Thread: Shave Quality

Hi. I've been shaving with a straight razor for a few months now. I'm loving the overall results and I'm definitely getting better with each shave. It's a fantastic, masculine journey.

I shave with a Dovo Inox 5/8" half-hollow ground Stainless steel razor. Kinda entry level blade, I guess. I'm certainly not unhappy with it, but am wondering if the overall quality of my shave could be better. I struggle to achieve close shave on my neck, and my chin area and upper lip continue to be an effort. In fact I still shave those areas with a Gillette safety razor to achieve a decent save.

Do I need to continue perfecting my technique, or could a closer, better shave be achieved with a better quality blade?

I'm happy that my blade is sharp enough, so no issue there. I also maintain the blade edge with regular stropping.

I'm interested in thoughts on achieving a better quality shave through the use of a better quality blade. Or is that a nonsense?

Probably nonsense.
What you are experiencing is typical for beginners, myself included. You probably need more practice stropping and shaving. Have you checked out the library? There is really good info on blade angle and strokes.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...zor_Place_Wiki
Some info on your razor would be helpful. Was it bought shave ready from a reputable dealer? Has it been touched-up since you bought it? My point is Dovo makes quality razors so if it came to you shave ready the razor is probably not the issue.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I bought mynrazor shave ready and have had it touched up once since. I'm thinking I need to continue working on my technique, and your feedback reinforces that. For example, I'm able to easily get a really close, smooth shave when I shave the right side of my face, but the left side needs a bit more work to get it to the same condition. That has to be technique, right?

Originally Posted by stephenfieldnz

I'm interested in thoughts on achieving a better quality shave through the use of a better quality blade. Or is that a nonsense?

For the most part the idea of buying a better shave by buying a more expensive, sometimes confused with quality, blade is nonsense JMHO. No real short cut to a better shave. There should be more than enough quality with a Dovo "entry" level blade to provide a BBS, providing there are no physical defects to the blade and it is really shave ready, with the right technique.

Is your blade really sharp enough after several months of continuous use and stropping or has it dulled to the point of needing to be honed? That is really hard a assessment to make if you are new with only one razor to make. I know I dulled a blade very quickly when first stating out through a combination of bad shaving technique and poor stropping technique in less than several months. It just might be time to have the blade tuned up professionally.

Bob

I see you replied as I typed my post. Yea, I am guessing it is more of a technique issue than aything else then.

Bob

Thank you Bob.

Stephen

It is a frustrating process to learn to get a good shave from a straight and just takes quite a bit of practice and experimentation. Well, more than I ever thought it would anyway. Maybe try varying the angle a bit in those spots that are giving you grief to see if that helps. Going ATG I have the spine of the blade almost flat on my face for example and not the usual 2 spine widths from it.

I am saved from having to do the upper lip by having a stach but going ATG on the chin is still a bit of a trick for me to do. Good luck to you.

Bob

Just hang on! You will get there. We all have had our days. Dovo is a great blade, I dont think you will gain much from a more expensive blade. Learn the strop well. I been straight saving and honing for almost a year but since I slacked the strop a little, my edges seem like they are sharper and last forever. I use a slicing stroke, like 20 degrees to the stroke as this takes off like 2 straight passes. Dont do anything that makes you uncomfortable though. Im looking forward to what my shaves will be like in a year from now. I get a 2 pass and a little touchup bbs. My neck took 3 months to get the first bbs.

+1 on the previous advice. A more expensive razor won't improve the quality of your shave. Concentrate on your technique.

Later, you may want to invest in a balsa strop pasted with Chromium Oxide to help maintain the sharpness of your razor.

I have been working through the same things, in fact there are a few threads on necks, chins etc. After spending a couple of days pm-ing a mentor here I have got my shave a lot better.
Neck hair seems to grow in weird directions, mine mostly grows diagonally which appears to be fairly common, a scything stroke and odd stretching work to a degree, though some advice I have been given is to get it as good as you can and accept that, though this is also because I get shaving rash on my neck if I attack it to much, now I am getting better at making two strokes count.
On my upper lip I work from the inside out, then the outside in, ie the razor is vertical, or slightly diagonal.
On my chin I just try to maintain a very shallow angle and combine a stretch with pulling my chin with my face muscles.
I don't really know if this helps, I am quite new to this myself.
Good luck, and don't stress, you can always try again tomorrow.

After the shave, practice with you finger on the areas that arent clean shaven. My revelation came after I decided to do one pass ATG and stop and see what I had. My face was 75% bbs. So now I have to work on the 25%. Simplifying it makes you concentrate on the problem areas.