Thread: Poor shave

It is very easy to check if the razor was not quite shave ready or the edge was affected by stropping. Just try the razor as is out of the box freshly honed and stropped by the person that honed it. Then strop before the second shave and see if there is any difference.

Originally Posted by mainaman

It is very easy to check if the razor was not quite shave ready or the edge was affected by stropping. Just try the razor as is out of the box freshly honed and stropped by the person that honed it. Then strop before the second shave and see if there is any difference.

Yup, this is the way to use the edge created by the honer. Shave with the honer's edge the first time and then see it shaves differently on the second shave after you have stropped it.

Thank you for this. I saw Geo say the opposite. I feel that since your hand is closer to the heal, there is more control and feel. I have had surgery on my chin so it is very uneven. I try to shave using a different angle then straight down and that works well as well as very light pressure.

Sounds like your straight razor could use a professional honing. I have found the edge on straights differ by manufacturer. Also the way you strop could have a bearing on the quality of the shave. I have used both and now only use a straight. You may also want to experiment with pre-shaves, cremes and soaps. I found that I had to use a good pre-shave with a straight but not with the Feather. I also find a creme works better with the straight then with the Feather.