Recent content by McBlade

PS: the surface was a very fine suede rather than a polished gloss. VERY fine - nothing like as rough as you often see on the back side of a strop.

DIY is a good option for a budget strop. I made a 3" strop with a nice piece of leather from these guys: Razor Strop Leather Strip 75mm 3 Inches Wide - artisanleather.co.uk - https://www.artisanleather.co.uk/razor-strop-leather-strip-75mm-3-inches-wide.html Note the length: a generous 2ft...

I started out of curiosity. DE razors were a revelation when I discovered them. I used to think this ancient 50's technology must be obsolete, right? So I was curious to try straights too. I guess the challenge of shaving with a naked edge appealed to me too. I've kept it up because I enjoy...

I picked up a platinum preppy recently. I can't quite believe you can get such a good, solid performer at such a low price. You'd think it would be cheap junk but it's really good. Eye-dropper convertible.

Shavettes which use a half DE blade are very unforgiving but IMO an AC shavette loaded with one of the milder AC blades is much easier to use. There will still be a learning curve, of course, but a much less daunting one.

The straight will have to be sharp. If so, you probably won't see much difference between a mild-to-aggressive DE and a straight. That's my experience anyway.

I'd finish it with a sheet of lapping film ;) But it's good to experiment. You always learn something.

Arko. Rub the stick around. Whip up a lather with a wet brush. Maybe add some more water for a nice slick lather (Arko can take quite a bit of water). The brush will hold enough to do a second or third pass.

It's amazing how much easier it is with a milder edge. You really need to be an expert to use a half-DE shavette!

Shallow angles help protect you from one type of cut but not another. You might need to increase the angle to get over a mole, for example. I found the Feather blades too sharp out of the pack. Very easy to nick yourself. But after 4 or 5 shaves they lose some of their excessive sharpness. A...

I have a half-DE shavette which I'll probably never use again. It did serve its purpose though as a crude introduction to straight razor shaving, helping me to discover traditional straights.

Thanks for the review. AC blade straight razors are a fantastic invention :)

Yes absolutely. Fully exposed DE blades are used in many shavettes. That's a great way to learn a light touch: your blood is a great teacher ;) Seriously though, you do learn a lot about shaving with straights/shavettes. You develop a feel for how a very sharp blade can glide safely across...

I made a strop with a piece of veg-tanned cow hide 4mm thick, 3" wide, and 600mm long (two feet). It was advertised specifically for stropping. Don't skimp on the length: one of the best things about making your own is the luxury of a nice long strop.

I'd recommend something sharp and consistent - some blades can vary a lot from shave to shave. Nacet is a good choice. There is a razor blade sharpness study with more information on different types of blade but we're not allowed to link to it.