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Sotiris' straight razor journal

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
With axes - wood chopping axes - it's recognised that the outermost steel can be quite soft and easily damaged. Maybe through over tempering, or through surface carbon being burnt off in production. I've noticed this myself on them, and it takes a few sharpenings to get down to good steel. Maybe that happens with straight razors too. Indeed, maybe that's why some people like older straights over freshly made ones, as the soft shell as been used and honed away.

What I'm angling at, is that the edge holding of your razor may improve with time. Having a second razor of sorts, even if that is DE, is still a good thing though. It removes the time pressures of getting this razor rehoned, either by yourself or a third party. In fact, you may find vast improvements in your DE technique from spending time with the straight.

Do be careful to ensure you haven't embedded any grit in the strop from sanding though, or transferred over from the stone. Particulates in the strop won't help matters. Have you found anyone over there that will hone it for you yet?
 
I’m sorry to read about the chips and hope your Ralph Aust is back in action soon.

Thanks Thom! We'll see tomorrow. I spent some time refreshing the edge further. No other decisions made yet.

With axes - wood chopping axes - it's recognised that the outermost steel can be quite soft and easily damaged. Maybe through over tempering, or through surface carbon being burnt off in production. I've noticed this myself on them, and it takes a few sharpenings to get down to good steel. Maybe that happens with straight razors too. Indeed, maybe that's why some people like older straights over freshly made ones, as the soft shell as been used and honed away.

What I'm angling at, is that the edge holding of your razor may improve with time. Having a second razor of sorts, even if that is DE, is still a good thing though. It removes the time pressures of getting this razor rehoned, either by yourself or a third party. In fact, you may find vast improvements in your DE technique from spending time with the straight.

Do be careful to ensure you haven't embedded any grit in the strop from sanding though, or transferred over from the stone. Particulates in the strop won't help matters. Have you found anyone over there that will hone it for you yet?

Thanks for the input Al! :)

I would blame the user in this case more than the tools. The fact that the razor felt great 2 days ago and it suddenly degraded fast leads me to think about problems in stropping and handling. It might have also been that the edge was made more brittle due to refreshing the edge too frequently and possibly too much as well.

The tiny chips I am talking about, were probably there but I overlooked them. After the refresh earlier today, there are still some uneven reflections on the corresponding spots, but the chips are no longer visible.

I doubt there was any particle embedded in the strop. My progression involved sanding it down with sandpaper up to 1.2k grit and then move to pads with varying grit from 2.4k up 12k. After each step I would thoroughly wipe out the strop with my palm and a cloth. I guess that any particle would have been removed by the next step in the progression.

Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone here to send it for honing, yet. I could seek for some help from fellow shavers in the Greek forum, but no professionals.

Thankfully, my DEs are still with me, so I can switch back to them.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Thanks Thom! We'll see tomorrow. I spent some time refreshing the edge further. No other decisions made yet.



Thanks for the input Al! :)

I would blame the user in this case more than the tools. The fact that the razor felt great 2 days ago and it suddenly degraded fast leads me to think about problems in stropping and handling. It might have also been that the edge was made more brittle due to refreshing the edge too frequently and possibly too much as well.

The tiny chips I am talking about, were probably there but I overlooked them. After the refresh earlier today, there are still some uneven reflections on the corresponding spots, but the chips are no longer visible.

I doubt there was any particle embedded in the strop. My progression involved sanding it down with sandpaper up to 1.2k grit and then move to pads with varying grit from 2.4k up 12k. After each step I would thoroughly wipe out the strop with my palm and a cloth. I guess that any particle would have been removed by the next step in the progression.

Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone here to send it for honing, yet. I could seek for some help from fellow shavers in the Greek forum, but no professionals.

Thankfully, my DEs are still with me, so I can switch back to them.

Sounds like becoming self-sufficient is the best plan, unless you can find other EU based honers.
 
I need to rename the title of the thread... "Sotiris' SR shaving roller-coaster" is more suitable lately.

The drama (or is it a thriller ?) continues with a plot twist.


SR Shave #16:
  • Pre-shave: Warm water
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8
  • Brushes: Omega evo duca
  • Soap: Tabac
  • Scuttle: SWK xl
  • ASB: Pitralon

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG(neck)/XTG(rest), 3rd ATG. First time I spent less than 30 minutes! :001_005:
  • Result: Super close and comfortable. No blood, no irritation.
  • Satisfaction: 10/10

Notes:
  1. Pre-shave stropping: 50 on leather. Post-shave stropping: same. I changed my routine. No more x-strokes, just motions parallel to the strop. Because the strop is narrow, I do one lap covering the heel and middle area and a second covering the tip and middle. This is counted as 1 stroke. I also decided to skin the linen for now and see what difference this makes. I will keep this routine at least up to the next edge refresh.
  2. For the record, 20'' loading with minimal splay. The evo is more hungry than my tuxedo, due to the size of the knot (28mm vs 24mm). The lather was excellent, but here is the finding of the day. When I use the scuttle, I am face lathering and leave just a bit of water in it to act as a conductor of heat and keep the brush warm. Today I left a bit more water by mistake. The lather turned drippy but the shave quality improved!
  3. I think it is time to eliminate most variables unrelated to the SR. I hope I can show some restrain and do a fixed setup for now.
  4. The razor felt great again. I spent some time refreshing the edge yesterday. After a few passes, probably around 25, on the Naniwa 12k trying to keep the pressure light, I could feel it was getting sticky and I stopped. I saw in a video that this is a good sign. Let's see how long it lasts this time.
  5. I didn't buy anything yet, but I hear the sirens calling...
Happy shaves and have a wonderful day! :)
 
SR Shave #17:

  • Pre-shave: Warm water
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8
  • Brushes: Omega evo duca
  • Soap: Tabac
  • Scuttle: SWK xl
  • ASB: Barrister and Mann Seville

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG(neck)/XTG(face), 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Very Close and comfortable. Two minor nicks, no irritation.
  • Satisfaction: 9/10

Notes:
  1. Pre-shave stropping: 40 normal and 20 x-strokes on leather. Post-shave stropping: same. Stropping feels easier and more natural. I switched to a more common 45 degree angle. It is a bit of a strain for the right arm, but I can hear and feel the stropping action better and that's more important at the moment.
  2. The lather was very good once I reminded myself to add more water. Perhaps loading less and adding extra soap after each pass if needed might be better. I ended up with a ton of lather that needed too much water to get to the right level of hydration.
  3. The razor felt very good. Some effort was needed ATG around the chin, but I think this was user's error.
  4. I am getting more and more familiar with the routine. Some strokes that were awkward last week come naturally the last couple of days. The time need to shave is slowly decreasing as well. On most areas, the shave is as good as it gets.
  5. Still in restrain. I didn't buy anything yet.
Happy shaves and have a wonderful day! :)
 
SR Shave #18:

  • Pre-shave: Warm water
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8
  • Brushes: Muhle STF xl
  • Soap: Tabac
  • Scuttle: SWK xl
  • ASB: Speick

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG(neck)/XTG(face), 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Close (but not my closest) and comfortable. One minor nick on the upper lip area, no irritation.
  • Satisfaction: 9/10

Notes:
  1. Pre-shave stropping: 40 normal and 20 x-strokes on leather. Post-shave stropping: 20 on canvas, 40 normal and 20 x-strokes on leather. Stropping feels easier and more natural.
  2. 10'' load only. The lather was excellent (slick, uniform and almost runny) during the first two passes, but turned airy once I applied it for the third pass. I added a bit more soap (3 swirls on the puck) and that was enough to fix it. I would have liked it a bit slicker for the fool's pass.
  3. The razor felt very good. Better slickness and shallower angle play a major role.
  4. A bit of a German theme today.
  5. Still in restrain. I didn't buy anything yet, though I am tempted by a ton of stuff. I haven't tried the Chromox paste yet and for that I'll probably buy a second strop, since I want to always have a clean canvas side. I have decided on the stones, Naniwa pro 1k and 3k and ss 8k. I just need to order them at some point. I also found a cheap loupe to order. Finally, I am tempted by a new razor. This one is shave-ready too, from a fellow B-n-Ber in Germany who specializes in Thuringian stones and hones professionally. All that cost almost half a salary, so I am still hesitant to hit the order button. :lol:
Happy shaves and have a wonderful day! :)
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
I have decided on the stones, Naniwa pro 1k and 3k and ss 8k. I just need to order them at some point.
Just make sure that you get the S2 naniwa stones that are 20mm thick. The S1 naniwa stones that are 10mm thick warp like crazy. I have a 12k naniwa S1 super stone that I had to glue to a pieced of ceramic tile to make it useable.
20201028_193415[1].jpg20201028_193449[1].jpg20201028_193535[1].jpg
And then to prevent the stone from sliding all over the place I also glued a piece of neoprene to the bottom!
20201106_191056[1].jpg
 
Just make sure that you get the S2 naniwa stones that are 20mm thick. The S1 naniwa stones that are 10mm thick warp like crazy. I have a 12k naniwa S1 super stone that I had to glue to a pieced of ceramic tile to make it useable.
View attachment 1199198View attachment 1199199View attachment 1199200
And then to prevent the stone from sliding all over the place I also glued a piece of neoprene to the bottom!
View attachment 1199201

Wow, it's that bad? Thanks for the tip! I'll keep it in mind. :)
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
Wow, it's that bad? Thanks for the tip! I'll keep it in mind. :)
Yes, the S1 naniwa stones are terrible, but the S2 and the chosera stones are really nice. I have an 800 naniwa chosera that probably gets more use than any of my other stones, almost never needs to be dressed. It is a little too coarse for setting bevels, as it leaves some pretty deep striations, but it is a kitchen knife sharpening master.

I use a convexed coticule stone for setting my bevels.
 
Yes, the S1 naniwa stones are terrible, but the S2 and the chosera stones are really nice. I have an 800 naniwa chosera that probably gets more use than any of my other stones, almost never needs to be dressed. It is a little too coarse for setting bevels, as it leaves some pretty deep striations, but it is a kitchen knife sharpening master.

I use a convexed coticule stone for setting my bevels.

My 12k is also 2cm thick, thankfully.

I am very interested in Coticules and other natural stones, but I feel they require experience that I don't currently have.
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
Interesting is a good word to describe coticule stones. Usually procured in sets of two, as they vary considerably in texture from stone to stone, some even reportedly coarse on one end and fine on the other depending on the distribution of the garnets.

I have never been able to get an edge to tree-top from mine, but it does produce an edge you can shave with, albeit not very comfortable. As a bevel setter it is fantastic.

Arkansas are a good choice if you are looking into a natural stone that is easy to use, but patience is needed with them, as they are very, very, very slow. I have soft, hard, translucent, hard black, and surgical black arkansas stones. My surgical black is convexed.
I have found that arkansas stones work best to improve edges.......
 
Thanks for the info! Arkansas stones, yet another possibility. I'm glad I am following this path. A new world to experience. :D

At the moment, I need a well-controlled setup, so I think a synthetic progression to complement my Naniwa 12k will serve me well. I get along with this edge, so better stick to it for now.
 
Thanks for the info! Arkansas stones, yet another possibility. I'm glad I am following this path. A new world to experience. :D

At the moment, I need a well-controlled setup, so I think a synthetic progression to complement my Naniwa 12k will serve me well. I get along with this edge, so better stick to it for now.

I am very interested in Coticules and other natural stones, but I feel they require experience that I don't currently have
Every new skill requires, learning, practice and experience. It might be easier and definitely less complicated and expensive to choose a specific path for this part of your journey. Having a fondness for either path helps. There is no Right Path.

Lapping papers, diamond pastes on balsa. Do not require stones. The Method. Most economical. It is widely used very successfully by many shavers and there is a ton of how-to-information on this site. This method happily referred to by the stoners as the synthetic edge. Arguably one of the sharpest edges available.

As you already know from DE blades the sharpest edge available on your blade may not be your favourite or most comfortable edge. (Technique being a large factor)

Stones on the other hand require initial money invested. Much more expensive at the beginning until stones are acquired. The edge finish is still loosely referenced by some to be a Synthetic Stone Finish and your planned 1K,3K,8K,& 12K Naniwas ( they are all thick) Are the stones that I successfully use.

Somewhere between 8k & sometimes further progression Natural stones enter the game. This is the Very Large, very complicated and preferential Stone World. Arkansas, Coticule, Jnat, Cnat, etc, etc. The stoners will state; that well a Natural finished edge may not achieve the Scary Sharpness of diamond paste on balsa progression; A natural finished edge can and does provide a different feel. That may be your Huckleberry. I have shaved with natural stone finished edges, and they are my preference at my present technical ability. (I prefer stones over balsa. It’s a preference) I have shaved with balsa edges progressed to .1 micron, Scary Crazy Sharp. I did like the shave, no complaints. I did not like the feel of the blade purely preference at this stage of my technical ability. I suspect and believe with better technique in SR shaving I may amend or possibly change my preferences.

The most important part of the hone video you watched was stone lapping. Your Ralf edges are straight and true. They can only be maintained on straight and true stones. With my level of experience, a beginner, learner like you. Lapping stones is most economical using using wet/dry on a very flat surface. The nicest easiest, quickest most fun way to do it. Atoma diamond plates in a stone holder. My 400, and 1200 plates in the pic.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/sharpening/stones/70346-atoma-diamond-plates

You can touch up flatness and true stones in seconds during a honing session. I started with the 400 but found it too aggressive for touch ups during honing sessions. I’m glad I have the 400 for one of the Chinese razors I purchased. It has an 18.3 degree bevel angle on it. I don’t like the feel and SR angle required for theses obtuse larger angles. They require Shallow Razor Angles. I do not like or prefer shallow shave angles on Straights or DE razors (my preference and I have reasons.) Grinding down .009 of thickness off each side of the spine will bring the bevel angle to 17 degrees. 400 Atoma diamond plate is ideal for spine reduction.

On the balsa side of things I did do One 3x12 balsa plate with .5 micron diamond paste. I used two sided tape to attach to a porcelain plate. ( it’s ok, a bit thin and a whisker heavy) It will be in the same area as your 12k. I did not want a lot of paste variations around. Minimize any cross contamination I use four fabric strops (one in the mail) Two bovine and two equine strops. I prefer natural stones as my preferred Path. I have a Cnat recently purchased.


I have only used it once both sides after lapping. I do not have enough experience for assessment, reviews, or opinions. I can say that I have the hots to acquire more stones. Sotiris at this point my best advice would be from Yogi Berra, “when you come to the fork in the road take it” 😁
 

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Every new skill requires, learning, practice and experience. It might be easier and definitely less complicated and expensive to choose a specific path for this part of your journey. Having a fondness for either path helps. There is no Right Path.

Lapping papers, diamond pastes on balsa. Do not require stones. The Method. Most economical. It is widely used very successfully by many shavers and there is a ton of how-to-information on this site. This method happily referred to by the stoners as the synthetic edge. Arguably one of the sharpest edges available.

As you already know from DE blades the sharpest edge available on your blade may not be your favourite or most comfortable edge. (Technique being a large factor)

Stones on the other hand require initial money invested. Much more expensive at the beginning until stones are acquired. The edge finish is still loosely referenced by some to be a Synthetic Stone Finish and your planned 1K,3K,8K,& 12K Naniwas ( they are all thick) Are the stones that I successfully use.

Somewhere between 8k & sometimes further progression Natural stones enter the game. This is the Very Large, very complicated and preferential Stone World. Arkansas, Coticule, Jnat, Cnat, etc, etc. The stoners will state; that well a Natural finished edge may not achieve the Scary Sharpness of diamond paste on balsa progression; A natural finished edge can and does provide a different feel. That may be your Huckleberry. I have shaved with natural stone finished edges, and they are my preference at my present technical ability. (I prefer stones over balsa. It’s a preference) I have shaved with balsa edges progressed to .1 micron, Scary Crazy Sharp. I did like the shave, no complaints. I did not like the feel of the blade purely preference at this stage of my technical ability. I suspect and believe with better technique in SR shaving I may amend or possibly change my preferences.

The most important part of the hone video you watched was stone lapping. Your Ralf edges are straight and true. They can only be maintained on straight and true stones. With my level of experience, a beginner, learner like you. Lapping stones is most economical using using wet/dry on a very flat surface. The nicest easiest, quickest most fun way to do it. Atoma diamond plates in a stone holder. My 400, and 1200 plates in the pic.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/sharpening/stones/70346-atoma-diamond-plates

You can touch up flatness and true stones in seconds during a honing session. I started with the 400 but found it too aggressive for touch ups during honing sessions. I’m glad I have the 400 for one of the Chinese razors I purchased. It has an 18.3 degree bevel angle on it. I don’t like the feel and SR angle required for theses obtuse larger angles. They require Shallow Razor Angles. I do not like or prefer shallow shave angles on Straights or DE razors (my preference and I have reasons.) Grinding down .009 of thickness off each side of the spine will bring the bevel angle to 17 degrees. 400 Atoma diamond plate is ideal for spine reduction.

On the balsa side of things I did do One 3x12 balsa plate with .5 micron diamond paste. I used two sided tape to attach to a porcelain plate. ( it’s ok, a bit thin and whisker heavy) It will be in the same area as your 12k. I did not want a lot of paste variations around. Minimize any cross contamination I use four fabric strops (one in the mail) Two bovine and two equine strops. I prefer natural stones as my preferred Path. I have a Cnat recently purchased.


I have only used it once both sides after lapping. I do not have enough experience for assessment, reviews, or opinions. I can say that I have the hots to acquire more stones. Sotiris at this point my best advice would be from Yogi Berra, “when you come to the fork in the road take it” 😁

Thanks John for this wealth of information! It helps a lot! :)

What is certain, is that once down this path new ADs start appearing and get stronger by the minute. :D

Check list, so as to rationalize things a bit: 1) Bevel setter (needed), 2) pre-finishing progression (needed), 3) finisher (solved, I got the Naniwa 12k for now), 4) lapping method (solved for now, thick piece of glass and sand papers), 5) loupe (needed), 6) SR to experiment on (needed). The loupe will be useful even now.

My intention is to learn the honing process so as to become independent of the availability of honing services in the long run. This means that at some point, I will have to spend on 1, 2 and 6. But I am not even sure if this is a good move now or it is premature...

Concerning the choices I have and which ones could suit me, I will attempt an extrapolation here that might be completely wrong. In the DE world, I like the super sharp blades, e.g. Feather, Bic Platinum, Permasharp, Nacet, but my favorites are a notch bellow, the Personna Lab Blues. I also like a fresh blade, but I usually prefer them when they enter the buttery smooth phase, which is typically around the 5th shave. The quality of the shave doesn't suffer, as I can get a very close shave even at the 10th consecutive one or beyond. This leads me to believe that an extremely sharp and crisp SR edge will suit me, but won't be my favorite. That's the main reason I skipped the Method and got the Naniwa 12k as well as started looking at stones for the rest of the setup.
 
SR Shave #19:

  • Pre-shave: Shower, warm water and Geo F Trumper Eucris skin food
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8
  • Brushes: Simpsons Chubby 1 super
  • Creamp: Geo F Trumper Eucris
  • Scuttle: SWK xl
  • ASB: Geo F Trumper Eucris skin food
  • ASL: Geo F Trumper Eucris EdT

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG(neck)/XTG(face), 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Close (but not my closest) and comfortable. No blood, no irritation.
  • Satisfaction: 9/10

Notes:

  1. Pre-shave stropping: 40 normal and 20 x-strokes on leather. Post-shave stropping: 20 on canvas, 40 normal and 20 x-strokes on leather.
  2. Many reasons for a posh, UK-themed shave. Let's say that I am more than happy that I will still be able to order from Connaught's for the years to come. I miss a Sheffield razor. Something to remedy in the future. :D
  3. The razor felt nice. Comfortable, but I could feel it is not as sharp as the last few days, despite the meticulous prep. Another retouch might be coming soon, in order to increase the effectiveness.
  4. The cream worked well, but I am not sure how much credit needs to be given to the skin food.
Merry Christmas everyone! :)
 
Thanks John for this wealth of information! It helps a lot! :)

What is certain, is that once down this path new ADs start appearing and get stronger by the minute. :D

Check list, so as to rationalize things a bit: 1) Bevel setter (needed), 2) pre-finishing progression (needed), 3) finisher (solved, I got the Naniwa 12k for now), 4) lapping method (solved for now, thick piece of glass and sand papers), 5) loupe (needed), 6) SR to experiment on (needed). The loupe will be useful even now.

My intention is to learn the honing process so as to become independent of the availability of honing services in the long run. This means that at some point, I will have to spend on 1, 2 and 6. But I am not even sure if this is a good move now or it is premature...

Concerning the choices I have and which ones could suit me, I will attempt an extrapolation here that might be completely wrong. In the DE world, I like the super sharp blades, e.g. Feather, Bic Platinum, Permasharp, Nacet, but my favorites are a notch bellow, the Personna Lab Blues. I also like a fresh blade, but I usually prefer them when they enter the buttery smooth phase, which is typically around the 5th shave. The quality of the shave doesn't suffer, as I can get a very close shave even at the 10th consecutive one or beyond. This leads me to believe that an extremely sharp and crisp SR edge will suit me, but won't be my favorite. That's the main reason I skipped the Method and got the Naniwa 12k as well as started looking at stones for the rest of the setup.
Check list, so as to rationalize things a bit: 1) Bevel setter (needed), 2) pre-finishing progression (needed), 3) finisher (solved, I got the Naniwa 12k for now), 4) lapping method (solved for now, thick piece of glass and sand papers), 5) loupe (needed), 6) SR to experiment on (needed). The loupe will be useful even now
.
Your bevels are correctly set. A 5k or 8k would be more useful to you at this point.
I received my 15x loupe but find the 10x easier to focus and study the blade. 10x shows a mirror finished bevel after 12k.

My intention is to learn the honing process so as to become independent of the availability of honing services in the long run. This means that at some point, I will have to spend on 1, 2 and 6. But I am not even sure if this is a good move now or it is premature...
There is a major satisfaction in honing your blades. No reason not to. I use 1-3-8-12. Each stone removes previous scratches. 1k for bevel set. Blade corrections, smile or frown any edge imperfections have to be corrected with 1K. From 3k forward polishing. (Think of it in terms of a 3k will remove 1k scratches quicker than a 5k) 12k mirror finish no visible scratches at 10x loupe.

Concerning the choices I have and which ones could suit me, I will attempt an extrapolation here that might be completely wrong. In the DE world, I like the super sharp blades, e.g. Feather, Bic Platinum, Permasharp, Nacet, but my favorites are a notch bellow, the Personna Lab Blues. I also like a fresh blade, but I usually prefer them when they enter the buttery smooth phase,
Early going in DE I could not use a Feather blade too sharp and too harsh post shave. I single use a Feather blade now. My three to five day growth DE shave is ATG single pass efficient, comfortable BBS every shave. Since I have adjusted to a weekly SR shave The Grande with a Feather cannot ATG single pass beyond a five day growth for my head shave. Two passes required not because of blade sharpness. The razor cannot handle more than five day whisker length, the BBS drops to a DFS+. My experience has been once your technique allows you to use the sharpest blade possible efficiently. The comfort is there.

When your tomato slicing knife requires you to move to the heel or toe of the the blade for cutting purchase. You know the keenness of edge is gone. Exactly same physics on All Blade Edges.

We should be able to agree as the knife edge is used it becomes duller with each use and we will have to make adjustments to the blade angle and blade pressure to achieve the same cut or slice. We should also be able to agree that the sharpest keenest edge is the fastest smoothest edge to move through the work load. Same dynamics all blade edges.

I used Voskhods for the longest of any blade. The difference between a BBS Feather and BBS Voskhod shave is more clean ups required with the Voskhods. More clean ups and touch ups more strokes over the skin, more chance of skin irritation.

My De shave morphed into a quicker, closer, more comfortable shave. I use less blade pressure which is less skin contact with a very sharp blade. The sharper the blade the easier it is to keep off the skin. My DE technique on a 1- 10 I would put at 10+. My straight technique I would put at 2.5- 3. Good tools and sharp blades are the quickest way to success. Technique in the end allows the use of the sharpest blades.

With the straights or de blades there are different feels to the bevel angles and finishes. A stainless DE blade has a distinctive feel, different than a Teflon coated and the manufacturers may have different bevel angles on either blade. The razor, shave style, and technique round out the variables.

Many of these comparisons go through my mind between DE and SR both which are in all my shaves. My 15th SR shave was my most comfortable and relaxed to date. It was the slowest SR shave I had which is exactly opposite to my DE shaves which are very quick. Back to basics. My SR shave will evolve to a quicker shave, my preference. The quicker the shave the sharper the blade needs to be.

Forgot to mention one other thing. Lighting. Very important.
 

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