Thread: Benchmarking

So you have bought yourself a straight razor and entered the world of wet shaving! Sweet! You have made a large leap. But inevitably, as with all things sharp, there comes a point where they become dull. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your mindset), said dulling comes quicker for the new straight razor user than the seasoned user due to a variety of reasons really, namely; poor angles when shaving, poor stropping technique, etc., etc.

Hence, learning how to hone or maintain an edge should be as paramount to the beginning straight razor user as shaving itself. And this is where being a member of SRP really shines!! Where the internet really shines! But I got to tell you something you’re not going to like hearing… short of the SRP wiki, a bit of what you read here is malarkey!! 95% of what you read on the net is absolute malarkey! Even this is malarkey!!

Now before you get all defensive about your sources of knowledge, let me explain. There is what I call a certain amount of voodoo in blade maintenance and honing – you’ll discover it soon enough. What works for one, doesn’t always work for another. This is because it is VERY hard if not impossible to account for all the variables. Everything is a guideline. I mean if you tell me you are only applying light pressure… well what does that mean exactly?

More importantly – we are a forum of gentlemen. Hence, when you say something is working for you, who am I to say you are lying? I mean seriously, if you tell me that you are doing 100 laps on a brick with diamond paste before every shave and that its working for you… who am I to say you are lying? Of course sometimes guys are called out on their technique, and then things get really fun!

Inevitably, brick/diamond man will produce a picture under 400x magnification showing how smooth his blade is etc, etc. This in turn will have many who “chase the edge,” guys like me, buying said paste, scouring their back yards for a decent brick, and going hog wild… only to suffer the worst razor burn ever! Of course, I’ll blame the brick and keep looking… ultimately, wasting my time lol.

You may be more skeptical, but many of us aren’t, and I like many… am that sucker they talk about that is born every day. I have done it! Often! And ultimately I became dejected as would anyone - especially if you just blew their entire honing budget on it! Many of us are looking for shortcuts. Shortcuts are great! But shortcuts like in anything, can only exist for those who know what they are doing first. Just ask Columbus lol!!

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Ok so if everything is malarkey including this, why should you even read any further? Why have you read this far?? Well, hopefully because of two things. One, the truth is right there in front of your face, it’s just not as sexy as a magic natural hone or a magic paste. You'll see. And Two, you can speed up the process to where you can discover your magic hone or paste for yourself, because it’s out there waiting for you!! But you have to create a system or what I call a benchmark in order to find it! Only a very few of us get as lucky as… Columbus lol.

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Ok so what’s benchmarking? According to Bing, it’s, “a standard against which something can be measured or assessed”


The best benchmark I have ever seen or read - something I refer to often is here:
Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Library

Seriously - allot of thought has gone into this - read it often!!

I have and I do, competent in what I do for me to get a close comfortable shave.
I am however far from done in learning or improving. I test, I play, I compare and do it again.
This place has been a wealth of knowledge to teach and inspire me.
Over three years in if you count my time with a shavette and without SRP and my journey has only just begun.

Thanks for the reminder

hey, how about the cliffnotes to that novel you posted, and if you could please summarize those Library FAQs to say 20 words.

much appreciated!

kthxbai

Originally Posted by earcutter

Seriously - allot of thought has gone into this - read it often!!

Well said Earcutter!!! I couldn't agree more with the entirety of your article but I really like that last line. I have been shaving with a SR for a very long time and although I have only been with the forum for a short while, I find something new and interesting every time I look back through the Library. It has gotten to the point where I captured most of the pdf articles and put them on my kindle as I travel a lot and it gives me something to peruse when I am without internet and seeking entertainment. Knowledge is power and everything that is needed to be successful in this sport is contained in that Library. My hat is off to everyone that has contributed to and maintained this wealth of information.

earcutter, despite the fact that your excellent post reads and rings true at first I thought I was reading one of those dreaded TV commercials where they promise you Nirvana, free, no cost, eternal joy and take twenty minutes to get you to submit your credit card number for shipping and handling.

All kidding aside, damn good read, and to the point. Summary: Listen to me, don't listen to me. Do as I do, or don't. If we were all alike it would be boring. But above all share and share alike our knowledge without rancor and emotion and remember, above all YMMV.

Originally Posted by gugi

hey, how about the cliffnotes to that novel you posted, and if you could please summarize those Library FAQs to say 20 words.

much appreciated!

kthxbai

Cliff notes:

Don't get excited and listen to what 90% of us are saying as we experiment if you are just starting out and feel a bit overwhelmed!

If you don't know who to believe, believe no one (Especially gugi! - He's always looking for shortcuts!), and start at the link provided.

Once you got that down, and know what you're doing, start trying new things! Banter with gugi! Look for exotic things to make things quicker.

Originally Posted by badg3r

My hat is off to everyone that has contributed to and maintained this wealth of information.

Let's do one better and drag them out of the semi-anonymity:



Look ma, I made it to the second tier

Originally Posted by gugi

Let's do one better and drag them out of the semi-anonymity:



Look ma, I made it to the second tier

That's awesome!! To all those gentlemen - thank you!

The 12 disciples !!

Well said, Dave! A post like this it begging to be made every month or two.

@gugi,
Nice job. There should be a stat for edited posts. I'd rank somewhere in the top of the table. lol

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

All kidding aside, damn good read, and to the point. Summary: Listen to me, don't listen to me. Do as I do, or don't. If we were all alike it would be boring. But above all share and share alike our knowledge without rancor and emotion and remember, above all YMMV.

In other words, all paths are different, but the destination remains the same.