Thread: Is it too soon for nice steel?

You can never early enough, buy a nice piece of steel, good luck whit it

Never to early. Square, round, french or spike all up to the user. I know round is my least fav. but that's just me.

Pretty fired up today!

My new Hart is on a truck somewhere rolling around town, and should be here soon!

The only problem is, I have not even handled it yet and I already have my next purchase mapped out...

My heart's all a'twitter for you, buddy! Pics, please -- we all like razor porn here!

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

My heart's all a'twitter for you, buddy! Pics, please -- we all like razor porn here!

I think box opening videos are beyond stupid...but I might make a video anyway just to show it from a generous amount of vantages.

Still not here yet, but it is out for delivery!!!

Originally Posted by unit

I think box opening videos are beyond stupid...but I might make a video anyway just to show it from a generous amount of vantages.

Still not here yet, but it is out for delivery!!!

I was just asking for pics of your new razor, not a Christmas-morning type vid.

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

I was just asking for pics of your new razor, not a Christmas-morning type vid.

Tough luck pal...you are going to get a three part series of hour long installments of the box opening (facepalm)

Wait...what is this?

A box just arrived!

Seriously though, when I get home tonight, I'll do some photos and a 30 second video if warranted.

Had to share this pic though. I have received some PRETTY pricy blades through the mail before but I've never received one with a label like this LOL. Pretty cool!

Oh, man, you are the master of the cliffhanger! Did you work with Hitchcock or something?

OK...I really hate reviews of things that are 30 seconds out of the box, so please do not take this as a review...just some thoughts and impressions.

A little background on me first?

I have been a collector of knives for most of my life, and more seriously for the past 5 years. I have seen and handled a few phenomenal blades and a handful of masterpiece blades. I have owned more than I care to discuss, and spent more than I would like to think about. I have some basis for comparison of crafted steel.

Further I have played around with blade modification and testing, designed a few knives, and sharpened/honed/restored/repaired MANY. Suffice to say, I know a thing or two about steel, and blades...that said, I am a total noob to the world of razors. With these ideas in mind, I would like to share my out of the box impressions of the Hart Steel razor I just received.

Packaging:
Wow. I am used to getting a knife in a bag, cardboard box, or possibly a leather slip case. Most of what I deal with is custom or semi-custom and all the emphasis is on the piece...packaging is rarely considered. This came in a nice large cardboard box with a magnetic closure. Included was a leather slip case, a bottle of oil with a needle applicator, and a wrench for adjusting the pivot or changing the scales. The interior of the box has foam with cutouts to accept these items and hold them securely. The razor was in the leather slip case wrapped in paper...it also had a waxy coating of protectant on the blade that wiped off fairly easily to expose the polished blade.

Perhaps an anti-static wiping cloth could have been included? Many fine semi-custom knives (like those by Chris Reeves) generally include such a thing...perhaps it is un-necessary for razors as we generally will use our shaving towels to clean it after use. (I gotta find something bad to say here...otherwise someone might think I am a shill)

Fit:
Again Wow! In the world of knives we often discuss fit and finish...because this is all I understand, that is what you will get. Fit is generally how things fit together and how symmetrical things are. Can any misalignment be seen, or is there any uneven-ness to the grinds or bevels. It is a bit of a misnomer to discuss this with razors as the fit is generally on a level that is a bit beyond what we see in knives even on a price level of 2-4 times the price of this razor. However I will try to convey some points.

The blade is as close to center as my eyes can tell. The action is smooth but firm. the jimping is even and symmetrical, the grinds are similarly symmetrical. Perhaps most exciting to me is how this blade almost appears to be a zero grind (that is a person has to look very closely to see the edge bevel). It almost has the appearance of a quarter ground razor on which the maker has not yet honed an edge.


Finish:
I have not yet polished off all the waxy coating on the blade, but it appears to have a nice luster under the protecting coating. While it is not a perfect mirror (a person can see micro scratches with the light at just the right angle), it is a much glossier finish that I would require from a razor I have full intentions to enjoy in use.

The spine, tang, and tail are all satin finished with a very uniform finish that is pleasing to my eye.

The spine is rather massive as is the tang/tail. This piece has a commanding presence in the grip which I think will suit me well. I am not a big guy, but I enjoy hefty tools that give me confident feedback. If you watch any of the other videos I have produced, you will see that I generally use my blades for much heavier tasks than opening mail...so a massive grip is fitting to my "blade personality".

The handle...This is where I would give the lowest marks. I ordered ebony, and I got it. There is nothing wrong with it, but I guess I was expecting a meticulous polished finish that was befitting the blade inside. This handle has a nice finish, but it is slightly coarser finish than I expected (nothing wrong here, just not as fine as I expected it might be). The interior of the handle is quite rough. It looks as if a router or similar cutting tool was used to mill out the interior of the one piece handle and then they installed the blade. Again, not a bad thing, just not nearly as well finished as it could have been. Do I care? Not really. I intend to use this and frankly, if it were show quality, I might feel compelled to buy a second handle in resin...who knows, I still might?

I really look forward to trying this out, but that will have to wait until later on. I just took a little break from work to snap a few phone pics and this little video to hopefully give someone a feel for this piece (that has never handled one). Something about seeing it in motion seems to help understand the dimensions a little better to me than still photos.

Regardless, these photos and video really do not fully do this thing justice...it is pretty.




(the green is my phone case being reflected in the blade)