Thread: How long will an edge last??

if it has been addressed elsewhere please forgive me but i cant find it. how long will a properly honed, regularly stropped edge last on a strait? A month? three? six?

That's a tough question, kind of like answering "what does the color blue look like" to a blind person....ok...maybe not that bad.
It really varies, depends on your shave technique, stropping technique, what type and temper the steel is, edge geometry...humidity, type of beard and regularity of shaving. All sorts of things.
Some people get months out of their razors, even years, with just a touch up from time to time. Others are not so lucky.
so, the answer is....
It depends.


What sort of razor are you wondering about?

John P.

It was more of a rhetorical question atm as I am still waiting for delivery of my two (new to me) shavers purchased wed night. I have a gracie on the way from DBolger and a kit from kenrup also on its way. I was looking at it from the financial standpoint as i am not ready to begin honing on my own. I am relatively anal about blades in general. If it dont cut hair it aint sharp enough is my attitude with all knives. I also tend to care for my knives really well.

I find that my razors can develop a little pull after about a month and I often hone them simply because I find it takes more work to get a good shave in the morning. Sometimes I get an edge that is very toothy feeling and sharp and seems to last for a long time, like 2 months with no problem. Sometimes I blow an edge because someone will post something like "I've just discovered that honing with laundry soap on a strop will improve my edges" and ofcourse, I have to go and try it.

I also find that I can lose an edge by stropping too much, shaving at too high an angle, etc. and then I"m rehoning like in 2 weeks.

When I say "rehoning" I mean running the blade 6-10 strokes over a barber hone which many people call a "touch-up" and not really honing.

I do not really believe in the idea of getting a razor honed and shaving with it. I think everyone should feel compelled to learn how to hone from day 1 as a pre-requisite to straight shaving, but that is just me. I may be all alone in that feeling. I think getting a razor honed from a pro for comparison sake is important though.

Keep in mind I've given up all pretense of being an expert with these things. I just shave with them.

I agree with you afdavis. I sharpen my own knives and such using all manner of implements but this is a new species of cat for me and i dont believe i can just throw this thing on the 100 grit wheel to remove a defect lol. when these guys talk about 4k to 12k grits its beyond my practical skill set (or maybe its just in my own mind). I use extra fine diamond stones that do a da*n fine job on all manner of knives so I have an understanding of the process but none of the tools atm. i have a very heavy beard and wonder if that will shorten the time between touch ups. if so then i will be getting the requisite tools sooner than i had planned on. Either way its a fun process and fills time gaps.

Thanks for the info
Cameron

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Sometimes I blow an edge because someone will post something like "I've just discovered that honing with laundry soap on a strop will improve my edges" and ofcourse, I have to go and try it.

Funny you say such things lol. I once ruined a fantastic edge on grandpas triple blade folder because someone thought using sand on a piece of wood would sharpen it even better than an arkansas stone. Go figure huh? took some time on said stone to fix but i still have her and she is nicely sharpened

Yea, you'd be surprised what I've gone out in done in the name of a post on here.

You'll find that a thick beard plays havoc on edge life. You'll also find that shaving without prepping the beard will do the same.

In time you'll also discover, as I have, that edge life is the least important issue when you start shaving with a straight and know what your doing. The ability to recreate an edge is the prime strength of using this shaving method.

I think learning to hone should definatly be right up there with learning to strop. im gonna hone my first blade tomorrow morning. I like being self reliant and think knowing how to do it all yourself (even if your not perfect at it) is a valuable thing.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I find that my razors can develop a little pull after about a month and I often hone them simply because I find it takes more work to get a good shave in the morning. Sometimes I get an edge that is very toothy feeling and sharp and seems to last for a long time, like 2 months with no problem. Sometimes I blow an edge because someone will post something like "I've just discovered that honing with laundry soap on a strop will improve my edges" and ofcourse, I have to go and try it.

I also find that I can lose an edge by stropping too much, shaving at too high an angle, etc. and then I"m rehoning like in 2 weeks.

When I say "rehoning" I mean running the blade 6-10 strokes over a barber hone which many people call a "touch-up" and not really honing.

I do not really believe in the idea of getting a razor honed and shaving with it. I think everyone should feel compelled to learn how to hone from day 1 as a pre-requisite to straight shaving, but that is just me. I may be all alone in that feeling. I think getting a razor honed from a pro for comparison sake is important though.

Keep in mind I've given up all pretense of being an expert with these things. I just shave with them.

+1.
I had to suffer through Pakistani razors scraped over a knife hone....so should everyone else!....


Seriously though, it is a great way to learn. Get one that's ready and one that's not, make the one that's "not" into a good shaver.

John P.