Thread: How to tell if your razor is sharp enough?

Originally Posted by Amenrab

Drag the razor about a few mm above your arm. If it scythes through the hairs without any pressure, it's sharp enough.

That does not work for a LOT of people!
~Richard

how is your lather? my worst shaves came with razors that i later got great shaves out of. turned out my lather sucked at first and did not provide what that blade needed to do it's job. kinda like being a quart low with the wrong oil in the car. there's oil, but it ain't enough or the right kind.

Newbie Update: It's been a month since my posting so I thought I would update folks with what has happened since. I invested in a set of Naniwa stones, watched videos and read online instructions about honing then jumped right in. I figured I could always send the razor back to have it rehoned by a professional if I failed to get it as sharp as I thought it should be.
After spending many late nights trying different techniques I finally have a very sharp T-I. I am not sure what happened to my original edge but I think I rolled it with my poor stropping technique. I believe I was putting way too much pressure on the blade when using my hanging Latigo. Dah, I know not too smart! Anyway, many thanks to those far more experienced and knowledgeable who make this fun and possible for the rest of us. PS> my girlfriend says I am having way too much fun shaving and playing with my straight razor!! lol

Good to hear you found a solution and a new skill in honing! For what it's worth, I feel the width of the blade has nothing to do with it. Although razors with different profiles will feel different, this is less of a variable that the grind, that is, a heavier grind (a wedge) will require a different technique than a full hollow, yet a full hollow 5/8 will shave very similar (in my experience) to a full hollow 6/8.

One thing I like about full hollows is you can hear them cutting hair, a wedge is silent...