Strop recommendations

Hello SRP,

Hope you all are well, I am in the market for a good strop, I have bought two all ready. The first one is a store brand from an online retailer which came with my razor. It is 3" wide with a second attaced machined webbed strop as well. I have been beating my head against the wall, I can get the razor almost as sharp as a DE razor blade, once I go to the leather side it dulls, or really doesnt improve any... Looking at the leather side it is stiff, wavey and concave. The second is a cheap Chinese made amazon special it does about the same as the online store brand one.

I would like to try a good strop before I sell it. Or if you are interested in a Ralf Aust 5/8 razor PM i can make a deal with you. The razor has been rehoned and is much more sharp then when I bought it. I am just frustrated, too much money and time spent for a tugging and razor burn. Right now my Shavette does a much better job and cost me $12. I kinda feel like a fool investing so much money and getting horrible results.

So if you all can steer me in the direction of a good strop or if you would like to end my misery. Let me know.

Happy Holidays!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lockwood124

Hello SRP,

Hope you all are well, I am in the market for a good strop, I have bought two all ready. The first one is a store brand from an online retailer which came with my razor. It is 3" wide with a second attaced machined webbed strop as well. I have been beating my head against the wall, I can get the razor almost as sharp as a DE razor blade, once I go to the leather side it dulls, or really doesnt improve any... Looking at the leather side it is stiff, wavey and concave. The second is a cheap Chinese made amazon special it does about the same as the online store brand one.

I would like to try a good strop before I sell it. Or if you are interested in a Ralf Aust 5/8 razor PM i can make a deal with you. The razor has been rehoned and is much more sharp then when I bought it. I am just frustrated, too much money and time spent for a tugging and razor burn. Right now my Shavette does a much better job and cost me $12. I kinda feel like a fool investing so much money and getting horrible results.

So if you all can steer me in the direction of a good strop or if you would like to end my misery. Let me know.

Happy Holidays!!!

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im not not sure what you have or where you got it. But ve seen some terrible excuses for strops sent out with razors as a package deal. The razors are not shave ready and if they were, the strops were so mangled and crimped that they would destroy a shi'a able edge immediately. If you think yours is similar, have the razor rehoned before you use it again and then decide where you want to go next. The best value is probably a new SRD strop.

If you post pictures of the strops it would help a bit.

Let me see what I can do!!!

Here it is.

Attachment 187762

Thanks

So lots of things could be causing issues. IMO that strop looks fine for the job, in fact I have one almost identical only its a 2 inch. In the early stages the learning curve is pretty rough. I would guess its a combination of stropping issues and technique.

Remember pressure doesn't equal closer shave and angles with your shavette are less forgiving than with a straight. 2 spine widths (away from face) is the easiest for me.

Like most new guys this one is operators error ,, and technique shaving has a lot to do with it,, if properly shave ready. But you more than likely rolled your edge,, my DE is not sharper than my straights , after I learned to shave and strop with a razor that was shave ready , they were plenty sharp but we're dull when I didn't know what is doing. Good luck. Tc

Redcane thanks for the tip, I tired that and it worked for me as well. A few things puzzle me one, the blade is more sharp after I strop on the webed side of the strop. Then dulls on the leather side. This is an SRD strop BTW. For the sake of it I ordered thier Premium IV English Braidal replacement strop segment.. This one has a two cringled sections from when it was shipped and I stay away from those.

The blade to me feels 95% there I don't understand why it is sharper after stropping on the Webbed or fabric side. I have done all kinds of hair spilting test to confirm this. What it remeinds me of is when I use shark or derby blades apposed to Astras or Feathers in my shavette..

My way of thinking if the cutting edge had better and more uniform contact with the leather side of the strop it would sharpen the blade more... I mean come on guys wouldn't you be miffed if your $12 Shavette out performed your $$$ straight razor? I am sure I will get this sooner or later. I mean if I can shave with a shavette and not cut my self yet there has to be hope for me right?

I have a srd strop identical to yours.I have had zero problems with it.I hope things improve for you.have you tried a little light palm rubbing of the leather ? I use 30-50 light round trips and receive wonderful shaves.keep practicing and talking to these guys/girls here at srp.

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Originally Posted by Lockwood124

Redcane thanks for the tip, I tired that and it worked for me as well. A few things puzzle me one, the blade is more sharp after I strop on the webed side of the strop. Then dulls on the leather side. This is an SRD strop BTW. For the sake of it I ordered thier Premium IV English Braidal replacement strop segment.. This one has a two cringled sections from when it was shipped and I stay away from those.

The blade to me feels 95% there I don't understand why it is sharper after stropping on the Webbed or fabric side. I have done all kinds of hair spilting test to confirm this. What it remeinds me of is when I use shark or derby blades apposed to Astras or Feathers in my shavette..

My way of thinking if the cutting edge had better and more uniform contact with the leather side of the strop it would sharpen the blade more... I mean come on guys wouldn't you be miffed if your $12 Shavette out performed your $$$ straight razor? I am sure I will get this sooner or later. I mean if I can shave with a shavette and not cut my self yet there has to be hope for me right?

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I have both of those strops you mentioned... The english bridal IMO is the best bang for your buck. Unfortunately all the strops perform a little different as well so I would stick with the latigo until you figure it out.

Don't hold the strop so tight that it starts to hurt your arm, just a nice comfortable taught grip. Try adding just a tiny.... and I mean TINY bit of pressure on the razor . When you flip the razor, do exactly like you see in the videos and make sure all motion has stopped when making the flip. Also, you don't have to go super fast like you see in all these youtube videos.

I had similar issues when I started. I was almost to passive with the razor and strop.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=


Don't give up, I promise you will get better. It is worth the work and you will end up getting a way more comfortable shave than a shavette. Keep us posted.

First off that isn't an action shot, daughter was manning the camera. I was trying to show how the strop isn't contacting the razor fully.i have watched this video 6-8 times. I am hoping I can get this razor where it does shave better. Larry who rehoned the razor said it honed up perfectly. He is a big fan of theirs issrad fan, he said they seem to take the less time and are the most consistent. So on that end I feel good about my purchase.

Don't waste your time with the cheapest gear you can buy. Equipment won't make up for lack of practice and stropping does take pracitice, but inferior tools get inferior results. Do yourself a favor and try one of SRD's 3" strops. I recommend the English Bridle leather or the kangaroo. You will pay a little more but if you take care of it it willl last a life time and you are getting top quality for the dollar. Don't give up it's a learned skill. Also use the library here. It is invaluable and free.:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lockwood124

Hello SRP,

Hope you all are well, I am in the market for a good strop, I have bought two all ready. The first one is a store brand from an online retailer which came with my razor. It is 3" wide with a second attaced machined webbed strop as well. I have been beating my head against the wall, I can get the razor almost as sharp as a DE razor blade, once I go to the leather side it dulls, or really doesnt improve any... Looking at the leather side it is stiff, wavey and concave. The second is a cheap Chinese made amazon special it does about the same as the online store brand one.

I would like to try a good strop before I sell it. Or if you are interested in a Ralf Aust 5/8 razor PM i can make a deal with you. The razor has been rehoned and is much more sharp then when I bought it. I am just frustrated, too much money and time spent for a tugging and razor burn. Right now my Shavette does a much better job and cost me $12. I kinda feel like a fool investing so much money and getting horrible results.

So if you all can steer me in the direction of a good strop or if you would like to end my misery. Let me know.

Happy Holidays!!!

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Highwayman

Don't waste your time with the cheapest gear you can buy. Equipment won't make up for lack of practice and stropping does take pracitice, but inferior tools get inferior results. Do yourself a favor and try one of SRD's 3" strops. I recommend the English Bridle leather or the kangaroo. You will pay a little more but if you take care of it it willl last a life time and you are getting top quality for the dollar. Don't give up it's a learned skill. Also use the library here. It is invaluable and free.:)

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Thats what he has.

When I first started stropping, I could feel a diffence when I shaved depending on which side of the razor was contacting my face. I started to concentrate more on thse sound when I stropped thinking I was using the same pressure, the sound was different coming back to me and i found I was angling the blade slightly. So just make sure you're flat on the strop too.

One of my favourite strops is a SRD 3" English Bridal. In fact, its the one I strop on the most, despite owning a fantastic Heirloom.

What I found that helped me was to strop on an angle, like Lynn mentions. I also found stopping higher then you have your strop helped me quite a bit when I first started... I have my strop hanging off the middle hinge of a 3 hinge door, and its a great height.

This is a different 3" strop from either either of those, but:

Attachment 187909

Your equipment looks fine. Tell us your honing progression. Are you using one of these to check your bevel. 60x Magnifying Magnifier Jeweler Eye Jewelry Loupe Loop LED Light | eBay

Are you using tape on the spine through your stone progression. Just because your razor is new doesn't mean it doesn't have an issue from the factory. Mark the edge with a sharpie. Add one piece of tape to the spine. Complete twelve full laps on your highest grit stone. Review and see if all the sharpie has disappeared. Custom razor artisan Tim Zowada uses one piece of electrical tape on the spine. When he reaches his final finishing stone he adds two more pieces of tape. Give it a try before purchasing new $$ hardware.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honing/112243-tweaking-edge-tape.html

I've been straight razor shaving for one year, 2 months and I understand your frustration completely. I had two razors that I was honing myself. Then I'd strop and shave. One of these razors came professionally honed but after shaving and stropping twice the edge was degraded. This was due to my lack of experience and ability at stropping. Shaving was ok but nothing like what the experienced guys talk about. I got a razor from SRD in November. Lynn hones all the razors they sell. This razor came MUCH sharper than what I've been able to get from my efforts. I have been able to keep the razor shaving excellently since I got it around the first of November. In the past year, like you, I've experienced getting a razor very sharp on the webbing strop but then the leather one seems to dull it. This is completely related to my ability and technique at stropping. If I had gotten the razor from SRD a year ago I suppose I'd have destroyed the edge the first time I stropped it. But now after lots of practice I'm keeping the razor extremely sharp and am experiencing the shaves others talk about.

I have two strops. The first one I got came from whippeddog.com and is the rich man's strop. It came with a leather strop that is kind of stiff and a webbing strop. I also got a kangaroo with webbing strop from SRD. I love the kangaroo strop because it's MUCH softer and just feels better when I strop. I can't say it does a better job. It just feels better to me. I'm 100% convinced all of the leathers and other strop materials (felt, webbing, linen) that are commonly used work fine and it just depends on which type a given person prefers. With the new razor I used only the kangaroo strop between several shaves. Then one day it felt like the razor had lost a tiny bit of it's sharpness. So I did 10-12 passes on the webbing strop with .5 micron diamond spray (from SRD) and then 50-60 passes on the roo (no abrasive). The next shave was better. This means I can now take a shave ready razor (Lynn's honing) and maintain it with a webbing strop with .5 micron abrasive and the roo strop. If things continue as they have for a month and a half it will be several months before this new razor (Dovo) will need to be honed.

What I'm getting at is it has taken me just over a year to be able to maintain a razor by stropping it. This is a good feeling. I had gotten so frustrated from time to time I almost quit using a straight razor. But I figured if others were doing it I could too. All the experienced guys say they had their own hard times when they started out also. If you want to use a straight razor just keep at it and one day all the time practicing and effort will pay off. As I said I had two razors before I got the Dovo that came shave ready. I also bought two used razors on ebay to try my hand at restoring razors. I use them for practicing using a light stroke with consistent repeatability. I think it only takes one bad stroke to damage the delicate edge on a straight razor. Go very slow to maintain accuracy. As time passes the speed will just come all by itself. But when learning I have to stop and force myself to slow down. When you watch videos of people stropping with lightening speed just watch for entertainment purposes. :)

I'm no one to give advice but IMO stropping effectively requires more practice time than only stropping 50-100 passes between shaves. I sit there and practice on a "practice" razor while watching tv. I'm usually paying more attention to the stropping than I am to whatever is on tv. Practice makes perfect but it takes perfect practice. I've also spent a lot of time learning to hone razors on stones. While I see improvement I think if I had spent that time practicing stropping I could have become more proficient at stropping much sooner. All the experienced guys agree that stropping is the key to getting great shaves. Listening to their advice is all well and good. And it helps more than I can describe. But I have had the feeling that they were full of BS since I could try what they suggest and still not get the results they describe. The delicate touch needed to strop or hone razors is something that can't be described in print or verbally. It only can be "felt" after taking the advice and practicing. That's how it seems to me anyway.

Hey Lockwood,

Nice strop and fine razor there.

You may be aware already, but I would like to offer a clarification. Stropping does not sharpen a razor. It does, however, polish the edge resulting in a smoother(sharper feeling) shave.

Stropping maybe a few hundred times slowly and carefully might bring the "edge" back. Short of that, you may need send it back to Larry and while you're at it, buy a couple more razors, particularly, a Sight Unseen from Larry. Keep your Issard untouched, the holy grail to which you can compare your other new shaving razors. So, by testing the edge HHT, TPT, etc., you'll know if the edge has gone south compared to the untouched, prohoned razor. At least, that is my approach to it and I had a lot of other "variables" in the beginning.

Cheers,

Simon

Thanks, for all the responses. One the razor is sharp, I feel it is 95% there. Big improvement from when I got it originally. I may send it back I will see. The issues I was having is that it would would be more sharp after I stropped it on the fabric side. The pull more after I stropped it on the leather side.

I can see a lot goes into this, and so many variables are so subjective. Watching the Lynn Abrams video, he states to use light pressure, but I see a great deal of deflection in the strop. What I did was listen for the sound the razor made in the video and try to match that. That has yielded better results.

Maybe the razor needs to be rehoned, who knows. The aircraft mechanic in me wants to take on the honing myself, ultimately that may be the way I go. Which is how all things go for me, I work on my own cars, home maintenance you name it I do it. I was hoping to get a shave ready set up to give me a good baseline. So I am disappointed.

Yesterday I went to the local barber for a shave. He complained how course my beard is, the shave gel he used my skin absorbed like a sponge, Proraso does the same thing. I paid $15 for a rough, razor burned shave.. So the take away for me was I have a very course beard. I may go to the art of shaving, get a shave from them and see what they have to say.

In theory the straight razor makes great sense, I do get very good shaves out of my DE and shavette be nice to never have to buy a blade again.

Thanks for the honing article, that was very informative I did buy a Norton 4k-8k stone, I do needed to get a 12k and a flattening stone. I have used the Norton on my kitchen knives, with great results. Or maybe I shou try a theirs issrad shave ready razor.

Honestly I a, tired of the massive time and money investment with lack luster results. I have also put green paste on one side of my fabric strop, and that has helped.. It is nice to pick up my de and get a near perfect shave... It would be nice to have my straight razor be the same. I payed good money, bought good equipment, did a ton of research, but nothing has been as advertised.

The barber told me I should grow a beard and save my self the agony.... ;)

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Originally Posted by Lockwood124

The barber told me I should grow a beard and save my self the agony.... ;)

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I understand what you are going through. From my experience (one year) shaving with a straight razor is something you need to be dedicated to learning or not even start. There are lots of alternatives to getting the hair off our faces. Personally, I had a beard for about 8-10 years. I got into knife sharpening trying to get super razor sharp edges because I've always liked knives and respected sharp knives as tools. One day I decided to shave my beard off but I no longer had ANY shaving equipment. Not even a 10 pack of disposable razors and a can of shaving cream. So I decided to try straight razors ONLY to become proficient at sharpening them. The decision had nothing to do with a close shave or anything related to the end result. This was because of my love and respect for what sharp edges can do for us. If it weren't for the sharpening (honing) aspect of shaving with a straight razor I would have bought disposable razors and blades. I'm finally starting to benefit from watching videos, advice here and lots of practice. As far as the cost goes I'm thinking the initial cost, while it can be more expensive at first will save money in the long run. Maybe. Anything shaving related can get expensive if you want good tools. Just like most things. I bet you don't have dirt cheap tools to work on your car. :)

Anyway, I'm showing improvement from my efforts. And while I didn't care about the quality of my shaves to begin with I can see and feel a difference in my shaves now compared to earlier in life. I shaved all my life until I retired 10 years ago. For me it's worth the effort I've gone through. And I know I'll improve more in the future. But when I started I had no idea it would take a year to just get started being proficient. I'm sure some people improve faster. I think the most important thing to consider is to not even concern yourself with honing a razor. Just focus on stropping. That will get you having a shave ready razor at your disposal much faster than if you try using stones on your razors. I got this advice but ignored it. But my stropping has gotten good enough to keep the razor I got from SRD shaving better than anything I've honed. I won't try to hone it until I can get my other razors this sharp. I'll send it to Lynn when it needs honing. But, it may not need honing for several months. After another year practicing to hone and strop I may not need to send it to Lynn. I probably will though. I'll want to check my skill with a razor he hones again and I have a free honing certificate since I got the razor from SRD. :) I can shave with what I hone and strop. It's just not the same as using the SRD razor. But to think I'll get razors as sharp as Lynn or other people who have been at it for years is unrealistic. But, I'll be able to maintain my own razors at a satisfactory level. So will you if you stick with it. Best of luck.

Jack

You mention your strop being "wavy", stiff and concave. I am sure that youe strop would work much better if it were well broken in.
You can make the leather much more supple if you work it against a surface that makes the leather bend fairly sharply against a surface that will not harm the leather.
Take the strip of leather from the strop and work it, with the unused side toward a rounded surface such as the back of a wooden chair.
After 100 or so passes the leather should lose some of its memory and stiffness kind of like a pair of leather shoes becomes softer after being worn and thereby worked for awhile.
Maybe several hundred passes are in order but I would bet that 100 will make a noticeable difference for you.
If you are concerned about the leather abrading against your chosen work surface just put a piece of brown paper bag or a plastic grocery bag between the leather and the surface you are rubbing it on.
I think you will be very pleased in using a well broken in strop versus a new stiff unyeilding one.

A properly honed razor should not behave as you describe.
How did the razor shave before you stropped it ?

I don't see any drastic problem with the strop in the pics that the X stroke can't compensate for but logically, your edge cannot be optimised if the leather is degrading it ie you are degrading it somehow or something is up with the strop.
Seeing you have tried two strops with the same result it is more likely something you are doing, if the razor is truly shave ready.


If you are new to straights there can easily be a number of things you are doing wrong. The leather makes the edge smoother, not so much sharper. Sharpness will come from the stone & as you notice even the linen makes an improvement being more abrasive than leather.
Sometimes new honers notice their edge loses sharpness as they get to their final stone. This is often because earlier work gives a false sharpness that can grab hair & break it rather than slice it easily. Not criticising whoever honed the blade just emphasising that the whole process is cumulative towards shave readiness & not degrading to the edge at the final stage..

You have a tough beard so the edge will suffer more than maybe someone else's beard. If you use the same angle as your shavette this will compound the damage greatly. Try with the blade flat on your face. Yes spine touching & all. I know a guy with sensitive skin & a tough beard who gets 6- 8 months of good shaves on a 2-3 razor rotation

Read these manufacturers instructions & see that they all emphasise good prep & a flat shaving angle.

Your edge may well need another touchup to really assess these instructions however.


http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ng-basics.html


One final comment. Any mention of sales or trade on the open forums is against the rules but I figure your comment was in jest about "making a deal" :)

When I bought the razor it was very dull, it literally pulled the hairs out of my arm. You can read my original post. As for my strop I got the SRD 3" black latigo, and I must say I like the design of it and the fact you can change out peices as you go. The strop seems like a total no brainer to me.

I will admit I made mistakes with the stop, it was wavey from shipping is all I can think, I did used saddle soap on it to soften it and it did. I did nick it a few times, it is also wrinkled in a few spots as well. So This week I orderd the Premium IV segment, this one did show up alittle wavey as well but I just rub it with my hand every time I walk past it and it is softening up nicely.

The razor is sharper then it ever has been I have cutting hairs midway with out any putting and the razor makes a nice rining sound when it cuts the hairs. I think I may run up stairs and give her a shave.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lockwood124

When I bought the razor it was very dull, it literally pulled the hairs out of my arm. You can read my original post.

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I also read that you had it honed since so it should be working ok. G'lick with the shave.

I know you all have been waiting with baited breath. I have been working on my stropping, and the razor has never been more sharp. I still feel it isn't quite where it needs to be. It does deliver a smooth shave, not exactly the closest thing on earth, not quite as good as my DE it is a step in the right direction. I may send it back to Larry or Stephan to see if they can get the last 3-5% out of it. I do have green oxide paste and have done 20 stokes on it 40 on the fabric then 100 on the leather. That was a big improvement.

For me I find using pitch is the best way to strop on the leather side. I look for a nice smooth sound that doesn't ring. To little pressure tells me the blade isn't fully contacting the strop. I try attain the same sound going back and forth. I also feel the with the strop not fully broken in it isn't working as good as it should.. So maybe I am one step closer to shaving nirvana....

Thanks for all the feedback and comments. There maybe an 11/16's theirs-issrad in my future but we will see...

Cheers!!!

I would also like to offer words of encouragement. I had a tough start as well. Jumped RIGHT into the deep end. I would still recommend getting your nice razor re-honed, buying 2 more beaters that are pro-honed and going with WTG passes only. Finish up with the DE or SE.

And, heck, there may be plenty of days where you find that you're just not up for a SR shave(time, mood, etc.). No shame in that and certainly not a reason to abandon many other profitable aspects of the art of shaving. I can't imagine how I ever shaved without proper face prep. It translates across the board.

The strop problem must be rectified. Did you contact the vendor and explain that it came unusable? I'd definitely go that route before an ify attempt at flattening and breaking in, if you've never done it.

Cheers and Happy Shaves,

Simon

Well I have done all I could with my razor, she is still dull. I have stropped it a ton, and improved it. I tried .05 micron paste, even did a touch up with a 4k/8k hone that was leveled to Lynn's spec's. I have improved the razor at each step, all I can think is the bevel was never set. I have inspected it with a 60x magnifying glass. Which showed the bevel is even. So I will send it out to be honed to yet another person to see what happens.

In other news I have been getting some great shaves with my shavette and de razor. I got a merkur progress. That thing is sweet!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lockwood124

Well I have done all I could with my razor, she is still dull. I have stropped it a ton, and improved it. I tried .05 micron paste, even did a touch up with a 4k/8k hone that was leveled to Lynn's spec's. I have improved the razor at each step, all I can think is the bevel was never set. I have inspected it with a 60x magnifying glass. Which showed the bevel is even. So I will send it out to be honed to yet another person to see what happens.

In other news I have been getting some great shaves with my shavette and de razor. I got a merkur progress. That thing is sweet!!!!

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I'm no expert at all. Been working on honing/stropping for a bit over a year. Things are coming together finally. It takes time to get the feeling. My thoughts are if you want to hone your own razors, start learning and practice a little (or a lot) each day. Look for signifant improvement in 6 months. In a year you can be getting some real nice shaves from the razors you hone. This is close to my experience. Stropping is still the key though it seems. You can keep a razor that Lynn hones shave ready for a few months once the stropping skill is good. Then sending a razor for honing every six months isn't too bad. The other reason stropping is key is even if you have honing on stones down pat, if your stropping is lacking you can ruin the good edge you got on the stones. I learned that the hard way. All the experienced guys kept saying stropping is the first thing to get proficient. They are the ones that know. Keep at it. It'll come together and good luck. :)

Jack

Jack,
Thanks, my stropping has come along way. I can now improve the blade drastically, but with the current state of it it is still on the dull side. So I will send it out and see what happens.

Ahh forget it, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, Thank you all for the Help it was fun. But dang I could have trained to run a 5k during this time or spent some time in the gym or on my bike. Instead witizing with this stuff. It would have been nice if what I bought would have been delivered as advertised. Oh well nothing is perfect, I will consider my cash out lay as a donation to the shaving community. For the most part this was a pretty miserable and demeaning process... To the rest of you all, Smooth shaves!!!!

Lockwood out!!!!

Make sure blade edge contacts with the leather during stropping, apply a little pressure if needed to achieve this.

Before you throw in the towel, why not sent it out to a hone meister Maybe they can find the problem with the edge. Can you post a closeup photograph of your razor.

I remember reading here when I first started it will take 100 shaves until you start getting consistent results. Some learn quicker, some slower, but it really is something you have to stick with. I would send it out for a re-hone and start from scratch with just your cheeks, and finish with a shavette, or what ever, and slowly build from there. It can be frustrating, and I doubt there is a member here who hasn't felt that, but once you get past that hurdle, you won't look back. A known brand shave ready razor, good lather, and good technique will get you there. Slow and steady on the strop until you get the rhythm, hang in there. Best of luck.

Don't you dare give up. Are you really gonna let it defeat you like that, come on man.:nono:
Give it a chance , you owe it to yourself, and we all would hate for you not to succed, you must keep at it.
Send it away to get re-honed give yourself a few weeks off, then come back to it.
Keep at it brother, don't go out like that.:angel:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lockwood124

Ahh forget it, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, Thank you all for the Help it was fun. But dang I could have trained to run a 5k during this time or spent some time in the gym or on my bike. Instead witizing with this stuff. It would have been nice if what I bought would have been delivered as advertised. Oh well nothing is perfect, I will consider my cash out lay as a donation to the shaving community. For the most part this was a pretty miserable and demeaning process... To the rest of you all, Smooth shaves!!!!

Lockwood out!!!!

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Consider this: Running a 5K is over when its over, futzing around in the gym is nice when you are young, and riding around on your bike is doable when young. Learning to hone properly is a skill that you will have for the rest of your life, and, if you are like me, a skill that is immensely satisfying that can be executed even when your are an old fart (like me). The nuances that need to be learned when running up the honing learning curve are many (as I've experienced), but like any other skill it takes practice and commitment of considerable time (and expense). Like any other learned skill the beginning is rough and frustrating as you develop the skill. The idea is not to give up so that the expertise can develop.... and it will, trust me.

Seeking out and listening to the advice on this forum will help you avoid some of the common errors in learning to hone and shaving properly. The advice I've received from this board has been just wonderful and freely given. (I don't shave, just hone and refurbish and collect razors. I did just buy some really nice New Old Stock razors and two new Dovos, kinda expensive, but just shows how addicted I am to this hobby (or, as my wife says, insane)).

Ok lets a get a few things straight.... I bought a quality shave ready razor, and in my opinion a quality strop. Fact is my strop had a wrinkle in it from shipping, and my razor was not shave ready. I had it rehoned by a different person who did make it sharp, but nothing great. If it were my Shavette I would install a new blade.

I work as an aircraft mechanic, steady hands and fallowing directions are kinda paramount in my field. A bad day for me could mean damaging really expensive hardware or many people could be canceling Christmas, not to mention facing federal charges. So with that said I am pretty through with what I do and how I do things.

Please don't insult me with "a sharp razor may appear dull to a beginner", come on let's be honest we are all human and I can understand that I got a dull razor. Mistakes happen, but horrible customer service is inexcusable, especially in a niche market.

Thanks for all the kind PM's I think I will wash this off like a date and move on, still kicking myself for not getting a Feather Artist Club...

Ok, well next possible move is to find a mentor in your area. Most problems at the start are, believe it or not, operator error. I rolled the edge of my first shave ready razor before my first shave. I have gone from that to getting 70+ shaves out of a razor with just a strop, no crox or touch ups of any kind. You can't compare shaving with a straight with, for instance, a DE, a shavette, or a cartridge. it is a new game. This is where technique and learning comes in. I can get a closer shave now than from anything else, and you have better strops and hones than I do. Enjoy the ride, it won't happen overnight, but it will happen.