Thread: Razor dulls fast

So I'm starting to question the quality of my razor. Or there is something about my skin and/or products that is doing this.

So here was my process: showered, used conditioner on my beard, rinsed and toweled (my shaving stuff is in another bathroom, can't just step out and shave), hot towel for a minute or two (was pretty hot and wet so it stayed warm a while), blade passed HHT a few times in different spots, AoS preshave oil, VDH lather (warm n frothy).

I tried to keep the blade under 30 degrees and pulled my skin where I could. Haven't figured out how to stretch my cheek but sideburns and neck are easy.

by the time I got to my neck on the first side, the blade was starting to pull. I thought maybe it was me so I tried correcting my stretches and directions. Eventually I stopped and checked my blade. Before it would catch my finger print and threaten to cut it off, now i could easily run a wet thumb across the blade without catching. This is a dovo special blade and I live in south florida. Is my water so caustic down here it is corroding my blade edge in minutes? Or maybe one of my products is acidic? Any ideas? I deal with metals a lot so I have too much going through my head to sort out what may be happening. Is it possible that my blade is a clearance-reject-bin blade? Or am I just so bad of a newbie that I'm dulling my blade without knowing it?

Only one razor ? Gasp
Have you entertained the idea of getting another razor as a backup ? Maybe a nice vintage or another new one ? (Another brand would be a good idea methinks) That's where I would start !

possibly rolled the edge stropping to lose its edge so quick,
so it may need a refresh
what brand of razor
was it pro honed before you got it ? & did you strop it before your first shave ??

Jim,
It's highly unlikely the blade dulled that much during a shave. More likely there was a problem before the shave. If you don't hone then someone will have to check the razors edge and if it needs it, touch it up and start over.
Do you have sufficient experience stropping or are you new to it? What stropping surface did you use if you used one? Process of elimination might help find the answer. What else can you tell us?

I'd vote for stropping and stretching as your problem.
Best edge around and slack skin and you get tugging and a rough shave.
Perfect stretching and not shave ready edge and you get...(wait for it) tugging and a rough shave.

The Wiki has reference info on both.

My best stropping helper was lay the strop on the counter, clamp the top to the counter.
All it takes is a gentle pull on the handle - so you can focus on keeping the spine down and the pressure even.

Stretching? The Wiki was a great help, it's part of the muscle memory of shaving with a straight that comes with practice.

Smooth shaving...

I am a newbie so all of this is new, but I am picking things up quickly. I honed 6K and 12K then stropped with .5 CrOx on fabric then used brand new black latigo. The edge was very sharp before I shaved. It was straight and smooth. I did 10 laps on the CrOx then 15-20 on the leather after honing. The edge passed HHT after these steps. I can not get any feed back checking for a wire or bent edge

The 4 most likely possibilities are not a pro honed blade, poor stropping or not enough stropping and poor shave technique. If it was pro honed and you are doing 25 linen and 50 leather then most likely poor stropping or technique.

It is easiest to learn one skill at a time. A beginner shaving with his beginner honed razor has a crazy amount of variable. I think it would probably put you the furthest ahead to get your razor honed and take another run at it. My geography is rather poor, but I don't recall Florida being a very big state. We do have several members here from Florida. I am thinking that you could probably find a mentor to help you along.

Originally Posted by EngineerJim

and pulled my skin where I could. Haven't figured out how to stretch my cheek....

The HHT is just a test of a single hair, but it does tell you the blade is ready for a shave test.

For the shave test to be "fair" it has to be about the edge and not technique.

What makes using a Straight hard is that there are so many variables and skill sets to master for it all to come together.

But they do come together, just not all at once unfortunately.

Originally Posted by EngineerJim

I am a newbie so all of this is new, but I am picking things up quickly. I honed 6K and 12K then stropped with .5 CrOx on fabric then used brand new black latigo. The edge was very sharp before I shaved. It was straight and smooth. I did 10 laps on the CrOx then 15-20 on the leather after honing. The edge passed HHT after these steps. I can not get any feed back checking for a wire or bent edge

Unless the bevel is properly set anything you have done in the higher grits will not have any legs. Your HHT means nothing for edge durability .
Certainly inspect your edge under magnification & look for rust. Eliminate the possibilities one by one & you will arrive at an answer.