Razor Apparently Not Cutting

Hi Everyone,

For father's day, I received my first straight. It's a "Royal Blue" I happened upon on the Bay. Got it for a pretty good price, about what one would pay for a higher end shavette and came with a neat "vintage" travel kit (sort of a Dopp kit but instead of just a bag with a zipper, it's more like a fold up box with an exterior of leather and an interior of felt...might be worth seeing if I can have a modern one custom made some day).

Anyways, when I got it, it looked gorgeous and certainly felt sharp. The seller said it was fully restored. But in the times that I've used it, I'm pretty certain that it isn't cutting anything really. Would that be a problem with my technique or is it simply not sufficiently sharp? I'm just curious because I'm willing to send it back out (probably to a different vendor) but if it's a technique problem then I don't want to waste the money.

I should add that it is sufficiently sharp that I did nick my ear a couple times...but it doesn't really seem to be cutting hair.

Thanks!
Mike T.

Hi Mike, How many times have you shaved with it and have you stropped it between shaves?
Many first timers report the blade pulling and tugging, when the razor is in fact sharp, it is just bad technique when starting. The shave will improve over time, provided the razor is not just sharp, but shave ready sharp. The other problem is that the razor may not really be shave ready, or has been dulled since you received it. I would send it out to be honed again.

Please, perform hanging hair test to make sure. In spite of all controversies if a razor does not cut hanging hair, it is rather rare that it may shave well.

Pic of the razor? Doesn't sound like a known brand. You may have bought a RSO, or "Razor-Shaped Object". These are all over the bay and amazon, as well as at flea markets and such. Typically, the steel is not properly heat treated or simply is not a good grade of tool steel, and cannot support a true shaving edge. Sometimes, as is the case with the Gold Dollars that for reasons of their own are somewhat popular here, the razors are so poorly ground that ordinary honing is not going to get the razor shave-ready any time soon.

Was this razor vintage, or new? Most new razors are not sold shave-ready. Most vintage razors on the bay sold as shave-ready, are not. This term has become a buzz word on the bay and is frequently used by sellers who have not the faintest clue as to what shave-ready edges ARE. And if you tried to hone your razor yourself, even if you have plenty of experience honing knives or other edged tools, you will probably not have a clue. Nor will you recognize that the razor is or is not properly sharp, having never experienced a well honed edge yet. It is well recommended that you learn to shave with a true shave-ready razor before trying to teach yourself to hone your own razors, so you will not have to guess whether the fault lies in your shave technique or the razor.

Generally, a practical new straight razor is going to cost over $100, and a shave-ready vintage razor of good brand and decent condition is going to cost at least $30. It is easy to end up with junk when paying less, if you don't know the seller.

If you sweep the razor about 1/4" above your forearm, does it lop the tips off your arm hair? That is my test. If not, try a little closer. If at 1/8" it does not treetop arm hair reliably, then you can't hope to shave your face with it and get any sort of comfortable shave.

All is not lost. A false start or two is par for the course. Do your research here on B&B and you will learn how to select, buy, shave with, and maintain a straight.

Have a look at www.whippeddog.com for pretty much the cheapest way to get started with straight shaving. If you need to go still cheaper, I suggest a shavette. The most common type uses a DE blade snapped in half as a disposable edge, and is handled similarly to a proper straight razor but does not need honing or stropping. The down side is that a shavette is more likely to leave you looking like you spent the day sorting wildcats, with all the cuts and razor burn they are infamous for. But once you have learned to get a good shave -- and you CAN get a good shave from a shavette with a little effort and experience -- with a shavette, then shaving with a straight will be a piece of cake. You can get one for $5.99 at Sallys Beauty Supply, and a pack of Personna blades for a couple of bucks too, and they are pretty decent blades at that. I think "Magic Razor" is the brand name of their DE blade shavette.

i think i see the completed sale for all the items.

The description looks legit as far as honing . HVe you contacted seller