Thread: Too much information = overwhelming!

Your questions are not simple to answer, but I will give it a try.

#1. what is "honing" Is that sharpening? Why do people say they have to pay to get them honed
Razors have a delicate easily damaged edge and need to be much sharper than knives. Honing a razor requires a progression of stones that must be made flat before use. The final finishing stones are ultra fine grit. Think of using course sand paper to shape a board followed by finer grits to get a perfect finish. Anyone can buy sand paper and apply it to wood, but not everyone can turn the board into furnature. With sufficient knowledge, equipment, and practice, most SR users learn to hone blades in reasonably good condition. Restoration of worn or damaged SRs requires a lot of skill.

#2. How do you sharpen and maintain them
Starting with a shave ready edge, you strop after each shave, refresh on a pasted strop, barber's hone, or polishing hone when stropping starts to lose effectiveness. When refreshing no longer works, its time to rehone.

#3. How long to they last
I touch up my SR edges once or twice a month. I rehone after months of SR use. The razor tells you what it needs and when. Most of my SRs are about 100 years old more or less and will still be good in another 100 years.

#4. Do u need that little brush
The brush and good soap work well with a SR, a DE, and cartridge razors. You can get started for less than $20, or spend a lot.

#5. Do I need to buy blades for them separately or those are different types of straight razors?
SRs have only one blade that must be honed, stropped, and maintained.

#6. I've seen ones online where you replace the blade and one where you don't replace them? Which is better?
Replaceable blade SRs are called "shavettes". The one that comes closest to the feel of a true SR is the expensive Feather AC. Stropping and honing are not needed, but shaving skills still must be learned. You must also keep buying blades, although a blade lasts for several shaves.

#7. Which should I get as a beginner's blade? The finest SR made will not shave unless the edge is shave ready. Most new and vintage SRs of good make will shave well, if the edge is shave ready. New junk razors of poor steel, heat treatment, and geometry can not be made to shave, or hold up in use. After shaving skills, it is really all about the edge. Most new SRs are not truely shave ready, unless opened and honed by the vendor. The best SR low cost deal is a $50 shave ready SR from a SR site classified section, IMHO. If I were to try a disposable blade unit, I would get the Feather AC.

HTH