Thread: First straight shave, OMG!

If the edge is not rolled, then you were stropping correctly, but if you have a load of tiny nicks in the edge it may be the case that the beslt you are using is not suitable for stropping.

In terms of what you can feel, my Shapton 4k and 16k feel almost the same in smoothness, but Lordy can you tell the difference in the shave if you stop at 4k..!

Because the edge is so fine on a straight razor, the tiniest imperfections can make all the difference between a smooth comfortable shave and a lousy/painful shave..!

It could well be that you need to track down a strop or some suitable leather?

A little trick I have heard of as a short term solution is to strop on clean denim. If you want to keep using the razor, it might be worth a try until you get a strop?

Good luck!