Thread: One side sharper than the other?

I know that is a stupid title, but...

Seriously, a few of my razors seemed to start shaving my right side much closer than my left side on my first pass (down.... and I'm right handed).

On the second, up, pass, it all evened out, and I got a nice shave, but this didn't make any sense to me.

I sharpened them... it was about time anyway, and the problem has gone away. Now shave the same on each pass and each side.

So, my questions are:

Anyone else had this symptom?

Seems like it is probably my technique that is the problem, and it shows up worse when the blades get a little dull.

Any idea what could be wrong with my technique that is causing this?

You already suggested it:
They were honed unequally on both sides.
So after rehoning them all was ok.

Best regards
Martin

It is most likly your form that it causing the difference in quality of shaves. The unequaly honed sides would have to be incredibly severe for it to have that great of an effect.

Yeah... it seems like if it were honed unevenly, then I'd have noticed it after the hone that made them uneven in the first place. Instead, I only noticed it after the edge got a little dull...

Maybe my stropping is the problem? Seems like if the bevels on each side of the blade were different, I'd have noticed it immediately. Can't imagine how stropping would cause it.

I'm still stumped... Maybe I just don't get the angle quite right shaving in my left hand?

Stropping is a good point!

Before I perfected my stropping technique I had a similar problem:
One side stropped well, the other almost not all.

While stropping listen to the sound that is produced: It should be a hissing sound that is the same all the time: on both sides and at every inch of the blade. In the beginning use a little (!) pressure that is reduced almost to zero for the last movements.

Stropping too slow does not yield in good results, I think, so try some speed for every single movement. I don't mean many movements per minute, just fast movements on the strop and slow and controlled turning of the razor over the back!

Best regards
Martin

Martin,
That is just what I found too. Slow deliberate turn at each end but a fairly fast, yet controlled sweep across the strop.
Tony