Thread: Shaving Irritation

Now I understand why you asked the question. I was a little lost and wasn't even sure I was understanding the question correctly, but now it is all clear. There is no rhyme or reason as to which razors are better shavers for me. It seems kind of random. I've often thought it was because that day I nailed that razor just right on the hone and it is a good quality razor.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Now I understand why you asked the question. I was a little lost and wasn't even sure I was understanding the question correctly, but now it is all clear. There is no rhyme or reason as to which razors are better shavers for me. It seems kind of random. I've often thought it was because that day I nailed that razor just right on the hone and it is a good quality razor.

Yeah, I was trying to be vague. Didn't want to start a hot debate about steel, because I know nothing about steel. Just wanted my thoughts, trail and errors confirmed. And you all came through for me, I've tried or realized what you all were saying, and had eliminated them as the issue. Most times I can link a bad shave back to the lather made or a soap used. That's easy to do especially when you have irritation no matter the razor used but the same soap was involved. Still interested if anyone can come up with something else I could try.

Starting with DEs I bought a sample pack of the popular blades, worked my way through them, and chose a couple of brands that I like and some that I would never use again.
The same could apply to straights - buy different brands and try them. Try a Solingen, a Sheffield, an American, etc.
FEED THE ADDICTION!

Originally Posted by criswilson10

Starting with DEs I bought a sample pack of the popular blades, worked my way through them, and chose a couple of brands that I like and some that I would never use again.
The same could apply to straights - buy different brands and try them. Try a Solingen, a Sheffield, an American, etc.
FEED THE ADDICTION!

I have them all of course that's not true but have more than enough. Just ran into a few that didn't agree with me. Sometimes it's just hard to let go of them... What good are they if they just sit there collecting dust I guess, when it might agree with someone else better.

Chris,

I say steel assuming your sure it cant be and tried everything else. Now I can certainly hone a razor as good as the anyone who's honed for me. I have a really fine Jnat that if all else fails, this hone comes through always. Now I have a razor that even this hone will not work on. I'm not talking about an awkward razor. I'm talking about a bad razor that will only ever yield a harsh edge, I'm assuming you are talking about a similar experience.

Joe

Joe, actually this happened with a Utica in what I would call unused looking condition, The other was a BOOTS in similar condition. Both were straight, so no funky warps and you had to look real close at the spine to see the hone wear (I'm talking factory), and absolutely no rust. That's why I'm thinking it's the steel that doesn't agree with me. I've only ran into this a few times over the past 4 years. Just curious what others had to say about it, and whether it was something they've ran into, and what they did before they threw in the towel on a particular razor.

When I first started out and only had a couple of hones and little experience I found some razors to just not be that great of a shaver even though they were quality pieces. I always assumed there were these vast differences in razors. Over time I have come to realize if it is a quality piece it should shave just fine. Maybe a different hone may make the difference or a slightly different honing approach is needed.

Now, there are a small percentage of razors that just seem to shave to the nth degree and we have discussed this before. Probably those razors were just lucky enough to have been manufactured with perfection at every step. They are a special case and if you have one of those pieces you will know it.

When I started shaving with a SR I had some irritation but have not had any in months so for me it was technique but I certainly believe that a poorly honed or stropped blade would do it also. Lather??? I really doubt that it would make a big difference. I have made some poor lathers as we all have and it made for a challenging shave but did not leave my face raw. To me, a really nice lather is about comfort, scent and closeness of the shave but not irritation JMO