I was hoping my new 7/8 Hart would be an exception and actually arrive shave ready.
I wasn't too surprised when it didn't turn out this way.

The blade was well oiled, except for the edge. One small spot of rust could be seen.
I'm sure this will take care of itself when I get the edge to a hone.
New stones, & strop are incoming...

It's not a race, but it sure would be nice to be at that next step.

I read on the Hart site that they tape all their spines before final honing. I'll do the same when my 4 & 8 k stones land.
The 12k I ended up with came from a US vs Japanese seller so it's been waiting to see some action for a few weeks.

My R41 DE did a superb job tonight - but in the end it was still a DE and slightly disappointing.