How long does it take to get your razor honed?

Hi guys,

Last month (on February 16th) I bought a Thiers-Issard straight from classicshaving.com. I took advantage of their honing service, and specified that I'd like to have them send my razor to their honemeister directly to be honed.

Well, a week or so later I received the other thing I'd ordered from them (Lynn Abrams' DVD), and since I also had gotten e-mail confirmation that they sent out my order, I had no reason to assume that they'd done anything but send my razor on to be honed.

Well, I haven't received my razor yet. This actually isn't too big a deal, because I'm waiting on a scuttle that probably won't get here for another week or more, but I'm starting to be concerned that maybe something got lost along the way. A month is a long time...

But, I'm a newbie, so I have no idea how long honing normally takes. Is it normal that it should take so long?

Thanks in advance for your help...

That isn't too unusual. People with honing skill in straights get backed up easily. Classic has a history of shipping things out slowly too. I love Classicshaving, don't get me wrong, and over the last year they have been very, very fast, but Lynn may not have received it immediately.

I'd give them another few days and then contact them. I'd say a month is a good basis for the day you should call and ask Classic to check on it.

Being in Alaska might have a bit to do with the delay too. Usually its about 3 weeks.

I had a TI ordered from classicshaving for almost 3 weeks. Lynn got it to me yesterday...so hope this helps. You could send an email to classicshaving, they responded to mine quickly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpinak

Hi guys,

Last month (on February 16th) I bought a Thiers-Issard straight from classicshaving.com. I took advantage of their honing service, and specified that I'd like to have them send my razor to their honemeister directly to be honed.

Well, a week or so later I received the other thing I'd ordered from them (Lynn Abrams' DVD), and since I also had gotten e-mail confirmation that they sent out my order, I had no reason to assume that they'd done anything but send my razor on to be honed.

Well, I haven't received my razor yet. This actually isn't too big a deal, because I'm waiting on a scuttle that probably won't get here for another week or more, but I'm starting to be concerned that maybe something got lost along the way. A month is a long time...

But, I'm a newbie, so I have no idea how long honing normally takes. Is it normal that it should take so long?

Thanks in advance for your help...

---

I'm going to apologize up front on this one but I hate this kind of stuff and particularly this kind of thread. As if the group will help me hone razors faster. Or if publically indicating that this is the worst problem on the face the earth and you are being taken advantage of and that you need help from here. This kind of post is BS and not sporting in any fashion. It takes on average three days to get from Classic to me. It can take me over a week to get to one if I am travelling for work or backed up a little. Not every razor hones up immediately. Then it takes at least three days to get one back from me, so it can easily be a 2-3 week process and sometimes unfortunately a little longer. Sometimes I may even wait a day or two and take 20 or 30 to the post office vs. making 2 trips. As a matter of fact, 30 to the post office in the morning. Dude, I understand RAD and being anxious as much as anyone, but if you want a razor back immediately or you can't PM me with a question rather than this kind of thread, please send your razors to another honemeister. I'm a fan of great service as much as the next guy, but honing razors is not an exact science. My goal is to get every razor I get in back out the door within 7 days unless it's one that needs full edge restoration. I do the best I can always.

Have fun,

Lynn

It might be a good idea for Classic and others who offer honing service on razor sales to set the standard with the customer. Maybe have a disclaimer on the website when selecting the honing option stating an estimated timeframe. For those who don't understand the time and effort that goes into honing a razor, they may expect a perfectly sharp straight within 2 weeks.

However, it is in poor taste to make such a post in a forum ran by the person currently honing your razor....

I think we should cut the guy a newbie break and give him a bit of slack. I'd hate to see him run off the board.

I don't recall last year when I had Classic send a TI to Lynn (I was perfectly satisfied with the entire transaction) if they posted a timeframe, but if they don't, they should. I think newbies DO have inexperienced expectations; we're not ordering a pre-packaged mass produced product here, we're ordering a skilled service from someone that is in extremely high demand. New people just don't understand this. No one freaks at the fact that hand thrown scuttles take weeks to a month + to get to their door, and I consider quality honing to be an artisan skill as well.

I will agree, as an objective person, I can only view this person's post as meant either purposefully or even passively to illicit a response from Lynn which is IMO simply not appropriate when he or others in the future should contact the service provider or vendor first regardless of who the service provider/vendor is.

My 2 Cents.

Chris L

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lynn

I'm going to apologize up front on this one but I hate this kind of stuff and particularly this kind of thread. As if the group will help me hone razors faster. Or if publically indicating that this is the worst problem on the face the earth and you are being taken advantage of and that you need help from here. This kind of post is BS and not sporting in any fashion. It takes on average three days to get from Classic to me. It can take me over a week to get to one if I am travelling for work or backed up a little. Not every razor hones up immediately. Then it takes at least three days to get one back from me, so it can easily be a 2-3 week process and sometimes unfortunately a little longer. Sometimes I may even wait a day or two and take 20 or 30 to the post office vs. making 2 trips. As a matter of fact, 30 to the post office in the morning. Dude, I understand RAD and being anxious as much as anyone, but if you want a razor back immediately or you can't PM me with a question rather than this kind of thread, please send your razors to another honemeister. I'm a fan of great service as much as the next guy, but honing razors is not an exact science. My goal is to get every razor I get in back out the door within 7 days unless it's one that needs full edge restoration. I do the best I can always.

Have fun,

Lynn

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Lynn,

First of all, let me apologize if I've offended you. As I said in my original post, I'm not in a hurry to get my razor, and I really hoped to emphasize as much. Even if you got me the razor tomorrow, I would not be able to use it yet. I'm not in a hurry and I have absolutely no intention of rushing you.

I was more concerned that it might have gotten lost.

As for not private messaging you, again, let me apologize. There are two reasons I did not. The main reason is that I did not know that you were the honemeister in question -- it seems everyone else knew that, so now I feel like a dick. But I am a newbie... so I'm sorry about that.

The other reason is that I don't actually know how to PM people :( I don't spend much time on these sorts of forums.

I hope you'll forgive my faux pas. I really appreciate the service you provide and would happily wait 3 months for it if people told me that were the norm.

I feel really stupid right now...

So is this how new folks are treated here? The man asked a legitimate question, wondering if he should be concerned that perhaps his razor was lost in shipping, etc . . . Were I in his situation, I would wonder the same thing. Should I be concerned? Is it possible that my razor (being new, perhaps his only or one of a few) was lost in the post? Was it, perhaps, misplaced by someone along the way?

I don't think Atpinak is the one that owes an apology. He is owed one by a few of you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpinak

Lynn,

First of all, let me apologize if I've offended you. As I said in my original post, I'm not in a hurry to get my razor, and I really hoped to emphasize as much. Even if you got me the razor tomorrow, I would not be able to use it yet. I'm not in a hurry and I have absolutely no intention of rushing you.

I was more concerned that it might have gotten lost.

As for not private messaging you, again, let me apologize. There are two reasons I did not. The main reason is that I did not know that you were the honemeister in question -- it seems everyone else knew that, so now I feel like a dick. But I am a newbie... so I'm sorry about that.

The other reason is that I don't actually know how to PM people :( I don't spend much time on these sorts of forums.

I hope you'll forgive my faux pas. I really appreciate the service you provide and would happily wait 3 months for it if people told me that were the norm.

I feel really stupid right now...

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Hey Atpinak, as I mentioned in my post, I gave/give you the benefit of the doubt. I stand by that and welcome you to the forum. I may have made some incorrect assumptions.

The main reason I purchased my TI last year from Classic Shaving is for the very fact that they mention on their site regarding their honing service:

"Have your straight razor Professionally Hand-Honed

ClassicShaving.com can now offer honing and sharpening service for New and Used straight razors regardless of brand, size, age, when, or where purchased. We are proud to have retained the exclusive services of Mr. Lynn Abrams, known far and wide as the "Honemeister" for his ability to produce the finest shaving edge possible on virtually any razor. His many years of experience in sharpening hundreds of brands and styles of razors makes him one of the world's most knowledgable craftsman of the kind. If he can't get it sharp it can't get sharp!"


Chris L

It's very true, a newbie may not know what is involved in the process and may not expect their razor to be out for such time. As stated before, it would be a good idea for Classic to plainly post an estimated timeframe when selecting the pre-honed option.

Also, TroutBum, I do have to say that I am a new member as well, and this has not been the norm so far. New folks are typically greeted with a welcome and answers to questions. Unfortunately, I think this is simply a post taken the wrong way.

Don't run off, atpinak. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cwrighta70

Don't run off, atpinak. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum.

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Agreed on both counts.

Chris L

I am not sure if they recently added this or not but this is whats posted in red on their razor sharpening page.

Since our sharpening shop is not located with our shipping center we will be shipping the razor from California to the Ohio Sharpening service. Therefore, please add an additional week onto the expected delivery of your sharpened razor. A new razor and sharpening service for this razor may now be placed on the same order. Please no express deliveries.

That's good. I still think it leaves room for misunderstanding on the customer's side. If they are expecting normal delivery without the honing to take a week or less, adding a week still won't amount to the average time. Maybe something like "Please expect a total delivery time of 3 weeks" or whatever...

The other reason is that I don't actually know how to PM people :( I don't spend much time on these sorts of forums.


First welcome to the board. Since no one else has answered the unasked question, to PM some one simply click on there name at the top of there post., this will give you some options including PMing. Also to know more about the the member click on there avatar and you will see their profile.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpinak

Hi guys,

Last month (on February 16th) I bought a Thiers-Issard straight from classicshaving.com. I took advantage of their honing service, and specified that I'd like to have them send my razor to their honemeister directly to be honed.

Well, a week or so later I received the other thing I'd ordered from them (Lynn Abrams' DVD), and since I also had gotten e-mail confirmation that they sent out my order, I had no reason to assume that they'd done anything but send my razor on to be honed.

Well, I haven't received my razor yet. This actually isn't too big a deal, because I'm waiting on a scuttle that probably won't get here for another week or more, but I'm starting to be concerned that maybe something got lost along the way. A month is a long time...

But, I'm a newbie, so I have no idea how long honing normally takes. Is it normal that it should take so long?

Thanks in advance for your help...

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These sentences sum it all up nicely. The guy was worried, not pissed and trying to make a scene. Most people are used to sharpening knives, which takes all of 5 minutes. With any other product, we would all be worried about getting one part of it but not the other within a month. Hell, he ordered a TI- I'd be worried straight into hives if I thought something that expensive got lost in the mail. That'll teach him to ask us for guidance:roflmao

Wow seemed like a legitimate question to me, there were no accusations of wrong doing just a simple question asking what the norm is...

Anyways welcome to the board, this really is a good bunch of people so feel free to continue to ask questions.

Chief

I too think there was some harshness toward a newb, myself being recently one.
I got one of the "newbie" kits on here, and was getting a little worried when I still didn't have it over a month later.. Now I have it and everything's great, I guess we all get a little anxious with the idea that on the internet we can buy things "instantly", so we kind of expect to be able to "download" whatever we're buying. I work on classic cars and usually I can order parts and have them in 2-3 days, so it is an adjustment. I recognize that there's the craftsman's skill involved, but it does take some getting used to.

Sorry guys, but when you order something from Macy's and you have a concern, you contact Macy's first and not the New York Times.

On the other hand, there really should not be any guarantees on time limits when it comes to honing. Every razor is its own spirit and there will always be a razor that will be the dickens to get sharp. Any honemeister who can guarantee they can hone any razor in a given day, every time is a better man than me.

Newbie or not, we owe every vendor and member a common courtesy and calling them out on a forum is not the way in my mind. Sorry. I have spent the last 10 years helping to build up this environment from where you could not even find information about straight razors on the web and have done everything I can to promote and grow our population. I find this kind of post personally offensive when I am trying to make sure I get every razor honed properly and out to you guys as quick as I can. I have honed hundreds of razors free for those who can't afford honing and continue to do so. As I said earlier, I have been there and understand the anticipation. Classic calls me daily to check the status on razors when they get called by a customer and I get direct PM's, emails and calls all the time.

Have fun,

Lynn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lynn

Sorry guys, but when you order something from Macy's and you have a concern, you contact Macy's first and not the New York Times.

On the other hand, there really should not be any guarantees on time limits when it comes to honing. Every razor is its own spirit and there will always be a razor that will be the dickens to get sharp. Any honemeister who can guarantee they can hone any razor in a given day, every time is a better man than me.

Newbie or not, we owe every vendor and member a common courtesy and calling them out on a forum is not the way in my mind. Sorry. I have spent the last 10 years helping to build up this environment from where you could not even find information about straight razors on the web and have done everything I can to promote and grow our population. I find this kind of post personally offensive when I am trying to make sure I get every razor honed properly and out to you guys as quick as I can. I have honed hundreds of razors free for those who can't afford honing and continue to do so. As I said earlier, I have been there and understand the anticipation. Classic calls me daily to check the status on razors when they get called by a customer and I get direct PM's, emails and calls all the time.

Have fun,

Lynn

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I agree, it may have been in poor taste to specifically call out a vendor by name, but I am also of the opinion that his question, which came out of simple concern for his the insurance of his razor, was valid. I, for one, had no idea about time for honing service until I read this thread.

I hope you realize how monumental this forum has been, by the way. Being able to ask questions, even like this one, allows for a huge transmission of knowledge of an art that seems like it had almost been lost. Huge props for that my friend :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skiblur

I hope you realize how monumental this forum has been, by the way. Being able to ask questions, even like this one, allows for a huge transmission of knowledge of an art that seems like it had almost been lost. Huge props for that my friend :)

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No kidding! This is, by far, one of the best and most respectable communities I've come across. I'm a member on a number of other forums, and it's no comparison. Members of SRP are extremely respectful, helpful, and simply fun. I like to think of it as a "Gentlemen's Club" (and no, not THAT kind of Gentleman's Club!!)

I think the point has been missed- he wasn't calling anyone out. He didn't know you were the honemeister in question. All he knew was that he bought a couple items, half showed up and half did not. His post was out of genuine concern, not enmity.

One of the main points here is that he is new to straights, as well as this community. We've all ordered things from online vendors and had them give us time frames for delivery. I think everyone here will agree that if we know someone that has ordered from the same vendor, we'll ask how fast they got their merchandise as a better indicator. Simply put, he was trying to utilize this great community we have for what we do best: information.

I'm not trying to incite anything here. I think there has been a grave misunderstanding and am simply trying to keep a new member from getting beat down because he is simply that, a new member.

Everyone,

I'd just like to take a moment to apologize to Lynn for the way I worded my post and for not having the good sense to PM him.

A lot of you have been very supportive of me in this thread, and I want you all to know that I really appreciate that -- I have no intention of running off because of this experience. But more than that, I am disappointed with myself for creating a situation where any of us feels the need to take sides at all. As a few others have mentioned, Lynn has created and nurtured a valuable resource here and none of us would know as much as we do about straight razor shaving if it weren't for him.

The other day at work I was called out in front of everyone for something that wasn't my fault, and I felt terrible because of it. The guy who did it wasn't really being a malicious asshole, but in the moment it sure felt like it, and it took a good while before I felt comfortable chatting with him amicably by the proverbial water cooler. I kept asking myself, why didn't he take me aside and say what he wanted to say, so that I could clear up the misunderstanding for him? I feel like this situation is pretty analogous, except here, I'm the one who was uncool. So I just want to say, Lynn, for what it's worth, I understand how what I said was shitty and don't make any excuses for myself. Even as someone new to the community, I should have been more sensitive, and I hope you won't see my name on the forums and think, "There's that atpinak guy, what a jerk he is!"

To the people who suggested encouraging classicshaving and other vendors to let people know that getting your razor hand-honed is an artisan service and may take a month or more, I would say that I think that's a great idea.

Then again, looking back at classicshaving.com, they clearly say that their razors are honed by Lynn, and as someone else pointed out they also clearly say that razors must be sent from California to Ohio, etc, so adding an extra bit of boilerplate might not help people who, like me, just weren't paying attention.

And I have no one but myself to blame for that.

So again, Lynn, I'm sorry about what I said and I understand why you were ticked off. I would have felt the same way in your shoes.

Best,

Alexander

PS. Chander, thanks for letting me know how to PM people.

Good on ya Alexander, that was a very cool thing you just did my friend. You were probably super excited about your razor and didnt catch the blurb about being sent off to be honed, its understandable. I applaud you for coming back and making a nice post about your feelings, this is a great forum with tons of great people and I think you will be a nice addition. Welcome! As for Lynn, he is a top notch guy and a top notch honemeister, I would gladly wait a month or 2 for his services.

Billy

Very cool, Alexander. Thanks for your last post. I think we've all learned something from it.

Chris L

When I ordered my razor from Clasicshaving, I also wondered on the time frame. I contacted Classicashaving, and they informed me that the razor had been sent to Lynn. I was more than happy with the service I had received, and all it took was a simple email to the vendor to just check the status. I only wanted to know if it was shipped to Lynn for servicing.

I was just happy that Classicshaving offered Lynn's services and I didn't have to worry about receiving a non-shave ready razor and sending it back out to get honed.

Welcome atpinak, and may all your shaving experiences be smooth. I'm sure that once you receive your razor from Lynn, you will not be disappointed.

i do believe lynn that he mentioned your name because of the respect he probably heard from others on this forum not to personally make anything of it when i purchase my new ti it will come to you and i know that it takes a while but i wouldnt send it anywhere else so i could judge a standard of sharpness on the blade for future honings i will do myself
john