Thread: "Pulling" Explained

Actually, it was more like 1/2" away, but the whiskers came off anyway.. The force is stong in me.. it was strong in my family. *S*

Thank you SO much OP for the post. I've attempted my first couple shaves with my straight razor and I've felt a lot of "pulling". I ended up finishing up with my DE razor (which went through everything like hot knife through butter), and assumed my straight razor needed a good honing. Good to know it's something I can fix with technique!

Thanks again!!

Originally Posted by teemus

Thanks! I too have been trying to squeegie the whiskers off my face. Gotta give this a try when I shave tomorrow.

Squeegie? What is that please?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by planetocean

Squeegie? What is that please?

Thanks.

You know those things for washing windows that has the rubber blade to pull the water off?

Can straight ever get sharp enough to the point to compete with Double Edge blades for sharpness and smooth "no pulling", like those from Personna Med Prep or some of the Russian blades? I have a shavette holder and have tried 1/2 of a DE blade in there and there is no doubt that it simpy blows away anything I've shaved with in the realm of straights, including such razors I have as Revisor, Wacker, Wade & Butcher, Dovo....

Originally Posted by Gibbs

Can straight ever get sharp enough to the point to compete with Double Edge blades for sharpness and smooth "no pulling", like those from Personna Med Prep or some of the Russian blades? I have a shavette holder and have tried 1/2 of a DE blade in there and there is no doubt that it simpy blows away anything I've shaved with in the realm of straights, including such razors I have as Revisor, Wacker, Wade & Butcher, Dovo....

Vern, You have approached honing from some rather unorthodox paths, so it is hard to answer for you...
There are razors with steel that will hold unto an edge to rival a DE edge easily when honed correctly..

Just an example: Most any Little Valley NY Full Hollow Grind razor honed with care on the Shapton System will have the sharpness but will still keep the smoothness... Keep in mind that pushing a SR edge too far doesn't always get the results you are after, often it just results in a harsh shave from a mis-honed edge...

Originally Posted by bharner

You know those things for washing windows that has the rubber blade to pull the water off?

Hmmmm ok, but what has that got to do with “I too have been trying to squeegie the whiskers off my face”?

Is squeegie a type of bad shaving technique?

Ok I think I have worked it out, to drag the blade down ones face hugging it tight and more horizontal as if it were a rubber blade upon a windowpane.

Originally Posted by planetocean

Hmmmm ok, but what has that got to do with “I too have been trying to squeegee the whiskers off my face”?

Is squeegee a type of bad shaving technique?

Ok I think I have worked it out, to drag the blade down ones face hugging it tight and more horizontal as if it were a rubber blade upon a windowpane.

There is a saying to describe a near perfect shaving pass "A Velvet Squeegee" in effect: a super smooth, very comfortable, near BBS single pass...
This means that the razor's edge, your technique, and your beard, are all working together, and you barely feel the pass.. It is a good thing but it is just a saying ..

This explanation of pulling was helpful beyond belief. Really a must read for any beginner. It really helped me adjust the pressure properly for my first shave. I did not fully understand the concept of "pulling" before I read this. Many thanks!

Very helpful thread. Thanks AFDavis for starting this conversation.