Thread: Your experience appreciated: passes HHT but tugs and pulls and hurts

Here are a list of SRP members in London. Send them a PM to get started......

http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...rt=posts&pp=50

Here is a link to Razor Meets in your area in the past. This will start you on the path to making contacts............

http://straightrazorpalace.com/get-t...ng-2012-a.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/get-t...ater-year.html

This should get you started finding someone in your area to give you some 1 on 1 mentoring.

Hope this helps

Just had that one last shave with the Wacker.. Finished off halfway with my DE. Can't.

I know that SRs aren't expected to be as sharp as DE (read that somewhere) but relatively close no? Somewhere in the ballpark even?

Funny thing is it takes hair off my arm and chest like magic, passes the HHT, so it's sharp in a way. Maybe just touch up honing.

And you all already said that hmm.. So now send it or get a stone and learn. Seemingly, consensus is send it. But apart from getting really good shaves after, I've learned nothing and eventually will find myself here again.

Originally Posted by ffarouki

Just had that one last shave with the Wacker.. Finished off halfway with my DE. Can't.

I know that SRs aren't expected to be as sharp as DE (read that somewhere) but relatively close no? Somewhere in the ballpark even?

Funny thing is it takes hair off my arm and chest like magic, passes the HHT, so it's sharp in a way. Maybe just touch up honing.

And you all already said that hmm.. So now send it or get a stone and learn. Seemingly, consensus is send it. But apart from getting really good shaves after, I've learned nothing and eventually will find myself here again.

Hi, I realised that I didn't really explain myself with the cutting corners and saving money part.
Yes you could buy your hone now (you are after all going to buy a finisher at some point) so you won't incur any cost that you wouldn't have in due course.
You will then try and hone a non shave ready razor to shave ready without knowing 2 things, 1- what should the edge shave like if properly honed. 2- will your finishing stone get you a shavable.edge. this is I guess the corner cutting.
If the razor still won't perform then you can either send it away or buy a coarser hone and try to do the job yourself again.
The result will either be a success or you will end up really annoyed with the whole endeavour.

If you send the razor out THIS TIME, then you will know how the edge should shave, and you will be able to maintain it with a finisher.

It's your journey, you can either travel a reasonably easy path or you can climb straight over the mountain.
I sent my razors off the first few times so that 1- I knew any issues were my fault not the razor. 2- on the second hone I got some feedback on how my stropping and the light touch up I did affected the edge.

All the best, Ed.

Originally Posted by ffarouki

Funny thing is it takes hair off my arm and chest like magic, passes the HHT, so it's sharp in a way. Maybe just touch up honing.

That would really make me wonder if it is a matter of technique and not the razor being dull.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

That would really make me wonder if it is a matter of technique and not the razor being dull.

Bob

Glad you spotted that one bob, I sort of didn't

Bob and Ed are making the same points I would. It's sharp but wont shave generally equals operator error eg your angle. Honing is a way to get a good edge and you could get the razor to shave but would it truly be what it referred to as shave ready or just passable. The problem is you don't know. Send one off for honing and try on the other. Worst that happens is you make it worse and send it off anyhow. Most buy hones and cheap razors to practice on so they don't stuff up the ones they shave with.

ffarouki

Have you looked at the edges of your razors using something like a jewelers lope to check their condition? I know my bevel is set when I can get arm hairs to pop off of either my 1K or 3K naniwa hones, which I use depends on how bad the blade is, but I would not want to shave off of them.

Maybe eddy79 has the best idea, send on out for a pro honing and see how it shaves compared to the one kept at home. If the pro honed one shaves a s badly as the one kept at home you could almost bet the problem is operator error.

Bob

A lot of good advice on these pages. My experience is that simple is always better(ok it's always easier may not be better!)
Idea a stop made from a cotton military type belt. The cotton webbing type with some paste. Try your hardware store or Sears for the buffing paste usually not named, just get the Green bar stuff. Rub it on the belt set like a strop and try 20 to start. Idea.

So what do you know.. In a way, it DID turn out that my technique was partly at fault. Right before I sent it off to get honed, I decided to try a different angle in shaving, ie making the razor almost completely flat on my face and to my surprise it cut better.

Something to do with wedges or bigger razors I guess. I didn't know that bug I'm excited to try out again.

That being said, thanks to all your advice I sent my razor to Gary Haywood (separate post full of gratitude to soon follow) to get honed. Can't wait to see the difference.