new here, just had my first shave last night and need some advice.

ok guys i got a (more than likely pos) straight as a gift. its a burmax made in pakistan. dont know the measurement but its round tipped, stainless.
it came about as sharp as a decent pocket knife. i stroped it with green paste, rough, then smooth leather until it was popping hair mid way on my arm and leg.
i watched some how tos (geofatboy and such on youtube) and felt comfortable giving it a go. so heres what i did
hot shower
pre shave oil
canned goo (mama bears on the way)
one pass "wtg" did the best i could to stay wtg but i have some odd angles as im sure everyone else does
cold rinse
witch hazle
as
i did not get a single cut nick or razor burn but it was also the worst shave ive ever had
it felt like a one day old shave (reasonably smooth rubbing wtg but sand paper atg) and pulled like crazy making it uncomfortable.
now here where i need help. does the edge need refinement on like a 12k or was it all my awesome beginner skill.
it didnt feel sharp enough to me even though it took hair off my arm and leg half way and i did have some success with hht.

Welcome to SRP nt4sell, sorry to hear about your bad experienced, sounds to me like your prep was right on but unfortunately your razor is not.
You could perhaps get a halfway decent edge on this razor but more then likely it wont hold an edge for a decent shave, the steel quality on these razor is just not there. If your serious about going forward with shaving with a straight razor get yourself a quality razor hone by a pro for a real shave ready edge.

A beginner's lack of skills can allow a shave ready blade to appear not shave ready. I didn't start to get good shaves for 30 days and would think that might be a minimal expectation.

A shave ready blade in practiced hands will give the best shave you can get. SR shaving, however, requires and demands a considerable skill set. You can't have that yet, but with practice and patience you will.

A jet plane may be the fastest way to get somewhere, but only when the pilot knows how to operate it. It is the same with straight razors. They are the best way to shave, but one cannot expect to just "get it" and go. Your experience is better than typical. It is above the norm by far.

thats kinda what i was afraid of. im a little hesitant to spend that much on a new razor just to give it a try.

so we have one vote for new razor and one for strop it and go for round 2

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that your first experience was not anywhere near satisfactory. You might want to take a read of this First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki if you haven't already. It might have been a blessing in disguise that your razor likely was not shave ready sharp or as you suspect a POS Brands of Straight Razors to avoid - Straight Razor Place Wiki .

Even with a properly shave ready razor it will take time to get good at it as in months in my case. Then again you might not be as slow a learner as myself. I don't know your budget but new shave ready razors can be had for under $100.00 with some searching and good shave ready used ones can be had on this sites buy and sell for much less than that.

I hope your next experience will be a better one.

Bob

i did read both of those before shaving. and i know it has pakistani blades listed but i dont know that i want to spend $100 on something im not good at and not sure ill enjoy doing. if i could get this one up to par long enough to see if ill like and get a decent shave i would feel better about investing in a new razor

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Originally Posted by nt4sell

i did read both of those before shaving. and i know it has pakistani blades listed but i dont know that i want to spend $100 on something im not good at and not sure ill enjoy doing. if i could get this one up to par long enough to see if ill like and get a decent shave i would feel better about investing in a new razor

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Well, at least now you know what shave ready isn't and why those are on the avoid list. Fair enough about not wanting to spend that kind of dough only to find out you don't like it. If you search the site you might find a number of posts saying it is hard to next to impossible to get one of those blades up to snuff using proper hones in progression. If you don't have the honing stones you could send it out to have it done and see what happens. Somebody in your area might even take up the challenge of trying to hone it for you saving you sending it out.

Bob

Basically, even though you don't want to spend the dough to experiment you bought a worthless razor so you threw that money out and are again faced with spending more to get another razor. Trying to use that razor will just turn you off completely to straight shaving. I know that sounds harsh but it's the plain truth.

You might consider a disposable razor though not a straight it will give you a pretty good idea. Otherwise check our classifieds for a vintage piece that will come shave ready.

As above. A shavette style razor is an inexpensive alternative that will shave.

All beginners have the deck stacked against them due to inexperience. To start up with a known razor like object is like shooting yourself in the foot as well.

I have honed one successfully in the past but it did not last for one shave, more like half a shave before the edge looked like a hacksaw.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Basically, even though you don't want to spend the dough to experiment you bought a worthless razor so you threw that money out and are again faced with spending more to get another razor. Trying to use that razor will just turn you off completely to straight shaving. I know that sounds harsh but it's the plain truth.

You might consider a disposable razor though not a straight it will give you a pretty good idea. Otherwise check our classifieds for a vintage piece that will come shave ready.

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actually no i did not waste money on a worthless razor......as stated in the original post it was a gift
im considering a dovo best quality just have rationalize spending 80 on a razor

Tell us a little bit more about what you want out of a shave. for instance, my reasoning for liking straight razors is that I thoroughly believe that the modern world sacrifices quality for convienance, especially in the shaving department, and also that Gilletes have gotten so expensive.

so If Im spending twenty dollars on six razor cartridges each of which last me a week (If Im lucky) then an eighty dollar Dovo pays for itself in about six months. Now the only problem with this analogy is that Straight Razors are ADDICTIVE. Some folks on this forum spend more on shaving soap than I do on Food per year.

So why do YOU want to shave with a straight razor?

well i got a straight as a gift and after research wanted to give it a try, since its suppose to be the best shave you can get, with no ingrown hairs and less irritation all that good stuff. the price of cartridges is also a factor although they last me alot more than a week since i only shave every three days or so.

Hey nt4sell. Welcome. I am also pretty new here. I have a dovo best quality from SRD and it is awesome. $79.99. If you don't want to spend that much I would recommend whippeddog.com. Larry has a section under the "straight razors" tab for a sight unseen razor that has been honed for about$40. I have never bought a razor from him but just got a brush and have to say that he really seems to know what he is doing. The razor you get may not be the prettiest but I think, in reading other reviews, that it may be the way to go for you. "Very inexpensive. Good quality. Better than expected." That is the theme behind the reviews I have read about his razors. He is great to work with, knowledgable, and if you are not satisfied can send it back. Give it a try. At $40 I think it's a good deal.

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Originally Posted by nt4sell

actually no i did not waste money on a worthless razor......as stated in the original post it was a gift
im considering a dovo best quality just have rationalize spending 80 on a razor

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There's not a lot to rationalise. Eighty buckeroonies for a good quality razor that'll last you the rest of your life, give you a perfect shave, can become a tool of a cool hobby as valid as any other, a hobby which has many facets; with the accompanying creams, strops, soaps, etc...

It's a done deal as I see it.

the other night i decided to strop it and go for round two this time i did wtg and xtg and it still pulled quite a bit but i go a decent shave on some areas and finished with my mach five. still no nicks or razor burn. 24 hrs later the area i got ok with the straight is way smoother than the mach five against the grain. so i bought the dovo form vintage blades . im gonna give it a go.

Welcome to SRP I hope you find it as great a journey as I did, feel free to ask questions. Its a great group of guys here and very knowledgeable to boot. Excellent choice, I receaved one of those dovos from my girlfriend as a gift, its a wonderful little razor and a nice place to start. I just went through this journey including the price thing, but the beauty of this hobby is you can get to serviceable relatively cheap and upgrade as you feel the need.