thinking about giving up on the traditional straight razor

I have had my razor honed multiple times by different honemeisters, both very respectable, but my edge still doesn't seem sharp enough. It will cut, but its a very rough dragging cut. Even trying to cut single hairs on my arm is a chore. The only time that my razor was satisfactory was when it was purchased brand new. I've examined my angle, and I've experimented with angles from shallow to steep. I'm thinking of just getting a Feather Artist Club or something similar cause I just can't get satisfactory results. It just doesn't cut like it did when it was brand new and I can't afford to keep sending them in all the time or trying different honemeisters.

If you have had it honed by two different pros I'm afraid it falls on your technique somewhere. Could be your stropping dulling the edge or blade angle that is the culprit.

I really doubt two different pros got it wrong both times.

What type of grind is the blade? A wedge grind will quite often not feel sharp.

Its a Dovo Best Quality 5/8 full hollow. Filly strop from ruprazor.com.
I got it shave ready and it shaved like a dream. It got dull after about a year of shaving about twice per week, so I sent it back for honing, twice. It wouldn't even cut arm hairs. So I sent it to another honemeister and its better, but still has some trouble cutting.
I bought another razor from the honemeister and it shaved really well, but its having the same problem after being sent in for honing with my Dovo.
I think my technique is just fine because I also use a shavette and it glides without any problems, granted its a sharper DE blade, but still.

My experience is very similar to this thread. well, kind of. not he scamming thing.

If you are having problems with two different blades that have been honed by pros we can rule out your blades. If you have some experience and your shavette is not having problems we can *probably* rule out your shaving technique.

My guess is that leaves your stropping technique.

Drybonz said:

If you are having problems with two different blades that have been honed by pros we can rule out your blades. If you have some experience and your shavette is not having problems we can *probably* rule out your shaving technique.

My guess is that leaves your stropping technique.

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Is it that easy to dull a straight while stropping if you don't do it right?

nrdoty said:

Is it that easy to dull a straight while stropping if you don't do it right?

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Stropping a straight razor wrong can very much dull the blade enough that it wont shave well anymore.

Normally I'd agree, but the razors were shipped with instructions not to strop before use, so I shaved without stropping.

salazch12 said:

Normally I'd agree, but the razors were shipped with instructions not to strop before use, so I shaved without stropping.

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Maybe I need to go over the tutorials again, but I though you were always supposed to strop before shaving...

salazch12 said:

Normally I'd agree, but the razors were shipped with instructions not to strop before use, so I shaved without stropping.

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Ever?

Wid said:

Ever?

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Good question.
If you're saying that you got about 100 satisfactory shaves before your razor got dull, then I don't see how it could be your stropping (unless you're doing something different now).
Not everybody hones the same way. I liked some professionally honed edges on my first razors much better than others. It's one of the reasons I decided to learn to hone myself so that I could learn to customize an edge to my preference. All the professional edges I got could easily shave arm hair and were sharp, so the fact that yours won't surprises me. The only thing I can suggest is to contact the honemeister and see what remedies he can come up with.
You were happy with the Dovo when you first got it. Couldn't you have sent it back to that person for honing? If he does offer that service I would suggest you do that for any razors that need honing in the future.

You should strop before shaving, but there are some exceptions. These are a few I can think of:

1. It's freshly stropped and honed by a honemeister and ready to go.
2. You just honed it and you prefer the edge fresh off the stones. You would strop between shaves after that first shave off the hones.
3. You just don't like stropped edges and never strop (I don't think anyone does this).

nrdoty said:

Maybe I need to go over the tutorials again, but I though you were always supposed to strop before shaving...

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Yes, you are.
Some honemeisters suggest that you shave the first time without stropping so that you know the razor is sharp and takes dulling it by stropping out of the equation. If the next time you strop and it's not sharp, then your stropping dulled it.

Wid said:

Ever?

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sorry, came out wrong.
the instructions are not to strop before the first shave, but then to strop like normal.

I find it strange that you could keep a good edge for a year then having two different people hone the razors and both failed to give you a good edge. Who knows, it could happen.

Did you send one back to the person that honed the Dovo the first time?

I'd talk to the folks that you sent the razors to and tell them you are not satisfied. I'm sure they will make it right for ya.

May i ask why you don't learn to hone yourself? That would solve the problem and I find quite relaxing also.

life2short1971 said:

May i ask why you don't learn to hone yourself? That would solve the problem and I find quite relaxing also.

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I'd love to. Can't afford to get the honing equipment right now.

Send me your razors and I will hone and return them. If you go to www.whippeddog.com and buy yourself a poormans strop kit. it comes with green and red abrasives, a strop and a balsa wood strop too for the abrasives. That should be all you need for quite a while.If you would like my assistance PM me for my address.

I don't know anything about honing, I've never done my own. I have had seemingly dull razors from professional honemeisters with good reputations though so I can sympathize with you there. I've never felt like either of my straights we're as sharp as a DE. I do know that they will sometimes take the razor back and try some other methods if you aren't satisfied. It ought to at least cut the hair on your arm. I would explain your dissatisfaction and see if they will re-do it possibly a different way. For what it's worth, one of my razors will always pull and feel rough if I don't do really slow,careful, and deliberate laps on the strop and my other one seems better with fast ones. So even if you are stropping exactly like your supposed to, some strop experimentation might reveal something that works better.

A strop with paste will certainly help sharpen the slightly dull razor with the same technique already employed in normal stropping. Just give your pasted strop 10 laps then do your normal stropping and shave. If your not content repeat the process til its backs up to par. You can use this method indefinitely with a good paddle strop.