Hey, newbie with questions

Hello. I have been looking around different straightrazor sites and came across this one. After reading some newbie posts i decided dive into the world of straight razors. Yesterday i orderd the following items from classicshaving.com.

http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...11/3874863.htm
http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...11/3874791.htm

I have some questions i was hoping someone in here could answer:

1) Is the razor shave-ready or does it need to be honed? Classicshaving is supposed to have some honing service, but im not sure if it needs further sharpening, which leads me to the next question.

2) How do you know when a blade is honed enough? How many strokes do you begin with? How do you feel when its enough? Is it possible to observe this in i a microscope or something?

You could call Classic to find out if it is shave ready. Nearly all
straights that are sold out of the factory are NOT shave ready
and need some degree of honing to get them there. The description
of your razor says pre-sharpened, so I don't know if that means
shave ready or not.

As for knowing when a razor is ready for shaving, there are several
tests that are done prior to shaving, such as the Thumb Nail Test (TNT),
Thumb Pad Test (TPT) and Hanging Hair Test (HHT). You should also
be able to shave arm hairs easily before moving to the shave. You can
do a search for each of these tests understand them better.

Finally, before you decide to break out that nice new hone you have, make sure you get that razor sharpened by a professional. Don't try
doing it yourself. Get a junker from ebay to practice with and get your
technique down. You'll also have something to compare it to with a
professionally honed razor. Welcome to SRP and good luck.

John

I agree with John. I would call Classic shaving and verify that the razor has not been honed after it left the factory. If not, I would buy their sharpening service. Lynn, the founder of this site, does the honing for Classic. This way, you'll have a benchmark for what a keen razor feels like. Then you can practice with some cheaper blades. Be patient and enjoy the process. :D

Jordan

Agreed! Call Classic. You will want a professionally honed razor before your first shave. Lynn is the best, so you can't go wrong.