Thread: Do I need a hone?

Hello, I'm new to the forum. Really want to get into straight razor shaving so bought a cheaper vintage Dubl Duck Special #1 on eBay that was "shave ready" to try it out. Bought it from one of the two sellers that seem to sell the most so assumed it had a good edge. Bought a beautiful strop and used it first but when I went to put the razor to my face the first time I was surprised at how it really wasn't cutting, mostly skimming over the hair and just cutting a few. I realize I am new and I tried different angles and pressure but I figure this can't be how it is supposed to be. I tried the hanging hair test many times and only in one small spot a couple of times it seemed to grab, skimming the top of the arm hair produced nothing and even shaving the arm hair didn't even pick up all the hair i passed over. I've got some DE blades and did all those tests on them just to see the difference and that blade obviously passed all tests immediately. I've heard you can dull a blade with poor stropping but even though it was my first time I was very careful and watched videos of how to do it - can't imagine i did much if any damage from stropping. Should I have a reputable honemeister take a look at this blade? I was so intent on having everything in the best shape it could be for my "test" to see if i really like straight razor shaving but I've seen blades in my life sharper than this. It would be great if there were a honemeister locally (I'm in Miami) or if not I could send it away. This kind of check/maintenance hone I can't imagine would cost that much. All thoughts/recommendation welcome. Thanks!

A couple things. First, yes get it honed. What one person on eBay claims as shave ready may not really be shave ready. In order to learn to use it you need to be guaranteed that the edge is good. Second, getting used to using a straight can take a while. There is a different, or lack of, leverage that the handled razors you’ve used in the past had. It takes some getting used to. A lot of us would suggest not trying to complete a full shave from the start. Try getting used to it by shaving one side of your face and leave off there until next time. Little by little you do more and more. There’s a learning curve.

Hi, Miami. Welcome.
Slow down and do some reading here. Some beginner's tips on hones and recommendations are all here.
Find your way around. It's easy.
Search box at top-right for your perusal. Read all you can, learn all you want to.
If all else fails, Lots of us are here to help!

Hi, welcome to the forum.
It seems to me that there are several members from Miami here, and perhaps one will volunteer and come to your aid.
It could be many things or combinations. Clever you compared your straight against a DE blade. It sounds mostly like you need to get it honed.
Your varying angles may have missed the right one. If that razor is in good shape it will be a great shaver, with a proper edge of course.
USPS is pretty quick at getting a razor to and from being honed.

Have a member here hone that razor for you. You will know what a razor is suppose to feel and shave like. Care for your razor is a must if you want it to survive. There is a ton of info in our library on stropping, storage, oils and rust prevention. Welcome to the Forum.

Simple answer , no you don't need a hone. Do you need a properly honed one, yes. Then you need sometimes months before you can use one right, and stropping is the most important thing to maintenance, so you need a strop and know how to use, a properly honed razor, and experience. Plus an ability to listen to good advice. Tc

Welcome to SRP!
You have come to the right place. I know we have a few members in FL but I don't know who close they are to you. Look up the Members list, find someone close to you that has posted recently and send him a PM. OR, Just wait around and someone will come back to you from FL. We have a lot of good people that will be more than happy to give ya pointers and help with honing for a very low cost. Some will do it for free just to keep you learning properly for the first time.
As OCD said, It takes time to learn and do a little at a time, or jump right in and do your entire face. But I warn you, It might be uncomfortable. The saying is... at 100 shaves with a straight you are now starting to understand. At 200 shaves you will know that at 100 you didn't really know much. But don't get discouraged. It's a fun way to shave and with time you will get the best shaves you have ever gotten.

Stropping can wipe out an edge with one stroke if not done properly. That's why its recommended using a butter knife on a strop at first to learn and get the muscle memory going. Go slow and take your time in all these things. I know someone will get back to you soon.

Originally Posted by bmiami

Bought a beautiful strop and used it first but when I went to put the razor to my face the first time I was surprised at how it really wasn't cutting, mostly skimming over the hair and just cutting a few. I realize I am new and I tried different angles and pressure but I figure this can't be how it is supposed to be.
...
I've heard you can dull a blade with poor stropping but even though it was my first time I was very careful and watched videos of how to do it - can't imagine i did much if any damage from stropping.

im not saying the razor was not properly honed initially, but it could be your stropping. I can assure you that you can destroy a good honed razor with improper stropping. After 4 years i still think im just OK at stropping. Not good. For about 1-2 years i kept destroying my honed razor with stropping. Sometimes too much pressure, sometimes too much angle, sometimes just rushing to get the job done. One wrong stropping and your perfectly honed razor is destroyed.

The way i remedied this, was i learned to hone my razor. Then i realized that it wasnt the razor just not being honed, but my stropping destroying it. Then i spent a lot of time working on my stropping. Including getting a magnification loupe and looking at the edge before, during, and after each stropping. I noticed via stropping with the loupe how much i had to strop, when i destroyed the edge, etc. It took a long time to get comfortable in stropping. If you dont want to learn to hone a razor you can send it out to folks here to get it done, but you definitely need to master stropping though.

As I always say..honing doesn't end at the stone, it stops at the strop. It will either refine the edge, or destroy it.

It all in your hands now..