Thread: When is it time to hone?

I have had most of my razors for about a year and I have been rotating them. I just got a razor from Philadelphia and almost took off my skin it was so sharp. Should all my razors be like this?

Thanks,
Michael

Hmmmm, that shouldn't be the case if it were properly honed. If you've been SR shaving for a year, then you're probably familiar with proper angle and pressure, so the only variable left is honing. My suggestion would be to send it out to a honemeister to get a good edge put on it

Originally Posted by sublimeus

I have had most of my razors for about a year and I have been rotating them. I just got a razor from Philadelphia and almost took off my skin it was so sharp. Should all my razors be like this?

Don't worry, most people may be surprised when they try a honemeister's edge after using their own for a while. Should they all be this sharp? It depends. Even guys who have been honing their own for several years may not get them as sharp as our top honemeisters can achieve. So it may not be realistic to achieve that type of edge on your own at this point, it does give you a benchmark of the type of edge your razor can potentially have.

While your razors should be optimally sharp, you will also find your own preference. Do you prefer scary sharp, or smooth & forgiving? That's the beauty of this art, once you have the tools and the experience you can dial in your edges to suit your own taste.

I think it's what we all strive for...lol. And congrats..If you mean Philadelph..the member here...he does some fantastic work...is it one of his customs or a restore?

Sorry, I realized I didn't answer the title question

When is it time to hone? When your razor starts to tug or the shaves become less than comfortable.

It's a restore. Thanks everyone for the great responses.

As long as your edges are still givign good shaves i say y fix what aint broke.

It could be just a difference in the blade too. Some blades shave better than others. Along those lines, the same blade can give two completely different shaves to two different people, so it's hard to say... I had a razor once that I thought was a mediocre shaver at best. I let another member use it and he thought it was the best shaver he'd ever used.

I'd guess though that if you've been using only a few razors for a year, that they could use a little refreshing.

As was stated....when the blade starts to tug and the shaves become less comfortable.Read the Wiki and pay extra special attention to the honing pyramid.

Time to hone after you run the razor on .5 diamond 10 laps cr-ox 10 laps ce-ox 20 laps linnen/leather and its still tugging and pulling, its time for the stones !!!!!!!!!!!!!!