Thread: Is honing really necessary?

Hello all.

I've been reading some threads about razors becoming dull, but I haven't read any particular conclusion that can relate to what's going on with my razor.
As I said in my presentation thread, I was given a Dovo as a gift a few months ago. I bought a paddle strop and a red paste.
Until now the shaves were great. Since some weeks from now I began to feel the razor more and more difficult to shave properly. I need more passes to get off the remaining hair. Now I'm in a point that it's dull, it won't shave properly and it's painfull to try shaving with it. I'm very disappointed.
Before each shave, I strop gently between 30 to 60 passes in each side of the strop. I don't think it makes any difference now.
So, is it really necessary to get my razor honed every now and then? I can't afford it! I don't want to believe that! I've read in this very forum that there are some gentlemen that always kept their razors sharp only by stropping. That I want to believe.
This weekend I gave it a good stropping and I tested it by using it on my forearms. It just scratches the hair... it's worst than a kitchen knife!

Help!

Originally Posted by Leon

So, is it really necessary to get my razor honed every now and then? I can't afford it! I don't want to believe that! I've read in this very forum that there are some gentlemen that always kept their razors sharp only by stropping. That I want to believe.

Hi,

as with many aspects in life, everyone has a different view on things. From my (limited) experience, getting a few months of shaves out of stropping only is quite good, actually

Eventually, due to the flexibility of the strop the stropping action will round the edge of the razor and it therefore requires a quick touchup on a very fine hone to be back in business for the next months.

Such a hone must not be overly expensive, for example I got my Coticule over Ebay quite reasonably priced and many people here praise the different barber hones.

If I recall correctly, the gentlemen claiming to do with stropping alone used the diamond pasted strops from Tony Miller - these definitely are a different beast to the "normal" pasted strops.

Just my 2 cents,
-axel-

"I bought a paddle strop and a red paste." "Before each shave, I strop gently between 30 to 60 passes in each side of the strop."

Do you mean you are stropping on red paste every day? I don't think this is advisable. You will wear your blade very fast if you do. It may be the reason it is dull. Once a blade is sharp, it only needs touching up on paste every now and then, the rest should be done with the plain strop.

Nick

Hi,

I think it was honedright who can go for a year without honing, but he is the exception, rather than the norm.
Especially if you have 1 razor that you use daily or every other day, going for 2 or 3 months is not bad at all.

as to the paddle strops: it depends on which one you use. I had one on which the leather was mounted on a metal frame. after awhile, the edges of the leather started curling upwards, ruining my edge.

I bought a hanging strop from Tony Miller and haven't bothered with paddles anymore since then.
lots of people send their razors to someone to get them honed properly, every now and again. This is also one of the reasons most of us have multiple razors. that way they only have to get honed once a year or so.

If you have to watch your finances and are willing to spend some time, you can learn how to hone your razor yourself.
If you want to go this route, I'd advise you to buy a small coticule since that is all you need to maintain a razor in decent condition.

EDIT: stone is sold.

Bruno gave you some great advice. What I'd like to add is that you can extend the times between honings if you paste one side of your paddle with 0.5 micron chromium oxide. Do 5-10 strokes every 10 shaves and you'll be fine for a while. If you want to cheap out on hones and just maintain your one blade, get these puppies: http://w-u.com/wucatresults.htm?snum=26375 (the 4k and the 8k). You can even use them to hone up an antique or two, but it takes a lot of work compared to the Norton.

Originally Posted by nickyspaghetti

"I bought a paddle strop and a red paste." "Before each shave, I strop gently between 30 to 60 passes in each side of the strop."

Do you mean you are stropping on red paste every day? I don't think this is advisable. You will wear your blade very fast if you do. It may be the reason it is dull. Once a blade is sharp, it only needs touching up on paste every now and then, the rest should be done with the plain strop.

Nick

I did strop on red paste this weekend and then I stropped on the other side. I don't think if I strop several times in the leather side it will get better. I haven't seen any improvements. I'll continue to do it this week and if it remains dull, I'll have no option but to have it honed...

I think gawker used Spyderco slipstones when he started to maintain his own razor. They are a bit tricky to learn to use and the results are not what you'd get off a coticule, but they are dirt cheap as well.

Let me get this straight.... you received a new Dovo and never had it honed by anyone? You have just used the red paste?

If so then you have never experienced a razor sharp edge. The razors are not shave ready, by our standards, direct from the factory.

Send your razor out for a proper honing, get rid of the red paste and instead use a 0.5 micron chrome oxide pasted paddle strop for touch ups.

Hope this helps,

Keep us posted.... and get a hone to restore the edge when needed.

Don't take this the wrong way but you sound like the guy who buys his first car gets it new from the dealer with a full tank of gas and the next day runs out of gas and says gee you mean I need to buy gas for this thing. No razor maintains its sharpness indefinately. Eventually you are going to have to hone it. The amount of shaves you get will vary according to how often you use it, the characteristics of the razor itself, your beard, your technique, your stropping technique and if you use a pasted dtrop every now and then.

If your really strapped for cash my advice would be to buy a basic hone like the Norton combo and learn to use it yourself. There are cheaper alternatives out there. You could try pasted strops with diamond paste depending on how bad your razor is. There are also some cheaper stones out there too.