OK , so almost every straight razor shaver out there strops his razor prior to shaving , EVEN THOUGH HE JUST SHAVED WITH IT THE DAY BEFORE AND ALSO STROPPED IT THE DAY BEFORE, AND POSSIBLY HE JUST RE-HONED?? BUT HE STILL STROPS BEFORE SHAVING!!!! But some guy buys a shave ready razor and it comes all the way from over seas and just because the manufacturer said it was shave ready this GENIUS thinks that he does not have to strop it for some reason!!! I am having a hard time wrapping my head around all the BLEEP,BLEEP,BLEEPS, that occupy this country!!!!!
stropping and shave ready razors form the factory ! Really is it that hard !
- Thread starter Barr
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Trust me, I understand the frustration about lack of common sense.
Other side of the coin is if I get one honed from one of the folks who actually know what they're doing (as opposed to my own efforts) I'm going to mess it up with bad shaving technique first, then bugger up the stropping afterward. Any factory blade I've heard of tho, needs honed usually as opposed to just stropping.
Just what I've read.
How often does that actually happen?
It depends on which factory the razor comes from. We regularly advise newcomers to take a razor from a known source that delivers truly shave ready razors directly to the shave without stropping so they don't ruin the edge and can at least once experience a proper shave once.
Examples of shave ready factories are Portland Razor Company and Hart Steel..
Examples of shave ready factories are Portland Razor Company and Hart Steel..
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For me, when I hone a razor for someone I always strop it prior to sending it to them. I usually tell that person (especially if they are new to straight shaving), not to strop first and just to shave with it first. Some people can roll the edge when first learning to strop and I find its best to let them see what the edge is like first as a basis for future shaves.
Further, like many things in life, some people find things easier than others. Also, some things just take time to get the hang of.
Further, like many things in life, some people find things easier than others. Also, some things just take time to get the hang of.
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Huh? Is this really an issue? Someone asks if he should strop a new razor and the caps lock comes off? Is this really a sign of the country's demise?
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I think this was the 5th or 6th horseman of the apocalypse. I can't remember which, just that the particular horseman was carrying a leather belt instead of a sword.
Did someone have a complaint about a blade they bought from you? Just some context would really help ppl understand where your frustrations are coming from...
Many sellers add a sheet of paper that advises new shavers not to strop until after the first shave..
- Thread starter
- #10
Just blowing off steam I guess, People do not realize the learning curve associated with straights. So many variables, and the only real solution is practice, practice. I do not agree with most on this I'm sure. I think that a user needs to take some responsibility for the decision of trying their hand at a straight razor. I say if you try your hand at honing and get less than desirable results that should push you to keep at it until you get the comfortable shave that suits you. Why tell a guy not to strop? Tell him to strop away! Its a necessary part of the process that needs to be learned, can't learn by not doing, or having some one else do it for you!
- Thread starter
- #11
I suppose that's a great idea, at least the new user will know that the razor at least gave him one good shave. But what about the guy that shaves for a week and then has trouble, then seeks out the advice of all of the experts out there, and by the time he gets all the possible opinions, he is ready to quit and is convinced that the razor he bought is junk! I just do not understand why would a guy talk to supposed experts on the subject with out consulting the maker first, was it to just be one of the guys with something new to say?
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- Thread starter
- #12
Sadly More often than not, I think it is our walmart guarantee world that makes people think in this way, that and our country has lost almost all skills except for their thumbs on a gaming paddle. True sharp is sharp, but if its not, sharpen it! its your tool!
And he was riding a Schwinn . . . with a basket on the front.
Amen....
Okay, that is hilarious! I mean coffee out the nose hilarious! Thank you.
I have always taken the do not strop advice to mean for the first shave only. I would give the same advice to any NEW shaver that I sent a razor to. After the first shave, strop away.
The single most useless piece of advice I ever got from anyone in the shaving community was to not strop before shaving with a recently honed razor they sent me.
Personally, I'd rather someone not be paralyzed by irrational fears and that they should shave with a freshly stropped edge.
But that's just me.
Personally, I'd rather someone not be paralyzed by irrational fears and that they should shave with a freshly stropped edge.
But that's just me.
i think we are talking 2 (or maybe 3) different things here.
1) brand new straight shaver is likely gonna muck up an edge and blame the blade - strop after IMHO
2) experienced straight shaver - stropping not an issue
3) experienced straight shaver - sometimes wnats to experience the edge from someones else hone/strop.
it's all good.
i think it's similiar to how a new shaver can kill an edge with bad technique or think a edge isn't sharp.
personally, i think many would agree, don't like the edge a razor came with... rehone that thing.
1) brand new straight shaver is likely gonna muck up an edge and blame the blade - strop after IMHO
2) experienced straight shaver - stropping not an issue
3) experienced straight shaver - sometimes wnats to experience the edge from someones else hone/strop.
it's all good.
i think it's similiar to how a new shaver can kill an edge with bad technique or think a edge isn't sharp.
personally, i think many would agree, don't like the edge a razor came with... rehone that thing.
I too, find in this disposable, thumb gadget, electric thingworld, a diminishing fondness for skill and attention to detail as mentionedabove. Patience is also a fleetingquality. This is often the case in thosewho should display the most skill, attention and patience. Just the other day a colleague told me of howhe uses his badger brush to spread his canned shave cream before running hisplug in wet shaver gadget all over his head. To each his own, but, I demonstrated a well whipped lather thinking thatI should educate the poor fellow. Nosooner than I got started I heard, âOh no, that takes way too much time.â I had hardly loaded the brush with soap. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I likereading in this forum. I see modernpeople spending the time and effort to learn the art of honing, stropping andshaving in a way that most of the world believes is nonexistent.
Thank you.
Chasmo
Thank you.
Chasmo
