Thread: How many shaves before honing is needed?

Okay, a comment in another thread sparked this question. How many shaves, generally speaking, can one go through before the blade needs to be touched up on linen or pasted strops? How many before it needs to be honed? And as a side note, can one go for long with leather only or does the hone or linen or pasted strop actually become necessary?

How many licks to the center of a tootsie pop? Hard to say as there are a lot of factors that effect longevity of an edge. I typically get between 60 and 120 shaves before I need to touch up the edge.

Originally Posted by JMS

How many licks to the center of a tootsie pop? Hard to say as there are a lot of factors that effect longevity of an edge. I typically get between 60 and 120 shaves before I need to touch up the edge.

Damn! I'm lucky to get 30 shaves before I have to touch mine up; however, I'll safely assume that's one of the downsides of being a newbie.

Originally Posted by jmueller8

Damn! I'm lucky to get 30 shaves before I have to touch mine up; however, I'll safely assume that's one of the downsides of being a newbie.

As you become more proficient in stropping you will find your edges will last longer. There are guys on this sight that get more than a year on an edge!

Originally Posted by JMS

How many licks to the center of a tootsie pop? Hard to say as there are a lot of factors that effect longevity of an edge. I typically get between 60 and 120 shaves before I need to touch up the edge.

And I touch up my edge after 6-7 shaves. Go figure.

Originally Posted by JMS

As you become more proficient in stropping you will find your edges will last longer. There are guys on this sight that get more than a year on an edge!

Does the type of blade they use matter much? Both of mine are carbon steel. Do the stainless steel blades hold their edges longer or is it merely a matter of "proper" use versus honing?

DevilBlade; thanks for posting this question!

Originally Posted by jmueller8

Does the type of blade they use matter much? Both of mine are carbon steel. Do the stainless steel blades hold their edges longer or is it merely a matter of "proper" use versus honing?

DevilBlade; thanks for posting this question!

I never used a stainless blade but I think, all things considered, it has a lot to do with proper use and proper stropping and I imagine the initial honing must be proper also, which comes with practice and experience! If you think about it too much it makes your head hurt and makes learning difficult, on the other hand, if you jump into it thoughtlessly without a vague idea of where you wish to end up then this will also make your learning tough!
I had no teacher except a little old barber who spent an hour with me showing me things. he sort of set the path for me without crowding my mind with tons of details. He left me to teach myself but gave me a vague idea of the parameters I should work within. It allowed me to be free to learn as I pleased and saw fit within a certain framework that he helped form in my mind.

I use the linen strop before every shave. Each of my razors gets used one day a week, I honed them all about a year ago and they are still good to go. That works out to about 50 shaves each so far.

The "general rule" as mentioned before is between 2 to 3 months (about 60 to 90) shaves. Beard type, stropping technique, pressure used, type (steel type and grind) and and beard preparation would definitely change these numbers. I have been successful at avoiding honing by using diamond spray coated on a strop when my blades feel a bit off.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by JMS

There are guys on this sight that get more than a year on an edge!

And there is a guy on another site who gets more than 50 shaves before stropping! Yes, a very special razor, as far as we know, but that's a whole other story....