Thread: I think I have the worst beard/skin combo...

So it is interesting to see one's progression in this hobby. Case in point: At first I could not stand my 5/8 Morley full hollow. I felt like it irritated and didn't shave well, so I oiled it and put it away, convinced that I had ruined the fresh, professionally honed edge, or it was too dainty for my nasty beard. The wedge seemed to work better, but it didn't cut well for me, although it was less irritating. The 7/8 Aust was the better of all 3 after recieving it and using it for while, and I have the most shaves on it.

I did notice a bit of regression with the Aust shave quality, but it seemed to pick up as my stropping skills increased. I still could only get a DFS on my cheeks, and the neck was left with lots of stubble.

Fast forward to this past weekend, where I cleaned the oil off the 'little' Morley and have it a good stropping. I tried to shave with it and holy smokes it was like completely different razor. Much less irritation, a great shave on the cheeks, and some dfs patches on the neck. I couldn't believe it.

I tried a little experiment tonight to see if I could tell which razor was the sharpest. The HHT does not work for my fine hair so that is out. I tried the dry arm hair shave, and discovered that the Morely is by far the sharpest, followed by the Aust and then the Wostenholm wedge. I stropped all of them and did 6 laps on the pasted back of my Filly strop and then redid the test. They all improved, but remained in the same order of sharpness.

So, technique might be paramount, but a good edge makes all the difference! Here I have 3 different styles of razors, but the sharpest, not grind is what is really making the difference for me. Sorry for the winded post, but I just got a little excited.

Originally Posted by WartHawg75

So, technique might be paramount, but a good edge makes all the difference! Here I have 3 different styles of razors, but the sharpest, not grind is what is really making the difference for me. Sorry for the winded post, but I just got a little excited.

No need to apologize, we have all been here or we are on the journey to get here. A keen edge and good technique indeed make all the difference. I am still working on improving both. When I first put it together to get great shaves, I felt like I should hold a press conference :-).

The next thing is to find some diagnostic on your shave test that lets you know early that it is time to improve the edge. Something well before tugging and skipping the blade across your cheek. I figured out I have little lay flat whiskers on my chin. Well those no longer slice off easily? It is time to do some blade maintenance.

Enjoy the journey, and wishing you many smooth shaves!

Best,

Ed

Glad to hear you are making steady progress. It's interesting how we all take different paths to acheive the same goal. Enjoy the journey!