Some bloke clearly much wiser than me (I think his name was Benjamin Franklin) once said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
And never a truer word was spoken when it comes to the art of shaving with a cut-throat razor.
I wonder how many blokes out there start off enthusiastically with the new kit Granny bought them at Christmas but by January it’s stuffed in the back of the cupboard, the razor having apparently gone blunt. Sound familiar?
Then you, my friend, must invest in a strop.
No, a tantrum won’t fix this but The Bluebeards Revenge cut-throat, dual-sided razor strop will.
An essential piece of any open razor kit, a good quality strop helps align the edge of the blade before each shave and removes any microscopic burrs on there.
Sometimes referred to as knife steeling or strapping, stropping your razor will give you a better result and ultimately prolong the life of that sexy new silverware. Granny will be thrilled.
Stropping your razor takes time and patience, but it’s worth it!
Back in the day, the manliest of men would strop their razor by running it across the palm of their hand. On a side note, judging by his manly look I reckon Benjamin Franklin was a palm stropping kind of guy.
Nowadays, there’s no need for such danger stunts. The Bluebeards Revenge strop is the perfect partner for any manly cut-throat razor.
Here’s a handy guide on how to use it:
1. Start by fixing one end of the strop to the toothbrush holder, towel rail, your Nan in front of Antiques Roadshow, or any other immovable object.
2. Holding on to the other end, run the blade horizontally up the leather surface, with the blade flat against the leather and the sharp side facing you. At the end of the stroke, flip the blade over on its spine so it is facing away from you and run the blade back down the strop horizontally.
3. Make sure the strop is pulled tight as you do so and don’t put too much pressure on the blade, about as much as you’d use on your face.
4. The whole process should only take about one minute (do it around 60 times).