Thread: New poll: would you enter a honing contest / survey

Whoops! Just saw that the judging is restricted to members in the CONUS...and rightly so....those customs folks are real trouble!

Mark

Only 3 more. I know you guys can do it.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Only 3 more. I know you guys can do it.

3 more what? contestants?

Should be good fun! Common now guys, you know you wanna!

Mark

I'd be in for this. If nothing else it would be a GREAT learning experience as far as a honing status (if what i think is good actually is). Would it be a good idea to keep a log of what hones/how many strokes/slurries are used? I don't know if it would be giving anyone's "secret" away, but I would find it very interesting to compare this data since everyone would be receiving nearly identical razor. Just an idea.

I had said I would be in on the first go round of this topic but have been thinking about it. I would like to see everyone use the same Double Arrow and nothing but a Norton 4/8 and their strop. IMHO, this would narrow it down to a more equal test of the honing skills of the participants.

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

I would like to see everyone use the same Double Arrow and nothing but a Norton 4/8 and their strop.

Everyone doesn't have a Norton 4/8, unfortunately. If we go that route, I say everyone should use nothing but a combination blue/yellow belgian and their strop (what if my strop is pasted? Can I still use it? Can I strop on newspaper or would that be frowned upon?)



On the other hand, if someone is donating a bunch of Norton 4k 8k combination stones for the contest participants who don't have them, then sure I agree As a matter of principle, not convenience of course Otherwise I guess I will have to join a Belgian hone sharpening contest

I think that this is more about "how good are my skills, and how sharp is my razor to other people" than an empirical "how good are you at honing, given certain conditions." I'd rather know that my current set-up is up to scratch (Norton 4k/8k and Coticule) than if my honing stroke is good enough off the 8k.

If we go that route and standardize everything, we'd also have to limit the number of laps you could do, because a "proper" honing stroke wouldn't need extraneous laps...but if we're about how good you are at knowing when to stop, when to move on, etc, the variables help and not hurt us.

Just my $0.02

Mark

Originally Posted by Milton Man

I think that this is more about "how good are my skills, and how sharp is my razor to other people" than an empirical "how good are you at honing, given certain conditions." I'd rather know that my current set-up is up to scratch (Norton 4k/8k and Coticule) than if my honing stroke is good enough off the 8k.

Mark

Huge +1.

This is exactly the point. The proof of the pudding is in eating it.
The question is 'how sharp can you make a razor', and not 'how sharp can you make a razor, given additional constraints to handicap yourself'

Originally Posted by Bruno

Huge +1.

This is exactly the point. The proof of the pudding is in eating it.
The question is 'how sharp can you make a razor', and not 'how sharp can you make a razor, given additional constraints to handicap yourself'

I get the point. I am still up in the air as to whether I will enter. I hone a lot of razors as I am still in the learning process and I get them off of ebay usually in less then stellar condition. I have also gotten a number of them honed by Lynn and other honemiesters. So I am perpetually in a contest with myself to see if I can equal the sharpest I have received from the experts. It is fun and I will probably throw my hat in the ring for the contest even though I have no expectation of winning. Maybe playing the game is enough.