Thread: Is my razor sharp enough?

"Patches"

[QUOTE] ..."Back to my questions: how do I know the blade is properly sharp? Is it possible to trash a professional hone with poor stropping - even if I'm not cutting the leather or banging the blade on metal?"...

Yes, it is possible to trash a properly honed edge with poor stropping; definitely, which is why often the advice is to NOT strop a razor you've just received that's been professionally honed. Generally, I've found that whenever I've recieved a razor where the seller has stated it's ahve ready it has indeed been shave ready. Problem is, if you just then have the one razor, it'll dull over time; even discounting the fact you may dull the edge by poor stropping. What may happen there is that after a while, it still shaves, but not as well as it did, and you don't REALLY notice as it's dulled over a fair length of time; you're 'lulled into a false content with dullness' so to speak.

So, how do you NOW know your razor is sharp enough; now you've forgotten what a really truly shave ready razor feels like?

Best idea in my opinion is buy more than one razor. Get a professionally honed razor followed by at least one other professionally honed razor. Use predominantly one of those razors. Let's call that razor 'B'. The other razor we'll call 'A'. Protect the 'A' razor as your 'standard' or benchmark.

Buy a Shapton 16kor similar; it's really the only hone you need at this stage.

When the 'B' razor feels less sharp than the 'A' razor use the Shapton 16k (after learning how) to bring it back to par; as little as 10 strokes can be enough. Keep using mainly the 'B' razor, but keep testing it against the 'A' razor (i.e. use the 'A' razor only once a fortnight, or once a month). When it dulls (in my experience a razor will stay shave ready for months) bring it back to par using the Shapton 16k.

You can swap razors ('A' becomes 'B') when they're both shave ready; but remember they're different razors (unless of course you buy two the same or even a set) and will act differently.

I basically did this when I started but had three razors for some time. I kept one as a 'Sunday only' ('A') razor (it still is BTW). Luckily for me, that one was a Klas Törnblom. The Swedish steel is very hard, so it keeps its edge for a long time; it's good I think to maybe choose a Swedish razor as one's test ('A') razor.

I gradually learnt to also use a Norton 4/8, but I still, after several years of SR shaving, use it very rarely; it normally for me comes down to just a refresh on the 16k.

BTW, we're all different in regards to hair growth, etc, so other people's razors may dull faster than mine (I have quite a light beard). I also rotate these days 6 straights and a DE. I use of the straights (the Klas Törnblom) just once a week and use a DE these days up to twice a week. Generally I don't shave Saturdays. This might give you an idea of the use my razors get.

I now keep a 'honing journal' documenting every time I hone a razor. This allows me to actually KNOW what I do and advise accordingly. I think last time I looked a razor took about three months before I needed to give it a few laps on the 16k.

Hope this is helpful.

Carl

Just realised I'd already replied to this thread, sorry...