Thread: What is hone wear?

Originally Posted by sapito318

Hone wear is not a bad thing. It is a normal occurence that will eventually happen to all razors when honed without taping the spine.

Here is a decent example of something that you would want to avoid: Bad Hone Wear

That razor has a lot of uneven hone wear, and also a slight frown. You would not want to pick that up and expect great results without lots of experience in fixing those issues, and especially not at that price.

However, razors with hone wear such as the Wade & Butcher pictured above, are acceptable levels of hone wear. There are good and bad hone wears. The W&B above is normal/good hone wear. The linked razor here in this post, is not good hone wear. Keep an eye out for the telltale signs of good and bad hone wear and you will be OK.

Hone wear will also occur on the bevel when a razor is taped. The bevel will get wider over time.

I am not a fan of purchasing razors with hone wear and look for minimal to none when I am buying a razor. From a stand point of shaving, most that have an acceptable or minimal amount of hone wear that is relatively the same on both sides of the razor can be honed without too much problem and continue to be serviceable forever. It really boils down to whether you want a great looking razor that shaves or a very worn looking razor that shaves. Pocket book can play a big part in this decision.

Have fun,

Lynn