TI razor-Sharp enough?

Hello All,

I just bought a Thiers Issard 5/8 Full Hollow ground razor from The Art of Shaving, and as I have just seen on the Wiki and forums it seems as though the blade is not sharp enough. I can not get the razor to pass the hanging hair test, and I am not sure about the results of the thumb test. I used to shave with a Dovo Shavette for a few months, so my form is not horrible. I can get a somewhat close shave, but only with substantially more effort than with the Dovo Shavette. I am I correct in thinking the razor is not sharp enough; anyone familiar with these razors?

Does anyone know where I can get the razor honed in Chicago as I lack the stones to sharpen the blade?

Thanks for any help.

have you stropped it.
there is a differance going from shavette to a straight and you have to adapt.
Most fokes will say hht does'nt matter . In my experiance a shave ready blade will pass hht especialy the razor you have still does'nt mean it won't or carn't shave , i would 'nt use tpt as this could damage the edge. rather than mess with it send it to be honed.

alot of first time straight razor shavers find the razor is not sharpenough untill they adapt. I had several pro honed razors and going from shavette i thought the same not sharp enough. It was my 5th shave before i realized how nice the razor actauly shaved

All the tests you mention (HHT and TPT) are used in the course of honing to assess the progression of an edge. They're not meant to be used to gauge shave readiness. The ONLY test for that is the shave test.

The HHT is TBH a bit of a parlour trick. Its only any use once you've calibrated it for your hair. To give you an example, I have a Boker Edelweisse from SRD which was honed by Lynn (I've had it a while now though, so its since been rehoned by me). So I knew the edge was good when I got it..! For me it passed the HHT about 60% of the time, for my dad every time and a mate of mine couldnt get it to work at all. One shave ready razor, and three different results, but the shave was excellent!

The TPT is usually used after the 1k stone to ensure a good even bevel is set, but using it on a shave ready razor wont yield the same meaningful result. You may also cut yourself!

Have a look at this Wiki article to see more about these tests.

A shavette is a different animal to a straight, and the geometry of the edge is different, so its not a direct one to one swap over. You'll probably need to change your angles slightly, or at least I did when I used a shavette.

The first thing to do is to contact AoS to discuss the problems you are having and see what they can do for you. If you're still not sure about the edge, the best advice would be to send it to a pro for honing. I dont know of someone in Chicago, but you can certainly mail the razor to several people who you can contact via the classifieds.

Historically though, this sort of problem is usually a technique issue which works itself out with practice. When most people start, the shave is not as good as they're used to, just because of the unfamiliarity of the razor and the motions they are making. That may not be the case here, but thats quite often the problem!

But the first thing to do is contact the vendor and see what they can offer.

my question would be:
Does AOS hone there razors prior to sale?

I dont belive they do. Anyone know?

HHT is pretty much useless for me (a knife will do hht)
TPT is getting a feel for how easy it cuts your skin (im using a modifyed one)

none of these tests tell you anything before you got a feel for the shave test

Great advice so far. Your stropping skills will influence the edge also.
Here's a link for when/if you need it Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

you will find your own way of judging an edge once you learn to hone. i no how to calibrate the hht and it works for me i use the same type of hair every time as i have a barbers shop and got my self a pot of the same hair. Of coarse the shave is the real test. i find razors that shave arm hair won't always shave stubble but it will indicate your close.

i have had several TI's and they have been shave ready from ti.

The AoS razors have their bevel set on a wheel before leaving the factory. Some actually have a nice edge on them just from that, amazingly enough. The majority however do not. The new steel that they use is extremely hard and is extremely hard to hone so not a good blade for a beginner. I would definitely recommend sending it off to get the edge cleaned up.

my ti's have been stubben. once they are sharp they are bril shavers i found diamond spray and coticule worked realy well

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Originally Posted by gary haywood

my ti's have been stubben. once they are sharp they are bril shavers i found diamond spray and coticule worked realy well

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Oh definitely... Don't get me wrong, when I finally put an edge on my AoS razor it is amazing. Getting it to that point was no fun though.

Unless something changed with the AOS razors in the last few weeks it isn't shave ready... Or let me be absolutely accurate, of the few dozen that I have honed not one of those was shave ready :)

I can't think of anyone in the Chicago area that hones professionally but maybe one of our Chicagoland members will see this, and give you a shout, if not check out the classifieds like the guys already told you and get that bad boy ready to roll.....

Welcome to SRP airbus, looking at your screen name I'm betting your in the airline biz ...:) +1 to what Glen said and whatever you do don't take it to some place local that sharpens knives or sells shaving supplies and offers sharpening. I've read horror stories about guys who did that. Send it to a honemeister from the classifieds.

Of the thousands of TI's I have honed and hundreds of AOS TI's, I have yet to find one shave ready out of the box. Not to say it couldn't happen. I would agree with checking the classified's and having one of the guys hone it up for you.

Have fun,

Lynn

Thank You for all the replies they have been very helpful. I will try to send it out to get honed.

You could also get a hone yourself, with a beaten up razor to practice on :)

I have bought a TI C135 6/8th full hollow a few weeks ago from Fendrihan.com in Canada. I followed a similar path to yours. I was shaving with a Shavette. The Shavette blades are real sharp when they are new, you can't beat it.

I first bought a used Dovo Silver 5/8th from the classified , from someone who had bought it from SRD in december. The guy had used natural stones because he felt the razor was too sharp to his taste. When i got the razor, it was an awful experience. I had a red face. The Shavette shaving is real quick since the blade is so sharp. I had to go back to basics and take my time and use less pressure. Yet, the Dovo just did not measure up to the Shavette. The razor would tug. I stopped using the razor and decided to buy a brand new and honed razor since i suspected the razor was not honed properly.

I decided to buy it in Canada to avoid shipping costs and customs. The owner at Fendrihan told me some of the good Dovo razor to buy but they were not shave ready. Since i did not want to wait, he suggested i buy the TI C135 razor which comes shave ready from the factory. He went on to tell me that TI hones the razors before leaving the factory because a lot of newbie end-up messing-up their razors on their first hone.

I received the razor the next day and tried it. It did a much better job than the Dovo that i had bought. It took me 3 shaves to get used to it and get a nice shave. It is certainly different than a Shavette. The more i use it , the more i learn to appreciate it. I use the leather strope before using it and that is enough.

I still feel that the Shavette offers a sharper edge. The TI is not as sharp, and don't expect it to ever be. However, as i got used to it, i now feel that it offers a nicer shave than the Shavette . It is more foregiving. It is slower. You need to use shorter strokes in thight areas. I remember that with my Shavette, i was using longer strokes because the edge is so sharp. This technique does not work with a Straight i found out.

I have since honed my Dovo with a Naniwa 12K and it offers a much smoother shave. Still not as nice as the TI, or perhaps is it because i am not used to it (i shaved only once this morning after honing it with the 12k).

You may want to talk to the store where you bought it from. My experience with the TI is positive and very different from some of the people who already answered you. Before i bought the TI, i verified on user experiences and the posts i saw on this site and different user posting on the sites selling this razor agreed that this razor made a nice shave out of the box.

I have not seen your razor and i do not know if you bougth the same C135 carbonsong razor. If you did, take the time to get used to it and get back to the basics . Straigth razors are different

Thanks for the response MichelG. My TI razor is C135 carbonsong, and my experience was that the toe was sharper than the middle or heel. Also my hair is extremely thick. Unfortunately I had to return the razor as I did not want to take a risk with a purchase of close to $300 USD.

Is it possible for a carbon steel straight razor to be as sharp as a Dovo Shavette or Feather razor?

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Originally Posted by airbus001

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Does anyone know where I can get the razor honed in Chicago as I lack the stones to sharpen the blade?

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Check the Classified and the various sponsors for honing services.
Chicago is central enough that via post, FedX or UPS they are all "close".

I got a TI from AoS and it was really hard to tell if it sharp enough at first because it was my first attempt at straight razor shaving. So no matter how sharp it was, I was bound to have some difficulty. Anyway, now that I have more experience and now that I know it's sharp enough, I still find it to be a temperamental shaver compared to some of the vintage ones I've bought and honed. I do know that AoS "claims" that it comes shave-ready, though it sounds like some folks have had experiences otherwise.

Good luck with it.

from factory some razors come pretty sharp some dont
safest thing is having it checked
pretty sharp may be shave ready for some and others not

I started the same way, I bought a TI from AOS and it felt like I was scraping the hair off my face (because I was). It took pressure and a steep angle to get hair to come off. I read the Wiki here and decided to purchase a Dovo Best Quality from SRD that was truly shave ready. I got it in the mail, lathered up and gave it a spin...I sliced my cheek real deep and it bled for about 1.5 hours. So IME, AOS razors are NOT shave ready, and if you try to develop your technique on them before being honed, you will slice yourself up when you get a truly Sharp razor. I have since learned to use light to no pressure(See JimmyHAD's signature line (Thanks Jimmy!)), gotten the angles down, and am still learning the stretching piece. All of this since February...It's been a blast! Welcome to SRP, and remember it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Have fun! Cheers!:beer2:

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Originally Posted by airbus001

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Is it possible for a carbon steel straight razor to be as sharp as a Dovo Shavette or Feather razor?

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Yes. It takes a good hone set, a practiced hand and a good stropping
technique. A Feather blade IMO sets a very high standard.

The shavette and feather blades have one advantage.
They coat and fuse a thin layer of Teflon on the blade.
This coating is a real advantage....

A hand honed blade also has advantages. Smoothness
and freshness. A factory blade edge out of a box can start our harsh
then be fine even wonderful for two shaves and then is dull for one or more
shaves... A personal blade gets stropped prior to each shave
it gets honed when it should. With modern hones and
touch up strop pastes a str8 can be smoother and sharper than all but the
very very best factory blades, or not depending on the preference
of the owner. I like my blades about second day Artisan Feather
sharp and with a personal blade I can do just that (most days:).

In all cases it is steel against whiskers.