Thread: I'd like my straight razor to be as sharp as...

I'd like my straight razor to be as sharp as my disposable 2-blade Gillette razor. I shaved last night and around my lower lip and upper lip, as well as chin, there is a lot of pulling like they are not wanting to get "cut". After I got all done, and my face was basically dry, I noticed some straggler whiskers on my upper lip and the corner of my mouth. I grabbed up my 2-blade Gillette and simply whacked them off, quick and easy. In fact, with my wet shaving with a disposable, the only time I notice this much pull or discomfort shaving is after I have used that blade for about 10 or so shaves when it is getting past it's prime.

Why can't the straight razor edges be as sharp as those that are commercially made for these disposable?

They can and they should be. Its either the blade, the prep or the technique.

First of all, how many SR shaves do you have under your belt? I'm guessing that if it's only a handful (as in a month or two) then it is likely due to a few factors, such as beginner shaving technique, mediocre stropping, poor prep etc. Sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm coming down on you, but it does take a while to get to the point when you get excellent shaves consistantly, the type that make you question why you ever liked your Gillette disposable.

The sharpness issue is separate. Was it ever pro-honed? Even if it, was a great honemeister edge can be made a sub-par (or dull) edge by the hands of a newb. If it wasn't I'd suggest sending it out to a pro near you ASAP.

A straight should cut and feel better then a new blade everytime. If it doesn't there is a problem. When I was first learning it was not like that all the time, but as I got better with the razor things improved.

I have recently been wandering if I had gotten used to my straight razor so much that I didn't know that it was getting dull. It always feels good. Then I got a razor from ebay that was NOS from Filarmonica. Thought that it being from a good company that maybe the edge would be better than the straight I have been using. Well, I now know what a razor feels like that is not sharp enough. A little while on the hones and its now a great shaver.

Any way, if the razor doesn't feel right there is something wrong. How long have you been shaving with a straight and was the razor professionally honed?

I agree that a straight should be at least as sharp as a DE or similar blade. If anything they can take a better edge as the steel is so good..!

More than likely if you are new to SR shaving its a prep and/or technique issue more than anything. It certainly was for me..!

Was the razor pro honed? If not, its definately worth sending the razor out for a honing.

Really make sure you focus on the prep though, that makes such a difference. Try applying a layer of lather, stropping your razor, then putting a hot towel on, then relathering. Only then start shaving and see how that works for you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Sorry to say i would be a little disagree.
straight edge razor has been made for shaving for a long time.(sharpening when it gets dull etc)
DE is different story.
they have addition 2 more coating on the blade and it is disposable.
Try sharpen them and use it? you will hate that edge.will not get even close to straight blade edge/.
Now question is can you get same shave as DE from straight razor?
Answer is yes?
Why?
at first when you use straight razor you have fully control of the blade.
you can change angle ,strokes etc.
while you use DE you are going up and down that is it.
By using straight razor you could use scything motion and you will have a lot easy and fine shave .
hope this wont confuse instead will help.
gl

All good responses! Lynn has my Dovo and I await it's retun so I have a "yardstick" by which to measure. I wash up my face, hot towel, lather, do WAY WAY more prep than I ever did for the disposable and yet the disposable always feel better even if I have not prepped my face for it as well. Even dry. I keep a disposable in my brief case and at work I'd take my break time sometimes and go to the bathroom, use liquid hand soap, and thier luke warm water, put on the soap on my face and shave. 3 minutes or so later I'm done. Razor felt 100% better than some of the SR shave's I have had recently.

Now.. I stop following the regimen taugh to me on this forum Not too hard, don't push the razor into the strop, flip it over on it's spine and the go back the other direction. UP-DOWN is on count. I generally strop 40-60 rounds before shaving. I'm holding at at a 30 deg angle to my face, and shave WTG to start and ATG on a second pass. Very few nicks. I'm new, and have practiced a lot with a dull razor and can get all the face shaved clean with no nicks now, nor cuts.

I have hones. Norton slip stones of 1K, 4K, 8K 2 Belgian Coticule stones for slurry, a Franz Swaty barber hone and a Pike Emerald razor hone. I'm dilegent at the honing to get the right amount of light pressure and keep the edge even on both sides. Under a 20X loup it looks very nice will little marks on the bevel and edge straight. HHT (FWIW) also goes fairly well after honing/stropping.

I'm not trying to bitch, I'm trying to find out if you all really feel a smooth comfortable shave next to the disposable, or is / are my razors really that dull?

Originally Posted by Gibbs

I'm holding at at a 30 deg angle to my face, and shave WTG to start and ATG on a second pass.

this is the mistake you are making it.
30 deg angle is not must. it has been said to you just guide when you start to learn using straight razor.
Angle of the blade will be different.
The best way to find out is make small strokes and see in which angle blade shaves better . After finding correct angle use that angle.
Never shave ATG.
lastly
i like to add angle will depend how your blade honed taped not. etc.
hope this helps.

Thanks, gl, and others.
For the sake of curiosity I took apart the head of one of my 2 blade disposables, not DE, but disposable. The blade is only 0.0025" thick, or like we used at Boeing it is 25/10,000 thick. And they have a nice bevel on both sides of a piece of metal that is only 2 1/2 thousandth thick. Ya really gotta give them some credit to mass produce so many blades that can shave without first being honed or stropped.

I do adjust the angle. I've tried flatter to the face and more straight up, near 60-80 deg. An "aggressive" angle it has been said on here.

I thought that maybe it was because the width was a wider cut on the beard, yet if you just do little "trims" of missed whiskers, they seem to be just as difficult to cut with my straights as the full blade. The 2 blade disposable just whacks them off, as I posted earlier.

I told my boss today that I was shaving with a straight edge and he thought I was crazy. Asked me why I was doing it. Nostalgia, I told him. I could not, with honesty, tell him it was to get a closer, more comfortable shave. But, I do have hopes and will continue to preserve.

You may have sharpness problem too. wait for the blade come back from Lynn and shave test.
See how much difference you have.
don't use pressure while you shave .
let us know how it will go.
As long as you have patience you will get there.
it just takes time.
for me was 6 months for some people it is less then a month .
gl