Thread: A week or two but still trouble.

I don't know if they still have barbers that give straight razor shaves in the Netherlands, but if there are some, it might be worthwhile to take your razor there and ask them if they can hone it for you or if they know of someone locally that can hone it for you. If your razor isn't sharp enough, you will get those problems that you are describing.

Can't find a barber that does around here. But last week I bought an old razor at a junk shop. I'ts pretty nice. Sheffield Silver steel blade made in Solingen with a handle made in the Netherlands.
It's a lot sharper than my other one but still Can't get my throat to be nice and smooth....although I've gotten my cheeks better than I ever did with my Mach 3 so there's progress.
Is there a trick for doing the throat though?

That's what I'm also wondering. I get very nice shaves but a V-shaped strip around my neck gets irritated. In Lynn's video, he shaves it with downward strokes and I noticed that it's against the direction of growth, at least on my neck. Therefore, I'll try doing it with upward strokes in that region.

LX

As others have said before your problem is the blade is not sharp enough. The cheap one that says its from Solingen is really probably from Pakistan and is crap. I do not know how they are getting away with it but that is what is happening.
You will need to get a hone or at least find somone to hone it for you.

Thanks, I don't use the cheap one anymore however. And I'm still waiting for a decent stone to come in the mail. It's just frustrating that I was able to give myself a decent shave all over my face except for my throat.

Shaving the throat and neck can be a challenge. One of the biggest factors that can affect the shave quality on the neck is razor sharpness (at least in my experience). If your razor is not sharp enough, it makes shaving your neck that much more difficult. Another factor is failing to stretch the skin as taught as possible. I also tend to use a smaller (10-20 degrees) blade angle and a very, very light touch when shaving my neck. Even doing all that, I find that my neck shaves usually don't turn out as good as the other parts of my face.

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

Thanks, I don't use the cheap one anymore however. And I'm still waiting for a decent stone to come in the mail. It's just frustrating that I was able to give myself a decent shave all over my face except for my throat.

I will admit the throat is my toughest area to shave too. I sometimes do 3 passes. With the grain, against the grain and a modified across the grain. I also use a steeper angle and a little more pressure. Good luck.

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

It's a lot sharper than my other one but still Can't get my throat to be nice and smooth....although I've gotten my cheeks better than I ever did with my Mach 3 so there's progress.
Is there a trick for doing the throat though?

I'd say that it may be the angle. I use both hands while shaving depending on what side of my face I'm working on. I find that my left side (shave N to S with left hand and S to N with right hand) is never irritated. My right side usually has some amount of razor burn that goes away within an hour or so. The only thing I can think of is the angle is different with each hand. I also tend to think it's happening on the downward stroke, but that's just my opinion. Still, I get much less irritation than when I used a Mach III and a closer shave as well!
-Fred