Thread: "Shave Ready" ... Yeah, Right.

I've bought 5 straight razors so far yet have never used one because none of them is ready to shave.

1. Dovo 5/8, guy in shop told me it's shave ready but I learned on here that it is not
2. eBAY Grelot, sent off to a member here for honing as it was dull and I dont know what stones I need to hone it
3. "shave ready" from a "respected" German ebay seller. It can pull a hair donated for the purpose by my wife up in the air as high as you can lift the razor, but will not cut it
4. "shave ready" from a member here, listed as such in the ad in the classified section. I can get the razor to cut the hair if my wife holds the hair with both hands and I make a forth and back motion with the razor as you do when using a saw
5. a "New" razor from the bay. At least this time I knew in advance it would be dull.

How do they shave?

None of the razors I shave with can cut my wife's hair with ease

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

How do they shave?

I dont want to try shavig with a dull blade as I have read repeatedly on here that that's a recipe for disaster. I've not used any of these.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

None of the razors I shave with can cut my wife's hair with ease

Wouldnt that suggest that they arent very sharp, then, and that you get a less than perfect shave from these?

If you bought a shave ready razor from a member here, then I expect that it was indeed shave ready. If not, PM him and discuss it in private - I have yet to see a member not willing to try and make it right.

As for anything bought in a store or on ebay, I always expect it to have a bevel, but other than that, dull as a butter knife.

Also, are you stropping? What else are you doing? A little more info could help us in your quest for a shave ready blade.

Mark

Originally Posted by Cornelius

Wouldnt that suggest that they arent very sharp, then, and that you get a less than perfect shave from these?

Not really. I want to shave my own beard, not split my wife's head hair. My razors pass the shave test every morning I use them - just try and see. You don't have to shave your whole face, just start down your cheek and see if the razor is taking hair off comfortably and effortlessly. If not, put it down and try another.

The ones that grab and tug like mad need to be honed (or rehoned)

Stropping may help as Milton Man inquired about

At the MN get-together, Randy honed a razor and easily cut arm hairs with the finished razor. I tried to do the same thing with the razor and it didn't cut a single hair. Some of my finished razors pop hairs and a lot don't. I'd prefer that they all did but the shave is all that matters.

I just caved in and bought a shave ready razor on ebay recently. It popped hairs surprisingly well so I wanted to see what it looked like under the microscope. I was shocked. The edge was trashed. Some parts had a bevel and some had none. Some regions seemed polished but most did not. Some parts had a secondary bevel and some did not. There was not any correlation between regions that had a bevel, polish, and secondary bevel. Most of the edge had small nicks in it. The blade easily popped hairs but the edge was butchered. The shave was awful.

The moral: Don't rely exclusively on the HHT. It's a tool, not a final verdict.

Originally Posted by Milton Man

If you bought a shave ready razor from a member here, then I expect that it was indeed shave ready. If not, PM him and discuss it in private - I have yet to see a member not willing to try and make it right.

What if he doesnt get it right? I dont feel like sending that razor over the pond repeatedly. I'll buy hones and eventually I'll get it right. But it is disappointing as I bought this razor in order to have a reference point as to how sharp my razors should be after honing and stropping.

Originally Posted by Milton Man

Also, are you stropping? What else are you doing? A little more info could help us in your quest for a shave ready blade.

I'm not stropping, still waiting for Tony to get back to me with a PP invoice for a 3" strop. I've got this paddle and 2 pastes and 5 dull blades, with a 6th on the way. I need to hone these first, but I'm confused as to what hones I need. I think I'll just get a Diamond plate, Norton 4/8, Sharpton 16k and a microscope and take it from there.

+1 on what Utopian said. In my early days of honing I got fine shaves out of razors that didn't pass the HHT. I can get them up to HHT now but if they pop arm hair I know they will shave. Take a new DE blade and get the feel of the TPT and then check your razors with that as well. You may have some there adequate to give a good shave. That is the ultimate test.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Don't rely exclusively on the HHT. It's a tool, not a final verdict.

Agreed: the razor passing the HHT will not mean that it necessarily shaves well.

However, the razor not passing the HHT must mean that there is something not 100% right with it. Or if it doesnt like you and others suggest, then I fail to see the point of the test?

I think the bottom line, as others have said, the hanging hair test, is not a good test to asses "shave readiness". Also, do not use your wife's hair for so many HHTs, you do not want to end up with a bald wife ;-). Give your razors a try and most likely, you will be surprised with the amazing results. And if you are not, follow the other options given by others.

Al raz.