Thread: straight razor shaving for a year-and still a newb

hello all,

I posted a long while back about a razor my fiance bought me, which according to most was money waisted. i had a few new questions.

I bought a honing stone from local shop in Cambridge, and they assured me it was great. it is called an Arkansas stone or something. now, after about a year of trying different techniques and being as precise as possible, i cannot get this razor sharp enough, i have had to send to off to get honed. and it works great for about one month after getting it professionally honed. I strop every shave, and i have a decent strop.

Now, i am wondering if anyone uses these stones, and are they any good? Like i said though, my straight razor kinda sucks, so it might be that as well.

Either way i am looking to upgrade. i have seen lots of general advice, but i was hoping something could point me to a specific link for a decent razor that is on the cheap side (well under 100) and perhaps a suggest a hone stone if mine is not good.


Thanks alot guys i appreciate everything

Hey, I would suggest asking the same question with a clear mention of the hone stone in the "honing" section of the message board, I'm sure someone knows a lot about that stone.

Welcome.
if you know your razor is not good you need to replace it as soon as you can. 1 months shave after honing is really minimal time.
You can buy from SRD CHECK out they may have special deals or check classified. Try buy shave ready blade.
About your stone i am not sure which type arkansas stone you have at least colors will help.
they are final polish stones and will do the job but you have to do a lot laps. you will better to get barber hones.
hope this helps.

If you are just looking to maintain your razor, you might want to check into getting a barber's hone or a 10k or 12k finishing stone. Alternately, the 4/8 is a great choice according to most.

As a quick test, turn the lights out and put a flashlight up flush with one side of the stone. If light shines through, it's a "translucent" Arkansas hone, and yes, you can probably get a shaving edge from it (assuming your razor isn't junk). I've done it with a razor that had been dulled first so it wouldn't shave arm hair, but it took more honing than I care to admit. Considering that time is money, you'd be better served spending a few hours' worth of wages on some stones that will get the job done faster.

thank you for the swift reply. OK, i tried the flashlight trick with the stone, i saw no light come through. Also, the stone is white, or off white i guess.

thank you for the suggestions. this is comfusing when you cannot see anything in person, so i appreciate the help.

Here's what I would do: Send the razor off to have it sharpened again, but go to one of the honemeisters here, maybe Lynn. When you send it to them ask to have it evaluated. By that I mean what is dulling it? Normal shaving? Improper stropping? Stuff like that. They might be able to tell. I've heard you should get at least about 3 months before honing, but you still have to strop between shaves.

If it is what it is, you are going to have to get something to bring the edge back, and others here are better at that. But, we still don't know much about the hone/stone you got. I've got a hard Arkansas stone I sharpen knives with but I would never use on a razor, and I've noticed most places do not have stones compatible with straight razors.

Being a newbie I do know that carbon steel is easy to sharpen and holds a good edge but wears faster. Conversely, stainless steel stays sharp longer but is harder to sharpen.

Good luck, and I hope you get this straightened out, no pun intended.

Hope it's not too off-topic, but I think we should just speak plainly about these things and offer several different approaches, like low-cost, medium-range, and money-isn't-an-object. There are perfectly good (but very different) strategies for all budgets, really. I'd happily volunteer my services for the cheap-o part of that wiki entry.

If money is no object he has no probems. Just buy several razors, rotate them and send them out to be sharpened in rotation. The Dovo with the blond handle that was recommended is an excellent choice for a quality yet inexpensive razor. It also comes shave ready.