Thread: Refinement of the cutting edge

Razors are not overhoned. I'll take them to the 5K Shapton followed by the Hohenzollern and see what happens.

Originally Posted by Kees

Did this ever happen to you? You buy a razor from ebay, edge is useless for shaving. You work the edge up the grit levels and eventually it passes the HHT. You look forward to the first shave with it. As soon as the razor hits your face you know: this edge is useless. So you take it back to the hones and polish it again. Next shave is better already but still not as good as the shaves you get from the razors you have been using for a while. Only after repolishing the edge 3 or 4 more times it is the way you like it. And even if the first shave with the new razor is good it only takes one or 2 more shaves before you want to repolish it again.

This has happened so often to me that I wonder whether it is just my inadequacy or whether this is a pattern most honers experience.

No, this has not been my experience. Quite the opposite.

Passing HHT does not mean the bevel is polished adequately. It may not mean anything. Anyway, once I have a blade finished to my liking, it does well just with stropping for (almost) forever. Honestly, I most often rehone a razor to test a new stone, rather than out of any necessity to improve the edge

And to make matter more complicated, some E-bay razor are just abused junk and one good shave after a decent honing is more than should be expected.

My 2 cents.