latter, as the x-pattern seems to work better on that one. I finish with some very light strokes on the strop.
2. When the blade tugs too much and is getting dull: get a diamond paste for a separate sharpening strop OR (better if you ask me) use a very fine water stone, build up slurry, and apply a little of this slurry on the sharpening strop. It works even better than paste in my experience. I only use it now and then, but it is important to have when the blade is slightly dull, it can make the blade very very sharp. If the blade is getting seriously dull, hone the razor on the water stone first.

It took me a while to figure all this out, and I suppose that my stropping and shaving technique also got better, but now my relatively cheap black high-carbon steel Dovo can give an absolutely baby-smooth shave.

Good luck!