OK guys in an effort to bring this topic back on course (as I feel it may be risking verging slightly off-course) I shall repost the original post. I shall do so taking out what was spoken of, I shall put in what we discussed and I shall re-organize the layout and format. I shall also start a new thread which it seems has sprung up immediately as an offshoot of this one- one about Vendors. After this I shall give a brief summary of what changes have been made and why they were made. I shall try my *very best* to summarize what has been said so far. THIS IS BY NO MEANS A FINAL DRAFT and I still welcome comments. So without further ado.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ: 'SHAVE READY' RAZORS- an explanation
There seems to be a lot of confusion on what shave ready means to dealers, and what a truly shave ready razor means to an experienced shaver. Shave ready according to a dealer (generally concerning new razors) are razors that have been mechanically sharpened (generally on a waterstone type wheel) and then hand honed on a stone of some sort.
So if it is brand new and says "shave ready" why isn’t it REALLY shave ready??
The reason for this is most probably due to the cost of the man hours required to make a razor truly shave ready for our purposes. The cost of workmanship would drive the razor prices up and prevent a company from being as competitive in the marketplace with another company that does not spend this time and energy on finishing, and yet can still call their razors shave ready. These razors are sharp of course, and you could shave with them, so don’t think that you are getting ripped off or lied too.
The difference between a factory shave ready razor and a razor that has been honed by an expert is the experience level, time, techniques as well as equipment spent honing. The fact that their honing is done by hand with no machine grinding makes a VERY large difference in the final edge, and of course the closer detail to the edge that can be observed while hand honing.
The shave from an expertly honed razor will be a much more comfortable, close, and smooth shave than a factory sharpened TI, DOVO, or what have you. This means little or no pulling of your facial hair and less razor burn, as well as a marker for the time when you yourself start honing.
How to get a truly shave ready Razor
If you buy a razor from Classic Shaving they offer honing services via Lynn Abrams which really makes it convenient to get a brand new shave ready razor that will make your learning curve easier. Straight Razor Place also has a Buy/Sell/Trade forum where it is possible to buy a used and/or refurbished razor that has also been hand honed and is truly shave ready. This will allow the new shaver to get a quality straight razor that is really ready to shave with. This option generally cost less money than a factory new razor which is not really shave ready according to our high standards.
So what’s the big deal?
The bottom line is, at least for your first razor whether new or used, make sure it is truly shave ready by having it hand honed by an expert, this can make or break your shaving experience and WILL show you what sharp truly means. We have seen many new users give up on straight razor shaving because they tried to start with a razor that wasnt really shave ready resulting in painful and inadequate shaves.
OTHER QUESTIONS: