Thread: Classified vs. ebay razors

Originally Posted by Steel

I looked all around where I live and couldn't find any and ended up ordering one. If you search the forum for a thread about loupes you will find a thread that gives many many good links to some good Loupes.

+1

I actually got mine at an antique store...

Originally Posted by WW243

Ebay edge looks more like an aerial photo of a coastline.

Or the surface of my face when I was in high school. One candy bar and I would wear the results the next day.

Originally Posted by rhensley

Mine too. i'm just getting where I can shave with one that I honed.

I got the microscope because I was frustrated with my honing efforts because the shaves weren't as good as the ones I purchased shave ready here. For four years I used a 100X pocket microscope that used AAA batteries for $15. It lasted three years before the little light burned out and I got another one. The 400x USB is manufactured by Veho and I got it in the $40 range.

The microscopes were helpful to me because I had no instinct of what to do to fix bad edges.

1. You can persist in the circular pattern, but I learned from two worn down spines that you don't have to do that to get chips out of the edge once you have a bevel.
2. I tried moving the blade back and forth in an X pattern with pressure, but that also wears down the spine.
3. From studying the microscopic results I learned that I could preserve the spine by moving the blade along the hone with no pressure and eventually get results.

I personally couldn't have learned these lessons and learned to hone them in a uniform direction without the help of the microscope.

Most of you mentor-level people probably don't need a microscope at all but for me site verification was needed.

The second picture in Post #16 isn't perfectly flat but I get a fantastic shave from it, probably because the dips are shallow and smooth. It's one I got from a seller in Classifieds that I have used sparingly the last couple of years so that I could compare the shave I got from that with my own efforts. It might not have looked quite like that when I bought it.

The razors with "rat bites" that were uncomfortable on my face look more like the ebay razor in Post #15 except the chips were sharp. I don't have a picture of these because I fixed them.

One of those I inflicted with hone wear was a $15 razor I wore down before learning that I don't need pressure after setting a bevel. Another was a TI that I had tried for four years to figure out. I finally got it to shave well but it left my face irritated every time. Finally I realized that the heel was wider than the toe and after wearing the hone down considerably I decided this one was just too tough for me to repair. I've got a nice edge on it so I'll try to shave with it one more time to see if I can gain satisfaction on edge alone and failing that, I'll just chalk it up to experience. I have seen, and have, razors with the toe wider than the heel and and that's the way they were made. However, I haven't tried to hone one. But with my TI it never entered my mind that the heel could be wider than the toe and that is a definite defect.

I don't really want to take razor care to a machinist's level. I'm not mechanically inclined and I want to keep all 10 fingers. But I told myself that I would not straight shave unless I learned how to maintain my blade. That's all I want to do, other than perhaps tighten (which I have done somewhat successfully) pins and re-scale (which I have tried only twice).

This is pretty much my journey learning how to hone. The purpose in this thread was intended to help new members catch on faster than I did, and to see what a good edge looks like. I don't expect to damage any more razors, but for me a microscope really helps. I shaved this morning for the first time with one of the edges in Post #1 and it felt so good it was like like I was cheating.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

I seem to find that the edge performs well when it looks good. I've never had a lousy looking edge perform very well. And I've never had a good looking edge give a lousy shave. Consequently I always use a scope.

Keep honing . It'll happen for you .
I don't mean eBay unhoned lousy edges will shave but you'll see edges that shave well that will make you scratch your head as to why.

I also find 400x to be TMI & 200x is plenty but maybe that's what I'm use to. I can rarely interpret 400x pics as the edges all look bad to me.

When honing a low power loupe is all I use.

Originally Posted by tedh75

Do any retail stores carry loupes or do you guys order them?

I ordered mine online, they're dirt cheap. As Glen points out, don't even buy batteries for them, just get a new one, it's almost cheaper and they come with a spare.

Here's the one I have:

Amazon.com: 40 X 25mm Glass Lens Jeweler Loupe Magnifier With LED: Office Products

Hope this helps, cheers!

Originally Posted by Phrank

I ordered mine online, they're dirt cheap. As Glen points out, don't even buy batteries for them, just get a new one, it's almost cheaper and they come with a spare.

Wow, I had never seen them that cheap before.
Thanks Phrank

Just ordered a set of two with free shipping and still dirt cheap. Thanks for the heads up!