Thread: How to tell if a straight razor is sharp

I've bought 2 razors. One has turned up the Iwasaki. I'm not confident it's "shave ready". It won't cut my face hair really, or pass HHT. I eithen got some hair and held it tight, didn't cut through that easily either.

Help

Well you could send them out to be honed. Look in the classifieds under member services, a bunch of members offer honing.

It was bought new and supposed to be honed from theinvisableedge.com

It will cut you ok, but not your hairs. It may not be shave ready! The best way to know it is shave ready is to send it to a reputable straight razor honer (honemeister) for some LTC. Even then, if this are your first shaves, you are going to think that is not sharp (it leaves hair behind). That's an angle and pressure beginner problem.
Others factors that could affect the perceived lack of sharpness is beard type and prep, angle of the blade, stropping technic (you could destroy a sharp blade with a few bad stropping strokes), just to name a few.
Welcome to the challenging world of straight razor shaving. Fun (sometimes frustrating) and rewarding! Double O

Originally Posted by fossala

It was bought new and supposed to be honed from theinvisableedge.com

All the same, I don't know their reputation as blade honers, maybe someone else could shime with their reputation. Let's say they sold you a true shave ready blade. Did you stropped it before you used it? Or maybe, you did like I did and performed a thumb nail test (to feel what a good bevel was) and ruined the edge? You can answere those question. If its not pulling and skipping, it may be angle and pressure or beard prep??? Double O

I have bought 2 Razors (TI's) from Theinvisibleedge, both have been shave ready (superbly so)

Don't worry about the HHT; completely dispense with it; that test isn't relevant to you right now; maybe not ever; I never use it myself. The test of a razor is if it shaves you close and comfortably; that's the test. That's what you want it to do.

I didn't strop it before my first use. I have stropped it now though. Maybe I should give it a go for a few more days. I just can't see how it can cut hair on my face when I can't even cut hair that is from a head and pulled tight.

The way a beginner knows if a razor is shaving sharp, is by buying it from someone he trusts enough to sell him a shaving sharp razor, and then exercising that trust by not trying to test the edge on anything except his face. That said, I've never dealt with the invisible edge, but I've only ever heard positive things from others who have. Doing your own sharpness tests speaks more to your own mistrust of your chosen vendor than it does the razors ability. Now you've done the tests, and believe the razor to be insufficient. Shaving with it will only further prove to your already decided mind that the razor isn't sharp. Find a vendor you trust, or send the razor to someone you have no doubt can sharpen a razor. Then when you get the razor back....Shave with it. It won't be easy...You're new. It's expected.

The best option would be to choose several different vendors, and have them each hone one razor for you. Once again, the sharpness tests are still beyond you. But having 4 different people who's livelihood is in no small part derived from their ability to complete the task, should ensure you several different examples of shaving sharp. If you want four names, I'll provide them through PM. Best regards,

Justin

Originally Posted by fossala

I didn't strop it before my first use. I have stropped it now though. Maybe I should give it a go for a few more days. I just can't see how it can cut hair on my face when I can't even cut hair that is from a head and pulled tight.

Possibly because the test hair is dry?

That does seem odd...but then again I am not like some other wise members that dismiss the HHT completely. I will not argue the point, but it is a staple of my honing...the blade must pop hairs off my arm without touching the arm (a form of HHT) in all portions of the blade. It is a personal thing as to what *you* use to test a blade...but I will agree that the ONLY thing that really matters is how it performs on your face.

I get why many do not like the HHT or other "tests". OTOH, I have learned that if it won't pass my version of the test, it won't shave me that way I like....and still may not even if it does pass!