Thread: Why kill an edge

A quick back story.

I purchased a custom razor from SRP member Frans awhile back. Upon receiving, the initial and subsequent shaves were beautiful...like NO other razor I have in my stable, be it new, used, rehoned by myself or by others. It was amazing. Fast forward a lot of shaves (I shave daily), I felt it needed to be touched up. I contaced Frans to ask him his honeing/stropping, because it was such a fantastic shaver. He, in fact, shot a quick video of him honing. So, out came the 4/8K and 12K. I went to touching it up as I normally do (taped, like Frans did), then onto the strop. However, it just wasn't up to snuff, even compared to any of my other razors I have honed. Fast forward, I contacted Glen (GSSIXGUN), who suggested I kill the edge, hone, repeat maybe 3 times. He said he has run into brand new custom razors, upon rehoning require the edge to be killed a few times. OK, that's what I did...Killed the edge on glass, then to 4K, 8K, 12K, then stropped....then repeated the same 2 more times. Test shave and viola...What the heck?!?! It WORKED! It shaved beautifully! Not that I doubted you, Glen. But, it just don't make sense to me. How can a razor that shows ALL outward signs, from ink, to hair popping, to feel on the hones, etc., etc., etc., yet shave badly. Yet, after 3 kills and hones, it shaves as smooth as greased glass?

Here's another example. I received another model of one of Frans custom razors, not too long after the 1st one. This, too, shaved wonderfully right out of the gate. When time for it to be touched up, I thought, "I'll try my way 1st. 1 and done." NOPE, it pulled like a freight train. So, yesterday, I went to Glen's 3 Kill method. 3 kills and hones, then to the strop. This morning I used it and that one, too, worked as the other. It was heavenly!