Thread: new razor ...to hone or not

Just started shaving with a straight razor. When I purchased my Dovo Best Quality I noticed that there was a razor right next to it that said "shave ready" but was quite a bit more expensive. When asked if the razor I purchased was "shave ready" the proptrietor looked at it and said it should do just fine. Being a new razor should I have it honed or not? It shaves pretty well and I have had pretty good luck not bleeding to death. Actually there have been several times I felt like I should have cut myself wide open but did not. A friend that shaves with staright razors looked at it and told me to just strop the F*** out of it. Sometimes it feels like it drags over the stiffer whiskers on my chin. I do strop it before each shave. Don't know of it should be cutting easier or if this is how it;s supposed to feel. Thanks for any help.

After reading your post, my answer revolves around this line...

Originally Posted by dfopp

Don't know of it should be cutting easier or if this is how it;s supposed to feel. Thanks for any help.

Since you aren't 100% sure what it's supposed to feel like, why not treat yourself to a professional honing by one of our resident pros. That way you'll kill two birds with one stone.

1. sharp, truly shave ready razor
2. good benchmark for what a razor should feel like.

Good luck!

Dave

Hey, Dfopp, If you decide that you want the razor touched up, I'll do it for you, on the house, provided you cover shipping.

EDIT: I can't remember the thread, but there was a member (AFDavis, I believe) who experimented with what "Stropping the f***" out of a razor could do... I believe the conclusion was that, with enough strop laps, you can even revive a somewhat dulled edge (if someone knows the thread, please direct me to it, it was a good read) so your friend's suggestion of a good, long stropping session may be a very good idea, provided your stropping technique is solid

cheers,
Jeremy

You say it is working so I would say don't fix it. When you feel it needs attention there are experienced honemeisters in the SRP member services that will hone it expertly for a nominal fee.

If your beard prep and technique are good the shave should feel almost effortless. no pulling, tugging. Take your friends advice and strop it GOOD. If this does not improve it to the point that it is effortless, something needs to change.

Why don't you ask your friend? I mean after it's stropped, perhaps have him test it if he's willing to do it.

Originally Posted by dfopp

Just started shaving with a straight razor. When I purchased my Dovo Best Quality I noticed that there was a razor right next to it that said "shave ready" but was quite a bit more expensive. When asked if the razor I purchased was "shave ready" the proptrietor looked at it and said it should do just fine. Being a new razor should I have it honed or not? It shaves pretty well and I have had pretty good luck not bleeding to death. Actually there have been several times I felt like I should have cut myself wide open but did not. A friend that shaves with staright razors looked at it and told me to just strop the F*** out of it. Sometimes it feels like it drags over the stiffer whiskers on my chin. I do strop it before each shave. Don't know of it should be cutting easier or if this is how it;s supposed to feel. Thanks for any help.

If you have the angle correct and the razor sharp it should shave
a lot like or better than a Yellow Handle BiC tossable razor. Both
are sharp steel.... Double edge razors are another option if you
have one in the house.

A well honed open razor has the potential of being sharper
and smoother than the BiC and since the angle can be adjusted
to be optimum for your face the shave can be better too.

So strop the fleas out of it and shave what you can finishing
the difficult places with a tossable. Holding the razor safely,
stropping and shaving the full face takes some practice.

Your stropping will improve and with it the shave. Eventually
stropping will no longer refresh the edge at which time it
will need a touch up on a hone set (8000 grit or finer to finish).
Sending the razor to an expert is recommended because you
will get to experience "sharp" and need not invest in a full
set of hones. One option is to take ShavedZombie up on his offer....

All this time you will garner experience "lathering".
Skin and whisker prep are important. It pays to worry away
half a puck of inexpensive shave soap "Latherin". Building
a good shaving lather is easy but takes practice.

Does your friend use an open razor and if so how does he
(or she) hone his?

[QUOTE=ShavedZombie;637770]Hey, Dfopp, If you decide that you want the razor touched up, I'll do it for you, on the house, provided you cover the shipping
you cant lose with this offer i would do it in a heartbeat . the members here are tops and will go the extra mile for a stranger

Thanks for everyones advice. I will probably have it honed. I'm kind of hooked and am considereing purchasing a second razor that I know is have ready so I will have a bck up to use if I send this one off. Thanks again evryone!

Same story. I ordered the Dovo Ebony Astrale which was presented (honestly) as "factory sharpened" which didn't mean "hand honed." It shaved, in the sense that it removed whiskers. But while my beginning technique was horrible (yes!), I realized it had to be sharpened. So I tried stropping the daylights out of it and probably, stropping wrongly, messed it up.

So then I learned even a new razor needs honing, so I bought Norton 220/1K and 4K/8K stones and proceeded to nearly ruin this razor! Meanwhile I'd ordered a razor that had been hand-honed, either from ClassicShaving or SRD, and wow what a difference! Eventually I sent the original razor to a honemeister who got it right for me.

I decided to focus on stropping correctly and have worked on that. Then I picked up a couple of double-grit barber hones and use them to touch up the razors when they need it, but I use them too much I think. Too much fun!

And now I am starting systematically to learn to hone. I have a fistful of razors that have been honed by qualified guys, all of whom I think are on SRP! I have a couple of others that are my "project" razors. They are good razors, but in varying states of dullness. I'm working with them and trying to learn how to do this well.

So…I suggest if you can afford it, you buy a hand-honed razor and send your current one off for honing as well. Really study correct stropping technique and work on your shaving touch and angle.

And this advice comes to you from someone with fewer than 200 straight shaves under his belt, so it's worth exactly what you paid for it!

Originally Posted by dfopp

Just started shaving with a straight razor. When I purchased my Dovo Best Quality I noticed that there was a razor right next to it that said "shave ready" but was quite a bit more expensive. When asked if the razor I purchased was "shave ready" the proptrietor looked at it and said it should do just fine. Being a new razor should I have it honed or not? It shaves pretty well and I have had pretty good luck not bleeding to death. Actually there have been several times I felt like I should have cut myself wide open but did not. A friend that shaves with staright razors looked at it and told me to just strop the F*** out of it. Sometimes it feels like it drags over the stiffer whiskers on my chin. I do strop it before each shave. Don't know of it should be cutting easier or if this is how it;s supposed to feel. Thanks for any help.