Thread: Shaving with something other than a razor

Years ago, before I ever got into str8 razor shaving, I decided to see if I could sharpen my pocket knife (Kershaw 1550, with the 1095 carbon steel blade) to the point you could shave with it; I didn't have any special razor honing gear at the time; I was just a 17 Boy Scout Camp Counselor who was bored one weekend. I used a diamond stone (unknown grit), what I guess is a paddle strop made with suede leather glued to a board, and some aluminum oxide powder. I shaved with it once, and only once. Worst. Shave. Ever. My face was so raw, but it took the hair off. I think I just used water for lube; it was awful. I don't think I'll ever try that again, but how many people do you know who've shaved with their pocket knife?

Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone else was brave (or foolish) enough to try shaving with something other than a razor and what your results were.

Of course. Thats how I got started out. I am a big fan of sharpening knives on japanese water stones. I decided at one point to find out how sharp I could get one of my knives. I figured if it was sharp enough to shave with, well thats pretty hard to beat. It took some effort and a gentle hand but I did it. The shave was not bad at all.

I think this is in the realm of yes you could get many knives to work but why would you want to do it?

I think Bruno tried (sucessfully?) to shave with an ax that he sharpened. If you want to spend the time I guess you could get a lot of camping, cooking and farming implements to cut hair. You are clearly in the "because I can" area now.

There's plenty YouTube footage showing guys shaving with kitchen knives and even axes.

Many years ago I shaved (successfully) with a 2" chisel for a bet. One of the stupider things on my CV.

it would be nice to shave with a dagger
just because you can

i recently had a little girl come up to me at the park and give me the nicest sea shell with a fairly straight side about an inch and a half long.. for some reason.. i keep looking at it and thinking i should sharpen it up and see if i could shave with it..

however.. i'm a feather ac guy and have never honed a real straight in my life.. my only sharpening experience is with professional cooking knives.. i'm still tempted to try though..

My friend Jimmy shaves with his serrated Spyderco knife.

Still waiting for the "Shaving with a spoon" video to appear... (followed by the even more adventurous "Eating with shaving spoon" video! )

All the best,
Michael.