Thread: Rating razor quality poll

While I've touched up quite a few razors on a finishing stone - I've only done about 15 razors from bevel set to final polishing, so being that makes me as noobie as possible, the only way I can answer is the shave test itself. Not at a place yet where I'd trust my judgement from the stones alone.

I can agree with Glen up to about 87% of the time that it is more the honing than the shave as the determiner of a good shave. Before I started my feeble attempts at honing I was shaving with razors honed by five different people. In thinking back about specific razors honed by one of the five I'd have to say that there might be credence to what kind of stone to use for which brand of razor.

And, to not being accused of being facetious, add the ephemeral qualities of time of day, mental attitude, caffeine level, concentration level and energy level.

For me a lot has to do with how a razor hones not only the shave.

The quality of the grind and geometry is easier to notice while honing, although just looking at a razor will tell you plenty. Nuances, really, but things like slight fluctuations in spine width and heel issues are easy to miss by just eye balling. Then again, shaving with a razor can tell you a lot about the level of hollowness it has; noticing the difference between a full hollow and an extra hollow can be challenging just by looking at it.

Like most have said, it's a sum rather than an either/or situation:

You look at a razor, you know something about the razor.
Then you hone the razor, you know a bit more about the razor.
Then you shave with it a few times, you know pretty much all you need to know about the razor.

It really depends what information you are looking to find to answer the question. For instance: on my hones, I can pretty much predict when a razor will shave aptly judging by the feedback I get off the hone.

Some of you have set the edge and finished hundreds even thousands of razors. And I am sure those of you who have done so can read the quality of the blade on the hone much more effectively than the majority of us who hone only for ourselves. I only know that from a personal perspective I have favorite razors that shave well and I have others that I use less often that do not perform as well. Whether the fault lies in the blade,hone, or my technique is something that is yet to be determined . Therefore the quality of the shave is the ultimate factor for me. I'll get back to you after another 1K blades.

I can only go by the shave , because I do t hone them, but I can tell which blades take a better edge, cause the razors all get done by the same guy, I just touch up after a dozen or so shaves on my finisher , and on that I can't tell by just honing ,, so my vote , the shave test , with no experience honing. Tc

I can tell the difference between honing with tape and without tape. I'll hold the analogies.

tcidershd. What does it say about a SR if you can't get a dozen shaves from the blade. Pre shave I will use my Franz Swaty hone for a few strokes, up to ten, or I will strop it linen then leather (30x30). Even then I can sense the blade is beginning to dull down after about the 5th shave.

Quite honestly if given you are doing it right and it shaves like a dream and "properly" who cares about the reaction to stones. The bottom denominator is quality of shave you are after personally. I could care less if the razor looks like junk and not picture perfect as long as it shaves like it is suppose to.

But then again, I am a total utilitarian. That is why when I see yuppies in their BMW or Lexus large 4WD SUV without one spot of dirt on it I laugh! The word that comes to mind is "posers"!

YMMV of course. But I think all are after that shave rather than how it got there for the most part. Only a few enjoy the journey to get there while the majority like the spoils of war.

Originally Posted by Michael70

Quite honestly if given you are doing it right and it shaves like a dream and "properly" who cares about the reaction to stones. The bottom denominator is quality of shave you are after personally. I could care less if the razor looks like junk and not picture perfect as long as it shaves like it is suppose to.

But then again, I am a total utilitarian. That is why when I see yuppies in their BMW or Lexus large 4WD SUV without one spot of dirt on it I laugh! The word that comes to mind is "posers"!

YMMV of course. But I think all are after that shave rather than how it got there for the most part. Only a few enjoy the journey to get there while the majority like the spoils of war.

I don't find the two mutually exclusive. If you want a good shave, it will need a good edge. The better the edge, the better it shaves. Case in point, I just acquired a vintage Boker. It appears to be NOS. The edge honed absolutely beautifully. It came around easily and took an extraordinary polish. As a result, it shaves like a dream. Super sharp that goes through my beard like a hot knife through butter. And is there any irritation? Not a bit. Now I have another razor that is problematic on the hones. It struggles to hold an edge, chips, and is finicky as hell. And how does it shave? Terrible.