Are all SHAVE READY razors the same?

[mkevenson]

I have been reading the classifieds lately. Many of the razors for sale are listed as SHAVE READY. At least one seller says that his razors are shave ready and he sites the fact that the razors have been honed on a Norton 4k/8k and then stopped. Many of the honers and honemeisters describe further honing on even finer grit stones. So I must ask if a razor is listed in the classifieds as SHAVE READY, are they all the same?

[hi_bud_gl]

who sells in classified when seller says it is shave ready then blade should be shave ready.We all in this srp and most people knows each other.(classifed is not same as ebay you sold and run away or as is condition)Now about person who says he used norton 4/8 k = doesn't matter how ,and what you use to sharpen blade end result should be satisfying
(shave ready blade),if seller says it is shave ready then buyer accept it as shave ready.if in case you bought from srp classified and it is not shave ready please do contact with seller and let him know about razor.hope this helps and i didn;t confuse you more.

All shave ready razor never will be same.it depends on steel,maker,etc etc.Some razor's will take create edge some wont(paki's)exapmle.

[Cornelius]

I have been reading the classifieds lately. Many of the razors for sale are listed as SHAVE READY. At least one seller says that his razors are shave ready and he sites the fact that the razors have been honed on a Norton 4k/8k and then stopped. Many of the honers and honemeisters describe further honing on even finer grit stones. So I must ask if a razor is listed in the classifieds as SHAVE READY, are they all the same?

You've pretty much answered this one yourself... no, they're not. Some that are described as "shave ready" are not shave ready. The only time I'd expect a truly shave ready razor is when buying from a member who offers honing services and has a long list of satisfied customers. Anything else is a shot in the dark.

[Bart]

Shaveready...

It is not a standardized term. If the seller is honest (and I think the vast majority of the sellers on SRP indeed are honest), then it must mean that the seller personally shaved with the razor and found it to confirm with his personal expectations of a decently sharpened razor. He should be happy to use that razor himself.
Does that also mean that the buyer is going to be happy shaving with it?
That is a difficult to answer question. I think a true "honemeister" aims for a razor to be in the ballpark of what the average straight razor user likes. But what if a particular seller, who has not the experience of sharpening razors for others, is not in that ballpark himself?

Another variable is the razor itself. Not all razors respond the same to any given honing method. It takes a fair deal of experience anticipating this and choosing the best approach. A test shave may reveal a margin for improvement, and also that takes experience figuring out how to proceed, for the best outcome. I can imagin a razor being sold, because the original owner can't quite figure out what to do to get that particular razor up to par with his best performers, simply because the latter respond better to the hones that person ownes and the methods he uses. I can also imagin such a razor being honed up to the best of the ability of the original owner and being offered for sale as "shaveready". Is that a lie? I don't know. I was once declared an utter fool for selling a guitar amp, and pointing out what I did not like in that amp to a buying candidate. I regret that we live in a world where leaving out information in a sale has become acceptable, but if I had to call everyone that conducts in that manner a liar, I would not have many friends. Come to think of it, I don't have that many friends but the one's I got make up for that lack of quantity...

The bottom line is that a honemeisters edge might be a different "shaveready" than the edge of an occasional seller, and that you should adjust your expectations accordingly. I had the opportunity of test shaving a few of those "shaveready" edges lately. They all shaved, without significant adverse side effects other than my shave not being very close...

Without knowing the reputaion of seller, it is impossible to know his "shaveready" standards, even if that seller is completely thrustworthy. In particular for newbies, who can't afford having to second guess the performance of a razor, that makes things rather complicated.

I have plans for starting some kind of newbie service. For a small fee (probably 10€ + postage), I plan on hiring out well-honed razors, that can be returned when dull. (or purchased at an additional cost).

Bart.

[randydance062449]

Make sure it is both "shave ready" and "shave tested". That way it at least passes one persons tests. But... it does not mean it will suit your skin or beard type but it will be close.

[rrp1501]

I purchased a couple of "SHAVE READY" razors from e-bay before I found this site and started asking questions. Here's what I found out; If it isn't from someone here on this site, then it isn't shave ready. There are some razors on this site when you receive them, aren't truly shave ready. Just let the person you got it from know, and they will most likely fix your problem, if not, contact one of the site administrators here at SRP and they will help you get some satisfaction. Like you've been told, We all know each other here or have a genuine desire to help each other have the best shave possible. If you have problems, let the admin guys handle it. Don't go bashing somebody publicly. You just lower yourself to their level if you do! Good Luck and Shave welll! God Bless you!

[KingOfMalkier]

There are a lot of really good answers up already, but I have to say that Bart has by far the best typo.

completely thrustworthy


(All in good fun of course.)

[mkevenson]

Thank you all for your insightful replies. I don't find a section where members rate their purchases from other members. I guess that would be on a very individual basis, post wise. In trying to evaluate the skill of a seller at honing I suspect that length of membership here or # of posts on the forums is not necessarily a good guide.
Thanks again.
Mark

[JimmyHAD]

Thank you all for your insightful replies. I don't find a section where members rate their purchases from other members. I guess that would be on a very individual basis, post wise. In trying to evaluate the skill of a seller at honing I suspect that length of membership here or # of posts on the forums is not necessarily a good guide.
Thanks again.
Mark

Here is one post evaluating a member's honing expertise. There are undoubtedly others in the archive.

[sparq]

I can get my razors reasonably keen and they give me close enough shave, but I would still hesitate to sell them as shave ready... I simply do not have enough experience to make such a claim.