Kamisori 150 Update...

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07-08-2007, 03:11 AM
Ray C

Kamisori 150 Update...

Hi...

Not long ago, I mentioned that a new Kamisori 150 was coming my way... Well, it arrived last week.

Out of the box, (as expected) it was not shave ready. After some lengthy linen/leather stropping, it sharpened-up enough to get a very rough shave. I used it for a week and practiced my skills shaving and stropping. I felt that it needed some careful inspection and honing and ultimately decided to do the work myself.

I have no experience with straight razors so my comments herin are without the benefit of knowledge, experience or a reference for comparison. I am however reasonably skilled with machine-shop tools and procedures...

Close inspection revealed that the sharp edge was shaped like a scythe. It was somewhat concave and the center of the arc was 0.004" (inch) from flush. Also the bezel was very irregular and uneven on both sides. It was clearly formed (imprecisely) with a muslin wheel. I decided to keep the razor and attempt to hone it myself.

The bezel did not lay flat on a piece of glass so, I taped the spine with vinyl tape (to protect it) and honed it with an india stone using water and toothpaste as a lapping compound. Using circular motions (and 90 minuts of my time) I fixed most of the bezel. There is still a 0.25 inch (approximately 8mm) length of bezel near the tip that does not lay flat. It is my feeling that the corresponding tip of the spine is irregular and needs to be adjusted. Haven't quite figured-out how to approach this yet but generally feel it should be correctable using a proper stone.

I removed the tape from the spine and using a good ceramic stone (from my machine shop), I adjusted the bezel angle again. Using the same stone, I then polished the edge to the best of my meager ability and followed-up with a linen/leather stropping. There is still a rough spot on the edge where the bezel transistions from good to bad.

As it stands now, 90% of the edge seems to be properly shaped, honed and stropped. The good part of the blade will clip the tops of free-standing arm hairs effortlessly.

The shave was Vastly better than any prior.

I have ordered some proper stones (Norton 8000, Nagura stone and Coticule). I believe it's within my ability to correct the remaining flaws and clean-up the edge nicely.

In general, other aspects of the blade were good. The metal feels good, the bluing is good quality, the tang was nicely finished and there were no crude machining marks or scores anywhere. The bezel and edge however needed quite a bit of work.

Fixing the blade is a fun (albiet ongoing) experience. Shaving with it is something I look forward to every morning. FYI: I can shave about 70% of my face and look forward to getting better and faster at it. One thing I noticed however, is that as I get older, I get a little more handsome (yeah, right!) :) .

Be good...

Ray C.
07-11-2007, 02:44 PM
Jonedangerousli

Sounds like a lot of work for a letter opener.
07-11-2007, 06:17 PM
FiReSTaRT

Kamisoris should make decent shavers but you can get a lot better for the price.
07-11-2007, 09:20 PM
superfly

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonedangerousli

Sounds like a lot of work for a letter opener.

Kamisori started making it's razors in Solingen, from recently, and they were sent to and tested by some respected members of this community. You can read about the tests in their posts.

I would not call a razor a letter opener, which I haven't tried for myself, except some razors that are known to be of lesser quality to our members.

Just to make it clear to newer members, when you are looking for your new/first razor, research before buying.

Nenad
07-11-2007, 09:37 PM
Jonedangerousli

Quote:

Originally Posted by superfly

Kamisori started making it's razors in Solingen, from recently, and they were sent to and tested by some respected members of this community. You can read about the tests in their posts.

I wish I had read the posts before I purchased the one I own.

Quote:

I would not call a razor a letter opener, which I haven't tried for myself, except
some razors that are known to be of lesser quality to our members.

I would not comment on a product that I hadn't tried. This IS a razor known to be of lesser quality to at least ONE of our members.

Quote:

Just to make it clear to newer members, when you are looking for your new/first razor, research before buying. Nenad

Just to make it clear to everyone, I DO OWN ONE OF THESE LETTER OPENERS. I am not making a judgment of a product based on where it is supposedly manufactured. I am making judgment of it based on what I have, which is POS letter opener. I don't give a rip where they say they are made.

It would have been much better for Amy & company to have refunded my money instead of totally alienating me.

I apologize to anyone this post may have offended.

/rant
07-11-2007, 09:49 PM
superfly

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonedangerousli

I apologize to anyone this post may have offended.

No need for one, if it was directed to me.

I sad that I would not call a product crap before trying it.

Jonedangerousli, when have you bought your Kamisori? If it was one of the older Kamisori razors, made before that post that Amy made, I am pretty sure they were made in Pakistan?

Nenad
07-11-2007, 09:51 PM
Jonedangerousli

Quote:

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Kamisoris should make decent shavers but you can get a lot better for the price.

I agree. They SHOULD make a decent shaver. I wish the one that I have was one. The blued blade is a cool idea and I was really disappointed when I received mine. It would be nice to have a Canadian company to support. Not that I'm anti-Europe. LOL.
07-11-2007, 10:18 PM
Jonedangerousli

Quote:

Originally Posted by superfly

No need for one, if it was directed to me.

I sad that I would not call a product crap before trying it.

Gotcha. As I always say, one of the challenges of communicating in a forum such as this is the lack of tone from plain text. No harm, no foul.

Quote:

Jonedangerousli, when have you bought your Kamisori? If it was one of the older Kamisori razors, made before that post that Amy made, I am pretty sure they were made in Pakistan?

Nenad

I bought it May 5th off ebay, in a delusional state brought on by perhaps one too many frosty adult beverages. It was one of those "ending in 4 min" auctions. My first razor purchase from ebay. I should have known something was askew when I was the only bidder. I learned a valuable lesson to check the forum BEFORE making a purchase.

I have no idea where it was made. It does have "Kamisori" and "Solingen, Germany" screened or etched on the side of the blade. At this point I wouldn't trust that to be any more accurate than if it said "Original Non-Paki"
07-12-2007, 06:48 AM
randydance062449

Welcome to the SRP!:) and Str8 razor shaving! You have really jumped in with both feet and are doing well. Your backround is a benefit to you in this hobby. The Kamasori is not well regarded here as you may now be aware but it is good for practicing the basics of honing .

Your use of a circular motion is ok for resetting the bevel angle but is to be avoided for any further work. Generally we use a circular motion only to remove visible nicks with a 1000 grit hone or wet/dry sandpaper. After that we use what is referred to as an X pattern honing stroke. My avatar illustrates that stroke. The help files also have several examples of that stroke. Since your edge is slightly curved you will find that the X pattern stroke with allow you to hone the problem areas. Please note that we typically angle the tip of the blade back 10-30 degrees... the greater the curvature then the greater the angle.

Have fun reading the posts and the help files and be sure to ask any questions you may have.
07-12-2007, 04:17 PM
Ray C

Hi Randy and All...

First and foremost... The Str8 razor shaving is coming along just fine. It's a real kick that I enjoy every morning (unlike the boring monotony of electric or disposable-blade shaving). I've been teaching myself for the past couple weeks and within the past 3-4 days, am able to shave 100% of my face. For two days now, I have not needed to "touch-up" with a disposable/Bic.

As far as the quality of the Kamisori... In hind-sight, it was not very good but, it provided the opportunity for me to learn about them. It needed a good bit of work but, I now understand the simplicity of how to fix the edge by adjusting the spine. I checked it for width consistency and longitudinal run-out. (FYI: the three planes were not concentric either). Not having experience or a comparison sample, I did not know what was good or bad. I have a better idea of that now.

The blade is still not as sharp as it should/could be but, I do not yet have adequate stones. I hope I can learn the skill of honing and stropping as, my face is getting a little tired of a blade that tugs and pulls. I'm done tinkering with the spine. With honing, over time, I will let the edge develop contours as it sees fit. This razor now has a unique history just like all the other millions of them out there.

I didn't think to check here before purchasing the Kamasori but, from the onset, I was gambling not only on $59 for the razor, I was gambling on whether or not I would use the razor for more than one day. I did not feel comfortable buying one on eBay as, they too might have had imperfections, rust and chips not visible in the images. Those types of problems might have been harder for me to overcome.

Ahhh, who knows??? 6 of one, half-dozen of another. The cheapest razor on eBay will cost you $20 to $30 with shipping. I paid $59 (shipping included) for the Kamisori. In the grand scheme of life, 20 bucks won't break my bank.

I enjoy SRS and have purchased a few more "pre-owned" ones with varying blade styles and widths.

Now who the heck would have imagined that shaving could be so much fun ???:tu

Ray C.

Quote:

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Welcome to the SRP!:) and Str8 razor shaving! You have really jumped in with both feet and are doing well. Your backround is a benefit to you in this hobby. The Kamasori is not well regarded here as you may now be aware but it is good for practicing the basics of honing .

Your use of a circular motion is ok for resetting the bevel angle but is to be avoided for any further work. Generally we use a circular motion only to remove visible nicks with a 1000 grit hone or wet/dry sandpaper. After that we use what is referred to as an X pattern honing stroke. My avatar illustrates that stroke. The help files also have several examples of that stroke. Since your edge is slightly curved you will find that the X pattern stroke with allow you to hone the problem areas. Please note that we typically angle the tip of the blade back 10-30 degrees... the greater the curvature then the greater the angle.

Have fun reading the posts and the help files and be sure to ask any questions you may have.