Hart razor and First BBS shave!

**boshave** · 10-05-2009, 12:16 AM

Thanks to all the information I found on this forum, and with some practice using my Le Grelot and Dovo and Wade & Butcher, I finally found the basic skills to achieve a BBS shave with a straight. I went WTG and XTG and there it was, smooth and comfortable. This was my first shave with my new Hart razor, and I loved the razor and the shave. (I've heard it is better to stick with one razor, but I found that using different razors helped me understand what is common to a good shave.)

As a newbie, I have one major piece of advice for other newcomers. Get a "shave ready" razor honed by a master. My razors honed by Lynn and other honemeisters taught me how a properly honed razor should feel on the skin and in the hand. That is the single best investment a newcomer to straight razor shaving can make.

Now if I can just learn to hone the razors almost as well, I'll be all set.

**Pabster** · 10-06-2009, 10:25 PM

Great start and welcome to SRP. A pasted paddle strop can help keep your blade edge sharp if you find that regular stropping isn't getting it done. It will also put off the stone honing session for a while.

Good Luck!

Pabster

**ChrisL** · 10-07-2009, 02:52 AM

That's great to hear another positive review of the Hart razor. The positive reviews we're hearing currently seem to be a whisper among a cacophony of strong and active opinions to the contrary.

I for one am rooting for this company.

Chris L

**nun2sharp** · 10-07-2009, 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by Pabster

Great start and welcome to SRP. A pasted paddle strop can help keep your blade edge sharp if you find that regular stropping isn't getting it done. It will also put off the stone honing session for a while.

Good Luck!

Pabster

Pasted strops serve their purpose but a barbers hone will keep the edge on your razor indefinately.

**boshave** · 10-08-2009, 03:37 PM

Thank you for all the advice and encouragement. Right now I strop without any strop paste on linen (7 passes) and leather (21 passes per side of blade) . I don't know how to put paste on the strop.

What pastes should I use if I wanted to start using a pasted strop? The green one?

I hear many discuss using diamond pastes of different micron sizes. Are they expensive? How much do you use? Do you put the diamond paste on each time you strop?

I'm getting the shave I want from my razors now. Can I "mess up" the blades by trying to learn the stropping pastes? Perhaps I shouldn't change anything right now and just wait until I need to rehone.

Yet another comfortable, BBS shave from the Hart today. I notice it is jumping ahead of several razors in my rotation. I guess I'll find out about edge longevity sooner. I love that razor.

**JimmyHAD** · 10-08-2009, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by boshave

Perhaps I shouldn't change anything right now and just wait until I need to rehone.

IMO your best bet would be to leave your strop as is and if you want to try paste do it on a paddle, a flatbed strop or a separate hanging strop. Chrome ox is a really good option on any of the above as is the diamond spray that has recently come out. Diamond paste is good too. I like the felt hanging strop that SRD sells with the 0.5 diamond spray.

**loueedacat** · 10-08-2009, 04:11 PM

I would definitely leave your strop as it is but do 30 linen strokes and at least 60 leather before each shave.

And either do what JimmyHad says, or just get a finishing stone (coticule, Spyderco UF, thuringen, swaty, escher, or chinese 12k) and use that to touch your blades up fairly regularly. That way you won't do the pasted strop rounding thing, and you'll be building up your honing skill.

Great to hear you made your break through with a Hart razor!

**boshave** · 05-29-2016, 02:31 AM

With the advice found on this forum and with practice, I learned to hone my straights and strop properly. My daily shave is a straight razor shave. I love it.

My two Hart razors are my favorites, the 6/8 "breakthrough BBS shaver" and a recently acquired 7/8 Hart Steel round point which also shaves like a dream. A Le Grelot and a Wade&Butcher stand-by as close runners-up. All are 1/4 ground. I can get a great shave from 1/2 ground and full hollow straights, but prefer the weight of the 1/4 ground in my hand. The heft of a 1/4 ground gives me better positional feedback when held in my non-dominant hand, which is half of every shave. Shaving with a straight has improved my non-dominant hand's dexterity. Straight razors reward deftness of hand.

Straight razor shaving is a singular type of competence in the skill set of a man. Usually, our competence is a gift we give our loved ones, our fellow man (be they customers, clients, crews, civilians we protect, patients, or partners in commerce) and the tax man. Straight razor shaving is a competence acquired solely for our own sake. It is a selfish competence, one that I cherish.

Thanks to all who share your knowledge and experience on this forum. Much appreciated.

**HopChugger** · 06-02-2016, 04:22 AM

Glad to hear you're enjoying your Harts. I've been shaving with a couple of Hart 6/8 Western kamisoris for the last year and I look forward to shaving every single day. I love these razors.

**JOB15** · 06-02-2016, 07:10 AM

I am in the opposite situation to you.
I have many Harts and swore by them.
Now I only shave with W&B razors.

Recently I took out my prized Hart, a custom . I had over honed one of W&B blades so I figured I go with a Hart.
The shave was deadly close but I came to the conclusion that my Hart had no soul . It was just a piece of sharp metal .
These are just my personal feelings .
Thought I'd share 😀 I would go into better detail but I'm in a cafe on my mobile phone ...

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Hart razor and First BBS shave!

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thank you for the encouragement, and lot of questions about stropping pastes

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Follow up to Hart razor and my First BBS shave.. years later.

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