Printable View
30+ shaves in, and I'm more than sold! For the first time in my life I can shave every day, and also shave without irritation! I never thought I could enjoy shaving. I am now looking to make my second straight razor purchase... Should I get a second razor, to have a back up for when I send out my razor for honing? Keep in mind, in the future I plan to hone my own blades. Or buy a finishing hone, like a Naniwa 12k in order to touch up the razor I currently have as it needs it. Thoughts?
if it was me i would buy another razor and perhaps a barber hone if all your gonna do is touch ups for the time being .... if your gonna by a stone for future honing id get a 4/8k or similar stone cause you can easily shave off the edge you will get from them and if you get a little ding or dull ur edge on something ,or an ebay or antique store razor the combo stone will do you better then the 12k
just my thought on it .. :)
Thanks gooser for the input. Now I have a few more options.. haha barbers hone (where can I get one?), a norton 4k/8k (planned on getting this eventually anyway), or the naniwa 12k? vs another razor. I think I am leaning to the norton at this point. Nothing like baptism by fire, but I would get some antique store razors to practice on before testing my everyday razor. Btw I also currently have and use a balsa strop.
If you can afford it, you get them both.
I would get the 12K first. Read everything you can about it here.
I barber hone can vary from hone to hone & if you are not used to honing on one, it can take an edge off pretty quick, IMO.
The 12K is pretty consistent, from what I have read, I do not own one. I have other finishers & barber hones.
I wish I could afford both right now, but unfortunately I can't. Right now my options are limited to either a razor, a naniwa 12k, or norton 4k/8k. Anything else will have to wait a few months.
I would get the hone. That way you can still shave with the one you have now. Obviously its your call. Im just thinking what I would do.
How's your razor shaving?
If you've done 30 shaves and your edge isn't dull then I vote for a second razor.
At this rate it might be a while before you need honing. A new razor will extend that. And a new blade you can start using right away.
Michael
I vote new vintage razor off of eBay or trades section on here (some great deals to be had, if you know what to look for), plus a barbers hone. When you get the razor, send it off to be professionally honed if need be. Then when it gets back, you have two nice razors that you can maintain the edge on easily.
That's essentially what I have done... I own three razors that have good edges and I plan to maintain them using the barbers hone I purchased. I got mine from Larry at WhippedDog.com. It only cost $15 and is awesome, IMO. 10 x-strokes for each of your razors every so often and you're good to go!
I just had to send my razor off to be honed due to a mishap with edge vs sink. I couldn't fix that with a 12k if I had one, although a norton 4k/8k would take care of it. It definitely served as a learning opportunity. So I am not 100% sure of the longevity of a sharpened edge. And initially I used a loaner blade for the first 10 shaves to try it out.
In my opinion, most razor/sink encounters require more to fix than a Norton 4K/8K. I'd go with the Naniwa SS 12K to keep your present razor shaving well.
The Naniwa 3000/8000 is a great stone for honing. It's was the first stone I bought and it was great to learn on.
Russell
If you can't afford both , I would get the hone . The only way you are going to learn to touch up your edge , is by actually doing it . 5-10 strokes on the finish hone of your choice is all it takes .
The Nani 12k is just a wonderful stone. It was my first and I totally love it. If you do go the "new" razor route I would recommend Whipped Dog. If money's tight, Larry's blades will do you right, and they are very much shave ready, so you save the time and money on sending it back out.
Learn to shave.
On the average this takes about 30 or so shaves & you HAVE ARRIVED. Congratulations!
Learn to touch up a razor.
A quality barber hone, Naniwa 12K, Shapton GS16K, etc. will work well. This should keep you going for a long time.
Learn to hone a razor.
This is a whole new journey, you really need to be a veteran at the first two so you can understand where you need to get.
Learn to do repairs & restoration on a razor.
Correcting chipped edges, frowns, polishing, etc. and so on are much less daunting as you have learned a bit of patience and quite a few new skills by now.
Sure, you can jump around and not follow the order...but if you do learn in that order things will go much smoother.
So, to directly answer your question on another razor or a stone: IMO, you need both. Your first razor & the one you have been shaving with for these 30 or so shaves is most likely in need of a touch-up. I understand the funds issue, so if I were to have to make a decision for myself with what I know now, I would say a stone. Having a razor freshly that is freshly honed can be your "goal".
I would also recommend that you should also enter your location so that folks can know where you are from. I say this because if you are anywhere within driving distance of me, come on over and I will show you how to touch-up a razor & give you some hands on training.