Recommended SR Starter Kit - Titan ACRM-2 for about US$22 including shipping worldwide

[rbscebu]

How would you describe the smoothness of these denim pasted edges compared with your usual balsa stropping?

It has been a while since I shaved with a Titan T.H.60 off pasted balsa. From memory, the pasted denim edge is more comfortable (smoother) but not as keen.

Next Friday, Saturday and Sunday I will be doing comparison shaves with the pasted denim edge against T.H.60s with edges from pasted balsa, 1μm film and hard black Arkansas. Then I will be comparing both keenness and comfort using identical SRs.

 

[Member357]

I've been working my way through these steps during quiet moments in my office. Used the sharpie, stropped until that was gone, but didn't pay much attention to numbers once I passed several hundred laps.
Today I reduced the pressure of the razor, well, I tried my best. Not really sure how to gauge twice the razor's weight, but did plenty of laps now and then. Before I came home I was curious to see how it felt so I just tried it a bit on my cheek, and I have to say, it was really smooth and cut the hair easily.
Tomorrow I'll do some more laps then bring it home to shave with it. Looking forward to it.

 

[rbscebu]

Interesting to hear @Bluebriz. I have only tried doing this with one Titan T.H.60. Feedback from other who follow the instructions is appreciated.

I do not expect my T.H.60 off only a CeOx pasted denim strop to match the edge off whetstones and pasted balsa or a good honemeister's edge. I was just happy that it produced a good shave-ready edge suitable for a beginner using only the gear supplied.

 

[rbscebu]

Now 15 x three-pass daily shaves in with this SR. Still only using the CeOx pasted denim strop. No additional paste has been added to the strop. The blade gets 50 to 60 normal laps before each shave and and another 5 to 6 light laps after to clean the bevel/edge.

All is still looking and feeling good. I will take this setup with me when I am overseas for three weeks in April to see how it holds up as a travel kit.

 

[JoeScho]

Here is the guide to get a Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60 shaving kit to a good shave-ready standard.

(Check following posts in this thread for any revisions of this guide.)

Wow that's impressive. Nice job

 

[rbscebu]

After some comparison shaves, I would rate this CeOx finished Titan at about the same as an identical SR normally honed and finished/maintained on 1μm lapping film.

Eighteen x three-pass daily shaves in and still no deterioration notice. Will try and shave with this SR for about three weeks this month and report back here.

 

[cogar460]

So my Titan kit arrived today. Much to my surprise, the strop has denim on one side and a very soft thin leather (kid?) on the other. How should I incorporate this into your previous instructions about stopping the razor?
Thanks

 

[rbscebu]

@cogar460, can we have a picture of your strop?

If your strop is a standard leather/denim strop that is normally supplied with Titan's more expensive offerings, my advice would be to ignore the leather strop part and just follow the instructions.

After about 20 SR shaves using just the pasted denim strop before and after each shave, switch to using the leather strop before each shave (50 to 60 laps) and only use the pasted denim part of the strop after each shave (5 to 8 laps). This should extend the edge life.

Every so often, you may feel like seeing if the edge quality can be improved a bit. Then use the pasted denim both before and after each shave again until you notice no further improvement in the edge quality. 9nce no further improvement, switch back to the leather for pre-shave stropping.

 

[rbscebu]

How would you describe the smoothness of these denim pasted edges compared with your usual balsa stropping?

I recently compared the CeOx denim stropped edge against some other prepared edges using identical SRs. The results can be found in this post and the following two posts there.

 

[cogar460]

Here are some pics. Please excuse the water marks, the counter was wet.
Also, I have the old crOx pasted leather strop. I need some direction about how to put this all together, please.

 

[cogar460]

and this

 

[cogar460]

Thanks for the sound advice. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[rbscebu]

and this

Yes, it is the standard leather/denim strop that you get with the more expensive Titan SRs.

Never experienced that before from Titan. I doubt it will adversely affect the stropping quality. If you are that concerned about the marks on the leather, you have a couple of options. Contact Titan on AliExpress and:

1. Ask to return the whole kit and get a refund or replacement kit.
2. Ask for a partial refund (probably only a few dollars).

Titan are generally pretty good to deal with. Personally it wouldn't bother me. Returning or getting a partial refund would not be worth my effort.

 

[rbscebu]

@Bluebriz and @cogar460, any reports on how it went? Were you able to get an edge suitable for a beginner into SR shaving (not necessarily the keenest of edges)?

 

[wlshephard]

Got one on order thanks!

 

[rbscebu]

Got one on order thanks!

Don't forget to let us know here how it goes for you.

 

[wlshephard]

Don't forget to let us know here how it goes for you.

If you don't hear back it went real real bad.

 

[Member357]

@Bluebriz and @cogar460, any reports on how it went? Were you able to get an edge suitable for a beginner into SR shaving (not necessarily the keenest of edges)?

Hundreds and hundreds of laps and it was really tuggy (not a real word, probably, but you bet my meaning).
I’ll keep trying, though.

 

[JPO]

Hundreds and hundreds of laps and it was really tuggy (not a real word, probably, but you bet my meaning).
I’ll keep trying, though.

When something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Don't you have any sharpening gear that can speed up the process?

 

[rbscebu]

When something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Don't you have any sharpening gear that can speed up the process?

That's not the point of the exercise.

The exercise is to get a reasonably good shave-ready edge on the SR using just the gear that it comes with.