Thread: Is it me or my razor?

Also watch this video and look at the angles Jockeys uses in his shave. This will help you big time. Note he uses NO PRESSURe at all.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...-closeups.html

Originally Posted by Disburden

Have you been stropping the razor before each shave? If so, are you doing it correctly and getting a nice draw or are you whipping the razor on the strop and rolling the edge? This is the MOST common thing that new guys do and they don't even realize that they dulled their honed razor before they even got to using it much. I am pretty sure this can be your issue because it was mine when I first started and I dulled three razors and didn't even know it until I learned to hone and I got them to shave myself.

Tugging on your neck when you're using a feather light touch is a sign that you're not stretching at all (PULL HARD!) or you're razor has be dulled. I also haven't seen you mention your prep and lather.

Yes I have been stropping before and after. Im not sure if i did it right for the first shave. Before the second i ran it over the old barber hone i have. Just a few laps. Then i watched very carefully how i stropped. Very slow on the flip.
My prep is. First a hot shower wash beard good, I use a preshave oil( i guess it good stuff, have not noticed a big diff) I bought some shaving soap on ebay, glycerin base, I know i need a better brush. Im using a vintage ever-ready 100t brush.I soak it for 5 or more min. I lather up the side i will be shaving.

It seems like what you've been doing is okay (From what I can tell). I would seriously try to stretch the skin as tight as possible and make sure it's in a direction where the hairs will stand up and not lay flat. Angle is also tough to figure out, for the first month or two I had no idea I was shaving too shallow and just rubbing the razor on my face. I Then tried to increase the angle a lot and I got great shaves from it without irritation, I also needed a better edge than what I Got in the mail. What one guy honed and got a good shave with, may not be good for you at all and may not even give you a good shave no matter what. Almost all the edges I had received in the mail weren't sharp enough for my beard and I had to dial them in a little more to get them to where I needed them.


But like I said, sketch to the MAX in the right directions, then let us know what happened. Is you soap staying slick without being too wet or drying out?
Brushed don't matter, imo, I usually use a 3$ boar I got from CVS two years ago and I love that thing. My badgers that coat 200$ sit on the cabinet because I like the boar brush so much.

I can see that i need to pay closer attention to growth direction. Im sure now i did not stretch my skin enough. I will pay closer attention on my next shave. Thank you! I sure the new razor i should recieve soon will be sharper. Does a wedge shave differently than a full hollow? If so how?

This thread is great, because it's really helping me too. Like I said, I've been SR shaving for about 4 weeks now. Started with the cheeks, added the neck, and just now doing the whole face. I haven't nicked myself yet, but there's a first time for everything.

As far as stretching, it sounds like I am not stretching enough. I tilt my head about 45 degrees to the opposite side that I am shaving and then try and hold the skin above my jawline or below my neck but it sounds like I am doing two things wrong. Please let me know...

1) As my hair grows ear to chin I should probably be stretching in the lateral neck direction (chin to ear or vice versa)

2) I should probably stretch stronger than I am. I really am just holding the skin from moving not really yanking it.

I'll say that I really enjoy shaving now, whereas I used to hate it, I look forward to it every morning now. I'm glad that it's an art, which has to be practiced, and not just a science, that you can learn once, because it means I will get better!

Sorry about the long post.

I have stroped before each use about 15 times using only the weight of the razor. The nicks I get have been pretty much all in the same spot when I am trying to shave ATG. I think I just need to slow down a bit when I do this final shave.

For me to get really close shaves I have to really tug and stretch my skin in all kinds of wacky directions. Also stretching in the way that will make hairs stand, not lie flat, is a big deal and can change the whole shave extremely. Just plane old stretching any way isn't going to help a close shave, hair growth knowledge is important. To get areas under my jawline I have to stretch the skin up to where it's now on my cheeks to shave that area well.

Let me know how things go when you shave with an enhanced amount of stretching.

KenRups razors do come shave ready so for the sake of this discussion lets discount the razor being at fault.

If you're going to go ATG, you need to have a very light touch and flatten the angle out slightly as well.

Personally, I cant go ATG. I've tried it and it ruins my face so I stopped doing it. I now use a mix of skin stretching and WTG & XTG passes and this gets me BBS. I try and do everything in one pass and going XTG from the start helps this.

It may be that you've rolled your edge whilst stropping and thats why you're getting razor burn. A touch up of the razor on a hone will put that right if it is a problem.

You also need to make sure that your prep is good as well, with a good lather and that you stretch the skin correctly.

Take 15 minutes one day to feel which way the hairs on your skin grow and try to do as much as you can XTG right from the start. As I said, I do this, and I get a good shave with no irritation.

Good luck!

I would not be so fast to discount the razor. When I first started I had a great sharp razor for the first shave however after I stropped it the second shave wasn't too good. I had rolled the edge.

I will say that the neck and chin are your most difficult areas. The hair on the neck can grow in several different directions causing you to have to work a bit harder.

I shave most days one pass WTG however if I want that BBS shave I will go ATG after and it is super smooth.

I find the secret to be sharp razor, good prep and taunt skin.

Thank you! I will be shaving tonight with all your tips. I also recieved my new razor from the classifieds. It is very sharp. We shall see. I will let you know how it goes.