Thread: Razors for my B-day.

B-day is not till next week but I ordered a beautifully restored Frederick Reynolds In Horn from our good friend and member Karlej. "Karl at Mainely Straight Razors". I was wanting something different and this razor with a slight smile and being an almost full wedge instead of a full or half grind like all my others is surely different. Got my first shave with it tonight. Feels different and you don't really hear it cutting. You can feel the whiskers cutting but no sound like what I normally hear. The shave wasn't completely comfortable as I'm not used to it yet but I can surely see its not like my others. Thanks Karl for restoring such a beauty.



Also got 2 ZY Razors to practice honing on so I don't ware mine down more than I need too.

Got them with different colored scales so I can tell them apart. Figured I'd just run them on the edge of my hone then start honing.

Still waiting on the Clubman and another fragrance I ordered. I have to buy my own gifts for B-day so that I get what I want. Then show the wife what she bought me. I don't get stuff I don't want or need this way. Of course I still have to buy her gifts myself. Been with the same woman for over 20 years so at least I know how it works.

Curious to see how the zy blades hone up. Keep us up to date.
Beautiful blade as well, karl did a fantastic job.

Your ZYs appear to be the shoulderless variety - that's a good sign. I have two ZYs, one with and one without - the without is definitely superior. The kind with shoulders seem to be about Gold Dollar standard, i.e. the steel is OK but the grind is below par.

I was wanting the sholderless as i read the sholders always needed cut down to hone right. With my honing skills being practicly nill, they might not turn out too good on the first couple trys and i know this. That why i got these. Keeps me from whittling away my good razors.
Karl did a beautiful job on the razor. Now i just got to learn to use it. Being different from ny others i didnt have such a great shave with it last night. Maybe the angle?

Will try again tonight. I'm guessing Karl knows how to hone, ha, so its got to be on me that the shave wasnt great. Is there anything i should do differently when shaving with this type of grind?

I have nice Wade and Butcher restored by Karl. My technique isn't any different with it then my other razors. It has become my favorite straight. As I live about 20 miles from him, I have had the pleasure of visiting him a couple of times. The first time was for a hands on honing lesson which has helped me a lot with my honing.

Originally Posted by Gasman

I was wanting the sholderless as i read the sholders always needed cut down to hone right. With my honing skills being practicly nill, they might not turn out too good on the first couple trys and i know this. That why i got these. Keeps me from whittling away my good razors.
Karl did a beautiful job on the razor. Now i just got to learn to use it. Being different from ny others i didnt have such a great shave with it last night. Maybe the angle?

Will try again tonight. I'm guessing Karl knows how to hone, ha, so its got to be on me that the shave wasnt great. Is there anything i should do differently when shaving with this type of grind?

I'm wondering if you're maybe using too much pressure. When I use the wedge I have I seem yo have to pay extra attention to pressure. The weight of the blade should just take the hair.

That is very possible. Im used to using much lighter razors. Im going to work on that tonight. Thanks for the input.

Great score there for your bday

I'm betting it's too much pressure as well. I have the opposite problem with lighter razors as I use heavy ones. I don't get the shave as close as I like and have to go back and actually put a BIT of pressure on it.

Enjoy them

One thing i did notice last night when i used it for the first time is the tail seems a bit short. Guess ive just never used something with a short tail. Older ways if im not mistaken.

Last night shave went 100% better. Paid attension to to preasure and all went well. Used a bit more water in my lather to help glide the razor easier. I think im going to love this style of grind. Damn, now i'll be looking at buying more expensive razors. My 5/8 full hollow razors look so small compared to this one. Its a fun experiance learning how to shave like grampa. With he was still with us to show me how its done. Thanks all for the help.