Thread: Rating razor quality poll

Hone Damage! I have used a straight razor nigh on 40 years and a majority of those years I had no idea how to hone the blade. I started with diamond hones, shave, and it was s _ _ t. Went to limited Arkansas whet stones, and shave was S _ _ T. Broke down after several years and bought Norton Water Stones, shave was S _ _ t. Bought new Arkansas stones. Some blades finally came up to cutting the steel and giving me a bit better of a shave. At least most of the blades will cut the hair. I persisted, over hacked up nickes and burning face. I did have to back up the SR shaves with a standard dollar razor which cut better than any of my hones. Contacted a barber friend from High Sch. Alumni and asked him. He sent me instructions, but nothing like what I found here, but he said barber schools were dropping the straight razor (I don't know. he said so.) and said use the dollar razor because the SR damages the skin.
I have worked my drooping A _s off to get this right. I have about 20 SR's and Zombie hone which I call Cave Man Grind. I have about four SR's that are not ground to death. I have used tape to try and achieve the right edge. I will go to my grave without having finally achieved the honing skill to alter these conditions. I have read everything here and on other forums and the internet. So, so many ways to approach the honing. But. The grade of steel, to me, is a critical factor, then whether the blade has been abused n the honing process.