Can Somebody Give Me Some Hope?

Probably best to put it away for a while if you are feeling like that. Would you say your a tentative straight razor user or are you confident in wielding the blade but just not getting the results?
 
antdad said:
Probably best to put it away for a while if you are feeling like that. Would you say your a tentative straight razor user or are you confident in wielding the blade but just not getting the results?
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I'm certainly not scared of it anymore. When you first pick one up is pretty scary, but I haven't had a nick or a weeper from it for ages, and I don't get any burn these days, so yes, the confidence has grown with time and WTG and XTG passes are done fairly easily.

And yes, I'll be giving it a rest for a few days.

Ian
 
Kev also got a Kropp razor..perhaps you 2 can share some razor thoughts.... :mrgreen:

When I first started with my str8 razors...I had the same expectations..turned out I set them waaay too high..on average..takes up to a year to "train your hands" with a str8 razor...proper skin stretching and stropping are the other half of the "puzzle"...

Blades


IanM said:
Currently on my 3rd attempt at mastering the straight razor, and although things are better than my last 2 attempts, I'm still disappointed with the progress and results.

For example, this morning I used my Kropp 5/8, and on my face I performed 2 WTG passes. No blood, no real issues apart from a bit of skipping when I got the angle 'wrong' but all in all it felt okay.

Then I rinsed my face. There was still LOADS of stubble left on my face, but instead of picking up the Kropp again (which I decided would have taken things too far) I picked up my Trumper DE and did a very quick WTG pass which easily removed the remaining stubble to a more acceptable level. What the Kropp alone had achieved was not what I would describe as an acceptable WTG shave.

At the moment, I get good shaves with a DE with 1xWTG and 1xXTG passes. At the moment, I can't see how this can be achieved with a straight razor.

So, I suppose that the question is, can a straight razor shave ever rival the efficiency or closeness of a DE shave?

Ian
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I must say I'm starting to get the hang of things, but it is still not what I'd call a pleasurable shave. Not like using my EJ89L or Krona. I suppose it must be a bit like someone moving from an automatic car to a manual. Well I hope so anyway because if the analogy is accurate it should be even more enjoyable really.
 
Everyones beard is different, but I don´t think it takes or should take a year to get good results. Something happens after a year, approx, but you should get good results after a couple of month, I think. My experience is that after around 20 shaves you can get clean enough, like a bad DE shave, after a couple of months you should get results you can cpompare to a regular DE shave. Only my two pennies though.

My advice would be that you should try a wedgy blade, an old Sheffield with some heft. I _think_ that would make a difference for you, Ian. I love wedges, but they´re brutal and moves down most anything (+ they keep the edge longer, which is another theory - your stropping maybe is bad and the edge doesn´t get sharp enough between the shaves).
 
My feeling is that Mikael might be on to something, there is nothing like a stiff solid razor to keep on going through a thick growth of beard. Full hollows do stall more easily. I'm not convinced that this is a sharpness issue at all; in fact this ongoing saga suggests that Ian is really Desperate Dan ;) Still, there's a straightforward way to test that: find a monster wedge and get it honed to 30k by Neil or Tom. If that doesn't do the trick I'm out of ideas. Expect a PM, Ian.
 
It's funny that 2 of you have mentioned a wedge, as I have been considering a razor with a stiffer (ooo, matron!) grind. It seems that a fairly big leap forward came when I changed my grip on the razor to 3 fingers on the spine. This enabled me to steady the blade and also added some pressure or weight to the blade in the direction of cutting. With that in mind, maybe it's time to try something a little heavier?

I had a quick read over on SRP about this, and of course, it's pretty much a 50/50 split between "oh yeah, a stiffer grind will be better for a tough beard and "it doesn't matter about the grind, if the razor is sharp it will work".

Neil has a couple of candidates, but I'm not sure that throwing money at another razor is the answer. You know, bad workman and blaming tools! Having said that, I'm am fairly confident in my technique. The fact that I am not slicing myself or getting ANY razor burn may be testament to that.

I'm not ready to give up yet. After a short period of frustration I am usually ready to take up the challenge again!

I apologise to anyone that is getting fed up of me whining about this, but I need to get this nailed. Yes, Vinny is right, it's only shaving, but this really has got it's teeth into me!

Ian
 
IanM said:
It's funny that 2 of you have mentioned a wedge, as I have been considering a razor with a stiffer (ooo, matron!) grind. It seems that a fairly big leap forward came when I changed my grip on the razor to 3 fingers on the spine. This enabled me to steady the blade and also added some pressure or weight to the blade in the direction of cutting. With that in mind, maybe it's time to try something a little heavier?

I had a quick read over on SRP about this, and of course, it's pretty much a 50/50 split between "oh yeah, a stiffer grind will be better for a tough beard and "it doesn't matter about the grind, if the razor is sharp it will work".

Neil has a couple of candidates, but I'm not sure that throwing money at another razor is the answer. You know, bad workman and blaming tools! Having said that, I'm am fairly confident in my technique. The fact that I am not slicing myself or getting ANY razor burn may be testament to that.

I'm not ready to give up yet. After a short period of frustration I am usually ready to take up the challenge again!

I apologise to anyone that is getting fed up of me whining about this, but I need to get this nailed. Yes, Vinny is right, it's only shaving, but this really has got it's teeth into me!

Ian
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If you master the technique, it doesn´t matter if you use a hollow ground or a wedge, but for a newbie I think it does.
 
Hi Ian,

I have probably got a near-wedge lying around that you can try out - will only cost you return postage that way. Nothing special - unrestored - just shave ready.

The only other thing I can suggest is a frameback - these often tend to be on the uncomfortable side of sharp for a lot of people due to the stffer blade and the thinness of the metal (you will know what I mean if you have seen one!) - a bit like the modern offerings but infinitely better as they can be rehoned and are more substantial.

If either of these is of interest pm me with your address and I;ll get something in the post to you - probably take about a week.

All the Best,
Neil
 
Right, next installment.

The closeness of the shaves has improved a little. Areas of my neck that I/it appeared to be almost completely missing are now approaching DE WTG levels of closeness, which is a good thing.

I also seem to have made steps forward in simply handling the razor. I just hold the razor with my preferred method without even thinking about it. I also seem to be generally more confident with it, and with that brings a bit of extra speed to the shave. This extra speed means that I have used the Kropp to shave the last two mornings before work (2xWTG pass) - something that, at one point, thought would never happen.

So, I just have to concentrate on getting closer. WTG passes are getting much easier, XTG passes somewhat less, and ATG is still on the back burner.

I accepted Neil's offer of loan razors, and he is in the process of getting them ready, so it will be very interesting to see how these different razors feel and perform.

The only really negative thing that I can say, it that a put a 1 inch slice in my chin at the weekend (its gone already), and my face is a little sore this morning after rushing - both my fault.

Ian
 
On Friday, I received 2 loan razors from Neil, a wedge Stuart Plantagenet wedge, and an fairly tatty (Neil's description) Gong razor.

Yesterday (Saturday) I shaved with the wedge. It was okay. I had a fair amount to growth to shift, and it tugged and struggled in some areas but made it through.

Today (Sunday) I shaved with the Gong. Neil described the Gong "somewhere between half and quarter hollow ground - much harder steel on this one." I lathered up put the blade to my face and shaved down the sideburn area. I heard the razor cutting, and I heard my voice exclaim "Bloody Hell!" but I felt NOTHING. The razor just sliced through the beard.

To me, a perfect shave is where you can hear the blade cutting, but don't feel any pulling or drag. This is what the Gong felt like. My best straight shave to date, by a pretty long way, so it seems that my face needs the harder steel.

Ian
 
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