Straight Razor Help

New member. I have been using your Forum for research for about 9 months. DE shaver for 9 months. I am hooked. I actually look forward to shaving the next day.
Enough with the introduction. I recently purchased a 5/8 hollow ground Ralf Aust from Straight Razor Designs. I had watched several of Lynn's videos and wanted to support him for the education I received. When I received the razor it did not pass the Hanging Hair Test. I actually had to make an effort to cut the hair. I tried a test on my arm at different angles and barely got a couple of hairs to cut. The razor feels sharp (at least from a kitchen or pocket knife perspective). I tried several times to just shave the side of my face with minimal luck and several cuts. I did this before trying to strop the razor so I would not roll the edge. I did not want to mess up the edge.
I know their is a learning curve and I am determined to conquer the straight. I have shaved with DE and SE razors so I have a concept of angles, prep, etc. I am of the opinion that the razor was not "shave ready". I have not purchased any honing stones yet as I want to become adequate at the shave/strop before I move on to another Art Form.
Thoughts on the condition of the razor's sharpness? Recommended vendors that can hone my razor? I would like to send to someone other than Lynn.
Thanks

Welcome 67Mustang. Contact Lynn and tell him about your problem. Always give the vendor an opportunity to make you a satisfied customer before sharing your displeasure on a public forum.

The HHT is a good indicator of blade sharpness but not an indicator of a good shaving razor. There are to many variables to make the HHT the Gold Standard for S.R. blade performance. I prefer a smooth irritation free edge to an overly sharpened abrasive edge ever time.

A couple of videos on youtube helped my S.R. shaving technique. Search for the ten minute thee pass shave and the three pass shave. Two good examples of how to develop your S.R. shaving skills. Good Luck

feltspanky Thanks for the reply. After posting I regretted mentioning Lynn's name. Not upset with him and will continue to purchase items from his store. I was asking for an alternative honing service. Always good to have options. I am sure I will figure it out browsing the forum.
I love DE shaving and it will probably be my mainstay as I have to shave everyday. Probably after months/years of straight razor shaving the time difference will be minimal.
I am probably overly excited about the SR. I just knew I would be able to make WTG passess along my cheek/sideburn and then learn the trickier areas and the ATG.
Thanks again and I will checkout the YouTube Videos

Send it to Bayamontate. He is s highly visible here and everyone raves about his edges. He just re-honed a razor for someone that messed up the edge stropping. He won't do that again, but Bayamontate had his back.

There's a chance you are not performing the HHT properly. There's also a chance the blade was overlooked in error and not honed. The best way to be certain, of course is to shave with it. If you're new to using it may be a bit of a challenge to know if its the edge or your technique though.

If you'd like, you can send it to me and I'll happily evaluate the edge and rehone (if needed) for free. Just PM if you're interested.

Either way, best of luck and welcome to straight shaving.

Very nice offer, David.

OP, I shaved with one of Obiwan's edges yesterday. Rest assured, your razor will come back with a shave ready edge that can be your benchmark for future edges.

As a fellow newbie I would suspect it has more to do with your angle and contact than Lynn not having prepared the edge properly.

I'm a newbie as well and the first razor I bought (Dovo 6/8 hollow) it would not pass the HHT but would grab my thumb pad and shave the hair very easy off my arm. So I stropped it and shaved with it and it performed very nice and I have used it 4 times in my rotation and it continues to perform nicely. My point is Obiwan has a great point about possibly not doing the HHT right because it is clear that I was not doing it correct. This forum has taught me a great deal and continues to do so, just keep at it once you get that first BBS shave from a straight razor there is no going back!!

Obiwan Thanks so much for your reply. I honestly want to know if it my technique or the edge. I do not have a baseline to compare to. I have a base for double edge shaving and I am to the point I feel I can critique blades and shave soaps/creams. But no clue on the straight razor. I was not expecting to get the chin, corners of the mouth, against the grain, etc. trouble spots and technique mastered for many, many shaves. I honestly had a hard time with my cheeks. Oblique angle (more than 30 degrees) or acute angle ( somewhere less than 20 degrees). I have probably messed up the edge stropping. Note I tried shaving before stropping so i would not screw up the edge. Your help is greatly appreciated. If you tell me this is the sharpest razor you have ever shaved with it will not bother me in the least. i will know i need to go back to drawing board and work on my technique, etc. I am new to the forum. How do I send my razor to you. Thanks in advance. 67Mustang

Thanks for the reply. I knew this would be a bit of an adventure and a new art form to learn. But I am determined. I am going to try getting it re-honed and give it another try.

Imarkow,
Thanks for your reassurance. Yes it was a tremendous offer. Someone who is helping someone get started in this art form and passion of many. I really appreciate his offer. I do not have a baseline to start with. If he tells me it is the sharpest razor he has ever shaved with it will not hurt my feelings. I am simply determined to learn.
Thanks,
67Mustang

Thanks for the reply and interest. I really do appreciate the response. I have not looked at the forum in past few days because I honestly was disappointed with my first experience. You guys offer support and encouragement which is great. I know how important it is. I have converted a few to DE shaving from the cartridge racket and had to be supportive of their first efforts and offer tips.

Once you have the blade back and know it is shave ready (honed fresh or verified to already be fine), consider starting a shave journal here. Many people find it helpful to track progress and seek assistance from the group.

I found it very illuminating to take a new DE blade and perform the HHT with it. Palm stropping the DE blade upped the HHT. I used an Astra blade fyi.