Thread: Spyderco and Frustration

I have a fine and ultrafine spyderco hone. Has anyone else used them? I also have a 800 DMT. I've used these in progression and after stropping (60-80 on linen and 40-50 on leather) my Alwin will pass the HHT but shaves terrible. It's frustrating me.

My Dovo has only ever seen the fine and ultrafine as well as the leather. It shaves good, but fails the HHT. I'm frustrated. The thing is, I can't keep a good edge on this thing unless it's been on the ultrafine hone recently. Then the leather...

I'm a facts kinda guy and I like things to have a pass/fail system.

I've only been shaving with a straight since last month, but I can't seem to keep a good edge on my straights. One day its good, the next, not so much. I've got a couple good deals ( I hope! ) on ebay...erik antonberg, a wester, and a wade and butcher among them. ALthough they haven't arrived yet, I plan on sending them to a honemeister....

Then I read another thread about non-shave ready being sold as shave ready and some who hone, but don't indeed provide shave-ready? I don't really want to waste time and money and not get shave-ready razors back.

So...

1) I either need to have someone reliable sharpen for me

2) Figure out how to consistently keep my edge sharp

3) Or go back to that awful mach 3 my wife keeps reminding me about!


Help!

1. the HHT is a parlor trick, not a good test of sharpness. my worst razor will pass the HHT off a 325 grit DMT. my best razor will fail it even in peak shaving fitness.
2. if the razor starts sharp and gets progressively duller between shaves, that quickly, i would think your stropping may be suspect
3. a fine and uf spyderco are good, but neither will be able to set the bevel, they are too fine for that. having a good bevel (which not all dovos have, from the factory) is essential to having a sharp and durable razor.

follow the links in my sig for more info about setting a bevel.

Originally Posted by FarNorthAK

I have a fine and ultrafine spyderco hone. Has anyone else used them? I also have a 800 DMT. I've used these in progression and after stropping (60-80 on linen and 40-50 on leather) my Alwin will pass the HHT but shaves terrible. It's frustrating me.

My Dovo has only ever seen the fine and ultrafine as well as the leather. It shaves good, but fails the HHT. I'm frustrated. The thing is, I can't keep a good edge on this thing unless it's been on the ultrafine hone recently. Then the leather...

I'm a facts kinda guy and I like things to have a pass/fail system.

I've only been shaving with a straight since last month, but I can't seem to keep a good edge on my straights. One day its good, the next, not so much. I've got a couple good deals ( I hope! ) on ebay...erik antonberg, a wester, and a wade and butcher among them. ALthough they haven't arrived yet, I plan on sending them to a honemeister....

Then I read another thread about non-shave ready being sold as shave ready and some who hone, but don't indeed provide shave-ready? I don't really want to waste time and money and not get shave-ready razors back.

So...

1) I either need to have someone reliable sharpen for me

2) Figure out how to consistently keep my edge sharp

3) Or go back to that awful mach 3 my wife keeps reminding me about!


Help!

Well, the hanging hair test not all that great for assessing shave readiness of a razor but the shaving test is. When you say it shaves terrible, what do you mean? I have one razor that is so sharp that is scary to use. I have to be ultra light handed or I scrape my face... In addition to the pressure, the angle is terribly important when using that razor. Is this what you mean or you mean that it does not cut your facial hair at all? Because of the type of beard, skin and shaving skills that I have, I like my razors a bit (just a bit) on the dull side. I think I can keep the edge more consistent for longer time, if that makes any sense.

In terms of being afraid of not getting a shave ready razor from the classifieds, I would still say, that only apply to a few people. I would just research a the person that the razor I am interested in comes from, that is all. If you need to have a razor honed, I do not think that you can be wrong if you chose one of the very well known honemeisters in the classified either. However, I do think that learning how to hone your own razors is a good thing in the long run. I would totally encourage you to continue doing that. One thing to keep in mind is that the "Ebay specials" could be challenging even for the most experienced honemeisters. I have certainly heard that many times. I would not try to learn honing using these razors. Also, I would check if there are any people with good honing skills in your area and try to meet with them to see how they do it. Most people would share their knowledge if you ask nicely. Good luck and keep us posted.

Al raz.

A couple observations.

First...if that Dovo is a new out of the box and never honed you've got your work cut out for you. As they come from the factory you have to start with at least a 1k stone or use 2 or 3 pieces of tape on the spine to match the factory bevel close enough where metal is actually removed on the edge. Marking the bevel with a magic marker is how most of us see if we are indeed removing metal all the way to the edge.

Second...since you have only been shaving with a straight for a short time there are still too many variables in play to determine the cause of your problems. When I first started it seemed like even a perfectly honed razor was dull (until I cut the crap out of myself) and one day I'd get a great shave but the next day a horrible one. This is where prep, technique, and even the soap or cream you are using come into play. I think after you have been at it a while longer you will have the variables down and will better at judging whether it's really the razor and not your prep or lack of technique. The best way is get the razor honed by someone reputable to both learn what sharp really is and to eliminate that variable...assuming you don't mess up the edge with bad stropping technique.

Originally Posted by FarNorthAK

I have a fine and ultrafine spyderco hone. Has anyone else used them? I also have a 800 DMT. I've used these in progression and after stropping (60-80 on linen and 40-50 on leather) my Alwin will pass the HHT but shaves terrible. It's frustrating me.

I have and use the UF as a finisher for some of my razors and it's possible to get a really good shaving edge of it, but the hone is a little "finckey" as it doesn't always work with with different razors. It's also a slow hone so it might take a few more laps on it to achieve the desired results.
Assuming you have set the bevel and used the magic marker test to check that the bevel is set. What happens to your Alwin if you do 5 more passes on the UF, does shave quality improve?

Originally Posted by FarNorthAK

My Dovo has only ever seen the fine and ultrafine as well as the leather. It shaves good, but fails the HHT. I'm frustrated. The thing is, I can't keep a good edge on this thing unless it's been on the ultrafine hone recently. Then the leather

Don't get to caught up in the HHT at this point, focus on the TNT, TPT and the shave test for now.

How many shaves do you get from the Dovo before you have to touch up on the UF?

Originally Posted by FarNorthAK

I'm a facts kinda guy and I like things to have a pass/fail system.

I've only been shaving with a straight since last month, but I can't seem to keep a good edge on my straights. One day its good, the next, not so much. I've got a couple good deals ( I hope! ) on ebay...erik antonberg, a wester, and a wade and butcher among them. ALthough they haven't arrived yet, I plan on sending them to a honemeister....

Then I read another thread about non-shave ready being sold as shave ready and some who hone, but don't indeed provide shave-ready? I don't really want to waste time and money and not get shave-ready razors back.

Send one or more of your razors out to one of the resident honemeisters to get a benchmark razor, they can be found in the classifides under member services, and since you are equipped with the Spydercos read up on the Progressive honing method as it is a good write up.