Newbie Question on blade Sharpness

With baited breath I waited for my package of a newly purchased used straight razor. It was advertised as "shave ready" from a reputable supplier and so I couldn't wait to unbox it and lather up. He assured me that I wouldn't have to strop it on first use and even included a letter to the fact with the words DO NOT STROP in the package.

With blade in hand and face full of soap I remembered my reading and proceeded to lay the blade flat and raise up the spine "ever so much" to achieve a near perfect 30deg angle. I decided that I would simply do a standard downward pass; no slicing, to avoid any premature nicks. My hand quivered and I held my breath. And like a trained sniper I exhaled gently and "squeezed" the trigger. SNAG!

No I didn't cut myself but It would seem that my 1 day growth was enough to stop the razor dead in its tracks. Of course I was too tentative to plow through and tried again, lightly but firmly. The blade skipped and skidded accross my normally easy to shave cheeks leaving an uneven plow path of used up lather. I tried a few more times, short strokes even; and gave up... chagrined, and finished up with my DE to a BBS.

I checked the blade by shaving some hair from my arm... and it did take it off, but not as cleanly as I would have thought. I did a thumb check and then realized that I had no idea what I was doing so what was the point!?

Now here's my question. Does this type of blade behaviour sound like a dull blade or could it be my shaving technique? I was very careful about applying too much pressure but I remember taking that same care when I first DE shaved and it worked out just fine.

Can someone offer me some advice on what I might or might not be doing correctly or do you think that my "shave ready" razor really wasn't all that shave ready to begin with?

Thanks

It could be a matter of sharpness or a matter of your technique. Being tentative with a razor is an excellent way to really cut yourself bad. A straight razor should never be still against your skin. A still razor tends to slide which is how you end up with a cool scar. I would suggest giving it another try. Every time you shave it will become more and more natural. Of course it may be that the razor isn't "shave ready" after all.

Same exact thing happened to me at first and for me it was a little of both. Your razor probably is shave ready for the guy who honed it. Your whiskers may require more sharpness. But everyone says it's normal for a straight to feel like it's not sharp enough at first. Tough to know in the beginning what the issue really is. So try it a few more times like you just did - only the cheeks and see if it gets any better after a few more tries.

Also, your face will want a little more moisture for a straight shave. Your lather needs to be a little wetter than with your DE. Try a pre-shave like "Proraso" or "3P". Showering before a shave will help also. Saturate your skin and your shave will be much better.

Fantastic. Thanks for all the advice. Just stropped the blade and it already feels sharper so I think your advice is sound; technique and sharpness were the problem. Diving in...