Thread: My First SR Shave... OUCH!

I must be doing something wrong? As the title says this is the first time I've used a SR, grew up on DE and TE stuff.

I just purchased what I think is a good razor and it claims to be "Shave Ready" It does cut the hair on my arm easily, but beard hair is a different story and I don't know if it's me or the razor. I prepped my beard as best I could, lathered up and started my first pass. It seems that no matter what angle, or touch I use the blade drags and will not shave the coarse stubble without pulling skin and cutting my face. There is a lot of resistance. Nothing like the videos I've seen that make it look not so difficult.

Anyone know what my problem may be?

If it will not pop arm hairs it is as dull as a butter knife. You will need to get it honed.

Any one do any honing in Ecuador?

Sounds like you are going to need a 1k and a 4/8 Norton to get it ready to go. Until then do not shave with it.

Welcome to SRP! What kind of razor is it and where did you purchase it?

The thing with the atraight shave, is that there are a ton of vairables that COULD be the rpoblem. If you grew up with DE, I'm guessing your prep and lather are fine...that's good to know.

The razor: Where did you get it? If it is simply a factory new "pre-sharpened" edge...it is NOT shave ready. it needs to be honed, either by you, or preferrably, a honemeister so you KNOW it is ready to go. Even if it IS shave ready...did you strop it? Poor/inexperienced stropping can EASILY dull an edge.

The shave....oh, did you keep the razr at no more than 30 degrees from your face? Did you use little or no pressure? Did you STRETCH the skin? Did you limit yourself to the easy, flat parts of your face, usually just sideburns down? Also, only go with the grain until you get the feel for it, or , well...OUCH.

There is only one constant. With practice, and a little experiementation for what works FOR YOU....it DOES get better...and the sahves are fantastic and enjoyable.

Welcome, stick with it, and feel free to ask more questions!!

The razor is a Dovo "Bismarck" I purchased from Straight Razor Designs and Don said it is shave ready! I can't see how I could have killed the blade stropping I hardly touched the strop!

If you got it from SRD, it is shave ready, you can pretty much forget that concern (of course, anything is POSSIBLE, but Lynn and Don aren't likely to send out a blade that isn't really nicely honed).
You'd be amazed how easily a beginner stropping can dull an edge. All you have to do is lift the spine a little too much a couple times. If you flip badly, you can nick your strop AND dull your razor.

Honestly, technique is probably the most likely culprit here, as it was for every single one of us when we started.
Give your face a few days' rest, then try again, gently, just sideburns down to jaw...that's it. You won't remove all the hair...and don't try to. Keep the angle right (30 degrees or less), and finish up with another razor. As you get comfortable, exapnd where you shave, then move to cross grain and against grain. The learning curve might take a week or two to really show progress...but once it does...man does it feel nice!!!

+1 on all the variables that smokelaw has mentioned,be patient and reference the wiki and videos gl on the next shave.

Thanks for the help... Well I tried to be EXTRA careful when I was stropping and I don't recall making any major mistakes that could have ruined the edge as you describe, I followed all the instructions to the letter, but it is sure enough gone bad! It shaves skin but not hair! Now after 1 day with a $250 investment it looks like I have to send it out again to be fixed....ugh! I picked a bad time to go str8! I can only imagine if it is this easy to ruin a razor how will I ever do this? I can't send the razor out for repair every time I touch it!

It is just a POSSIBILITY that there is anything wrong with the edge. As a matter fo fact, as careful as you seem to have been, I'd even suspect that it is fine.
Try again in a few days, being even more careful, and following Lynn's great thread in the Wiki for first time sahvers...I'll try to find it for you. Let yourself become comfortable with it, and you'll be amazed when it all clicks.

Well so much for customer service... I called and spoke with Don again about my situation. He suggested 10 passes with the diamond sprayed felt side of the strop and then 30 passes with the leather. I did the best I could, it took me an hour being extra careful, but the razor still won't cut hair! Not even if I pull the hair across the edge. So I called Don back and found out much to my surprise that nothing is returnable! So now I'm stuck with a useless $230 razor! I obviously know nothing about SRS but I am a very mechanically inclined kind of guy, and I would bet that this razor was never honed properly or tested before it left the shop. The best part is that when I was discussing this with him on the phone, he hung up on me!...lol