Thread: Desperate Need of Help

Ok, here's my situation.

I've been shaving with a TI 6/8 Fully Hollowed razor since Christmas. It was ordered through Classic Shaving and sent to their sharpening service. My results, at times, have been alright, but I haven't been able to get BBS even under my sideburns but a couple of times.

I'd shaved with a Feather "No Sharpen" Straight Razor for a year or so before. Since tonight was being frustrating, I made a pass or two with the Feather again. It cut through the hair like it was nothing and I got BBS under my sideburns with no effort whatsoever. This leads me to believe that my shaving technique can't be THAT off.

So my first concern is that I suck so bad at stropping that I can't make my razor cut. It's fully possible. It isn't even cutting hair on my arm right now. However, the razor didn't shave nearly as easily as the Feather did on the first shave. (I did follow the instructions and stop it a little before I ever shaved so I don't know if I just messed it up from the beginning).

Do I need to send my razor and get it rehoned? Am I just awful at stropping? Is there any chance that it came to me in less than shave-ready condition? I know that we usually blame the shaver's technique and not the razor but I feel like with it going so well with the Feather that it has to lie in the razor (and perhaps my stropping) and not my actual shave technique.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I love the razor and am getting frustrated that I can't use it the way it's supposed to be used.

If the razor doesn't cut arm hair, it will need to be re-honed. Your stropping could be the reason why it's not cutting good. Just make sure the strop it tight and the blade completely flat.

I agree with the notion that if your razor can't shave arm hair it is not shave ready for your face. How did it shave when it first arrived?

In any event it is entirely possible that poor stropping is to blame. If you were more experienced I would suggest stropping the hell out of it; in experienced hands this can bring an edge back from the dead, but it might be counter-productive in this case. You may have to send it out to be resharpened. Contact the vendor and they should be willing to help you out.

While you wait to get it back you may want to practice stropping daily with a butter knife or similar object until you feel very comfortable with the process.

See the problem is I have felt pretty comfortable with stropping up until today when I wasn't making any progress and then used the Feather and saw the difference. I don't know what exactly my razor is supposed to sound like on the strop (I'm told every razor and strop is different) so I am not really sure if what I'm doing is right or wrong.

All I can say about the initial sharpness of the razor is that it never shaved close to as easily as the Feather does. I did strop it before ever shaving with it so I could have wrecked it in those 30 passes or so.

Originally Posted by IamtheLaw382

See the problem is I have felt pretty comfortable with stropping up until today when I wasn't making any progress and then used the Feather and saw the difference. I don't know what exactly my razor is supposed to sound like on the strop (I'm told every razor and strop is different) so I am not really sure if what I'm doing is right or wrong.

All I can say about the initial sharpness of the razor is that it never shaved close to as easily as the Feather does. I did strop it before ever shaving with it so I could have wrecked it in those 30 passes or so.

I'll try to answer your points one-by-one:

-Straight shaving is full of highs and lows; one day you're one fire, the next you're wondering what went wrong. This is entirely normal.

-You can't really compare a shavette style razor to a real straight. They require different angles and a different touch, they can be different beasts.

-I've been reading a lot lately about newbs paying attention to the sound of stropping and thinking this is really important. It can be a good indicator to a trained ear, but what's more important is the FEEL of stropping. Getting a good feel will make all the difference in the world.

-"30 or so passes" may be inadequate. Most of us do in excess of 50 or 60, and that's just on the leather alone. If you have a material component to your strop another 30-40 passes would be in order. Personally I do 40 linen and 60 leather before every shave.


I hope this all helps

I do appreciate the help. I only did 30 or so passes on the strop for the first shave. I have, recently, been doing the 40/60 you described because I did get better results that I'd been getting. I'll try and ignore the sound from and just go on feel from now on. What I'd been listening for is to just hear the the razor make a howly (perhaps "singing" as in the name) noise and just try to make sure it all sounded smooth and consistent.

I'll take your work on the Feather being a different animal but it's very hard for me to wrap my head around why I could make it work with the feather and just not at all with the TI.

Regardless, the razor needs to be rehoned at this point, correct?

Well, if you have a pasted strop or a finishing/barbers hone you could give it a few swipes and see if it helps. If not then a rehoning may be in order. I understand that the uncertainty is frustrating when first starting out, but rest assured you are not the first person this has happened to. By a long shot...

You have to keep in mind that a straight edge will not be as sharp as a feather. This is partially due to the fact that feather blades are disposable and so they are thinner. A lot of people tend to find them to be more aggressive for this reason as well. While a fixed straight might not be as sharp you can get a more comfortable shave because it isn't as aggressive.
There is also the fact that they are two different animals as you mentioned. Being that you have been shaving with a feather for a year a fixed will take a while to get used to. when I first tried out a wedge (used a hollow to start out) I didn't get as good of shaves. Now that I have adapted I actually prefer my wedges.
There is also the possibility that you may have rolled the edge stropping if you are inexperienced. Believe me, it happens. My first strop has more than a few nicks in it. There is a learning curve. My advice would be to get it rehoned, as you said that when you first got it it shaved well, and work on your stropping technique to see if that helps.

IAmTheLaw382,

Please have a peek at hi_bud_gls' video on stropping; it is excellent.

It saved my bacon when I had a really bad hiatus in my stropping !

YouTube - straight razor stropping