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Question of the day
- Thread starter Johnny Bravo
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There are more experienced people than me on the forum who may have better advice, but mind would be to strop every time before you shave and a little after to get the last moisture off the blade. If you don't have a strop , it is possible to strop on newspaper , there are some good videos on this on Youtube. Some people happily maintain a razor on a pasted strop for a long time between hones.
When I first started with a straight I bought a shave ready second hand razor from a recognised seller and a brand new Dovo. I had a strop from the Dovo retailer and used straights pretty much every day - getting up a bit earlier because of the extra time it took to shave. It never occurred to me to wonder how long the edge would last - just learning the technique was enough. What helped me was having my cartridge razor on hand to polish up any any areas that were sub-par such as the top lip.
In my experience, if you strop before and after using your razor, that will keep you going for at least as long as it takes to determine whether you will carry on. If you do decide to keep going, you will know when to get a hone - or send your razor out to someone who has one.
In my experience, if you strop before and after using your razor, that will keep you going for at least as long as it takes to determine whether you will carry on. If you do decide to keep going, you will know when to get a hone - or send your razor out to someone who has one.
OP
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Thank you for the advice.
I am trying to get a rough idea of how many shaves roughly to expect before it will need to be sent away to be rehoned again.
I am trying to get a rough idea of how many shaves roughly to expect before it will need to be sent away to be rehoned again.
Providing your stropping technique is OK, using just one razor should get you up to 6 months I’d guess. He fact is that technique is all important - the old joke about straight razors is that the more you use them, the sharper they get. There’s another truism that the more you get into straights, the more razors you acquire - which of course helps extend the working life of any particular one.Thank you for the advice.
I am trying to get a rough idea of how many shaves roughly to expect before it will need to be sent away to be rehoned again.
Let me make you an offer - if you are still using straights in 3 months time, I’d bet you have more than one by then. If not, let me know and I’ll send you a decent quality razor as a gift.
OP
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A very generous offer indeed thank you.
I am going to try my hardest not to fall into the rabbit hole if I can because I already have way too much stuff already lmao
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The largest danger to any newbie is a rolled edge caused by poor stropping technique, if you manage to avoid that then it will last months of regular use. The razor in question was only honed a couple of weeks ago so will only need a refresh when the time comes, which can often be achieved using a lapping film... Not something I've bothered with but @Fergiebilly is the man to ask about that.
I would also warn that quite often when learning the basics the razor may not feel as sharp as you expect, this is entirely down to user error when still learning the correct technique and building muscle memory, use a DE or cartridge afterwards initially as Rob suggests... It's amazing how quickly it all clicks though if you persevere with it. 10 shaves and you will know if you wish to continue with it and 30-40 shaves I think they say to become adequately proficient which seems about right to me. I've been using straights since 2016 where I shaved with them exclusively for 12 months or so, then I didn't pick one up for 2 years! But it's like riding a bicycle, once learnt, you never forget.
I would also warn that quite often when learning the basics the razor may not feel as sharp as you expect, this is entirely down to user error when still learning the correct technique and building muscle memory, use a DE or cartridge afterwards initially as Rob suggests... It's amazing how quickly it all clicks though if you persevere with it. 10 shaves and you will know if you wish to continue with it and 30-40 shaves I think they say to become adequately proficient which seems about right to me. I've been using straights since 2016 where I shaved with them exclusively for 12 months or so, then I didn't pick one up for 2 years! But it's like riding a bicycle, once learnt, you never forget.
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