SO one of my goals for this year is to become a proficient with a SR.
A little background . So I have been a DE safety razor convert for several years. I have an Edwin Jagger DE89 ( also just bought my 15 year old son one) and with Shark blades, Boar brush, Proraso white and a quick slap of witch hazel afterward I get great results. I did some research on technique and razors. I see many recommend getting a GD prehoned to start with , so that is what I did. I bought a GD 300 prehoned from a reputable source.
The razor came in and all I did was cleaned the oil from the blade and wiped it down with alcohol. I tried to test it with the tree top method but it would not cut the arm hairs, but only push them out of the way. I then laid the spine and edge along my arm and elevated the spine ever so slightly to shave angle. It cleared the hair from my arm without much trouble.
At this point it seemed like it should be sharper but I am not 100% sure. So I decided to give my SR technique a try. I had about a 4 day beard which for me would whiskers about 1/8" or so long. I washed my face and lathered as I normally would for a DE shave. I then attempted a pass. I laid the blade flat and just broke the spine off my face , pulled my skin flat and started . The razor cut but it was rough and left a lot of stubble. I tried a few more passes and the same result. It pulled and tugged at the whiskers and it was not smooth at all.
Now I am not sure if it is my technique, the razor or a combination of both. I will say I did nothing to the razor but clean, as I was under the impression pre honed to shave ready would be sufficient. I am wondering if I should have stropped it first. I did not have a strop at the time but have since ordered one.
Any suggestions ro thoughts are welcome.
Thanks
A little background . So I have been a DE safety razor convert for several years. I have an Edwin Jagger DE89 ( also just bought my 15 year old son one) and with Shark blades, Boar brush, Proraso white and a quick slap of witch hazel afterward I get great results. I did some research on technique and razors. I see many recommend getting a GD prehoned to start with , so that is what I did. I bought a GD 300 prehoned from a reputable source.
The razor came in and all I did was cleaned the oil from the blade and wiped it down with alcohol. I tried to test it with the tree top method but it would not cut the arm hairs, but only push them out of the way. I then laid the spine and edge along my arm and elevated the spine ever so slightly to shave angle. It cleared the hair from my arm without much trouble.
At this point it seemed like it should be sharper but I am not 100% sure. So I decided to give my SR technique a try. I had about a 4 day beard which for me would whiskers about 1/8" or so long. I washed my face and lathered as I normally would for a DE shave. I then attempted a pass. I laid the blade flat and just broke the spine off my face , pulled my skin flat and started . The razor cut but it was rough and left a lot of stubble. I tried a few more passes and the same result. It pulled and tugged at the whiskers and it was not smooth at all.
Now I am not sure if it is my technique, the razor or a combination of both. I will say I did nothing to the razor but clean, as I was under the impression pre honed to shave ready would be sufficient. I am wondering if I should have stropped it first. I did not have a strop at the time but have since ordered one.
Any suggestions ro thoughts are welcome.
Thanks