Tug good - hot knife bad?

I have a question that seems a mystery to me. I have many times had my str8 test shave cut like a hot knife through butter and had a rough shave, but yet I have had also many times started to shave and notice a slight tug (not much at all) and would go ahead with the shave and have a great comfortable shave. If anyone has experienced this do you know why? I would like to understand so that the former experience might become like the latter. Thanks. Sorry I know not much info but I'm hoping others with more knowledge will help.

bevel not set completely

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Originally Posted by mainaman

bevel not set completely

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For which part or both. Still trying to understand so I could fix the problem and get consistent results

Do you have one on these in your honing arsenal.

Magnifying Loupe 60x Jewelry Loupe Magnifier Loop Jeweler Eye Coins LED Light | eBay

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Originally Posted by feltspanky

Do you have one on these in your honing arsenal.

Magnifying Loupe 60x Jewelry Loupe Magnifier Loop Jeweler Eye Coins LED Light | eBay

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I have a 45x lighted not a 60x but I know it's enough.

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Originally Posted by rlmnshvstr8

For which part or both. Still trying to understand so I could fix the problem and get consistent results

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Definitely the second case. The first case I can;t tell with no pics that show the bevels of the razor.

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Originally Posted by mainaman

Definitely the second case. The first case I can;t tell with no pics that show the bevels of the razor.

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I'll go through the normal bevel checks and see if there is room for improvement. I just don't quite understand how I am getting sometimes enjoyable shaves with an unset bevel while my worst shaves were from the other.

While I'm thinking about it. The rough shaves normally come right after a refresh while the other experience might come a shave or two later. Any ideas from here?

:gaah: Idk why I didn't notice this earlier but I meant to post this in str8 shaving forum not safety shaving. :gaah:

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Originally Posted by rlmnshvstr8

:gaah: Idk why I didn't notice this earlier but I meant to post this in str8 shaving forum not safety shaving. :gaah:

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moved to the straight shaving forum

Thanks you

What exactly is rough about the rough shave? Weepers? Razorburn? General skin irritation? Patches of missed stubble?
You mentioned test shave - are you honing your own?

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Originally Posted by hoglahoo

What exactly is rough about the rough shave? Weepers? Razorburn? General skin irritation? Patches of missed stubble?
You mentioned test shave - are you honing your own?

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Yeah, I'm honing my own.

Mostly the rough shave ranges from General skin irritation/razorburn to lots of weepers

Sorry, I know that this is probably a really noob question. But I just wish to understand why my razor if it has a very very slight tug I get a less irritating shave than when it cuts the whiskers like a hot knife through butter. I've been trying to focus on "shave the lather, not the beard"

Razor burn and weepers are usually a sign of too much pressure.

It is the edge condition, most probably because of stropping with too much pressure, or as said a not truly or completely shave ready edge.

Look at the edge straight down, with magnification, if you see shiny spots the bevels are not meeting, (chipping) and will produce a harsh edge, the chips are microscopically cutting your skin.

The edge should not be tugging or uncomfortable.

Wow. Sometimes this learning curve really sucks. But I will get it eventually.

If I am understanding correctly, most if not all of my problem is my edge. Probably a combination of the following problems. It is either my edge is not quite set and causing the tug. Or if I do hit the mark on bevel setting I'm using too much pressure because I'm possibly using pressure from the previous problem. Or lastly my edge is possibly crumpling and needs better examination.

Finally after all the trolling I've been noticing yesterday and today let me say to all of you thank you all for your opinions and help. It is really appreciated.

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Originally Posted by rlmnshvstr8

I just wish to understand why my razor if it has a very very slight tug I get a less irritating shave than when it cuts the whiskers like a hot knife through butter.

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Unfortunately, the presence of tug is not the sole factor to consider when it comes to getting a shave with or without irritation. So without actually seeing you shave, hone, strop and/or examine your razors in person, it's difficult to precisely determine why this is happening. If the razor is mowing through your beard effortlessly, then you should be able to use a very light touch. So much so that you'll not have any issue with irritation, burn, or weepers. However, this also requires learned practice and doesn't happen just because you have a razor that's up to snuff. So it could be that you're being a bit too aggressive during those times (why is it only sometimes that the edge performs this way? Is it not holding its edge?) that your razor is behaving this way

Getting a great shave that tugs just a bit at the start of your shave could mean a lot of things - it could mean you're more careful with the blade since you can feel it grabbing at your beard, so you conciously keep it off your skin? It could mean you're basing the quality of the shave comparison to a shave that produces razorburn and weepers, instead of perhaps to a properly effortless shave which actually feels even better. Or it could simply be that as you're still learning to hone and strop, that you're putting different edges on the razor that are still giving you variable results - just a couple of examples to illustrate it could be a myriad combination of factors :shrug:

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Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Or it could simply be that as you're still learning to hone and strop, that you're putting different edges on the razor that are still giving you variable results

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I would say with me still being very much a noob, u probably nailed it there

With all this that is going on, Especially all the 8k talk today, I think I am going to take a step back to the basics and work only to a 8k finish till I get consistent results. Maybe touch up every once in a while on my crox on balsa but work on my 8k's a lot more. May I ask yall something? I have a Shapton system (1k, 2k, 4k, 8k) and a norton 4/8. Does it matter which I work from or is there a preference?

Nope, doesn’t matter cept the driver…