Ironclad Shave Ready Tests... or Not!

[LarryAndro]

So, asking a rhetorical question, how can I know when my sharpened razor is actually shave ready? In the few months I've been shaving with straights, the lack of a quantitative test or tests by which I can KNOW my blades are ready has proven frustrating.

Recently, I purchased a shave ready razor from Lynn, and now can compare my edges to a standard if you will. This has given my valuable feedback. And, I think I have a quantitative set of tests... pass them, and your blade is shave ready.

Test #1... Hanging Hair Test

Does your blade consistently and easily pass the hanging hair test up and down the blade?

Test #2... Blade Evenness

When the blade is looked at from the side with a microscope, ($12 at Radio Shack), is the edge even and free from burrs and knicks?

Test #3... Blade Smoothness

Are the two honed and polished sides of the blade immediately next to the edge smooth and free of striations?


So, is it reasonable to say that...

* pass the hanging hair test, and
* with an edge that is even with no defects, and
* with the honed and polished sides of the blade being
smooth and free of scratches and striations

you have a shave ready razor?

[smokelaw1]

The test is very deeply complicated.

Step one: Shave with razor.

[hoglahoo]

Shave Test!

[gssixgun]

God you could see that answer coming a mile off...

[hoglahoo]

God you could see that answer coming a mile off...

alley oop!

[BeBerlin]

Bloody cavemen. There is an article in the Wiki (am on BlackBerry and cannot properly quote) which deals with the HHT in great detail. Yes, the shave test is alll that matters, but the article is well worth a read.

[ENUF2]

So, is it reasonable to say that...

* pass the hanging hair test, and
* with an edge that is even with no defects, and
* with the honed and polished sides of the blade being
smooth and free of scratches and striations

you have a shave ready razor?

Almost....

The Final test is the biggie.... How's it shave?

[ENUF2]

* pass the hanging hair test, and
* with an edge that is even with no defects, and
* with the honed and polished sides of the blade being
smooth and free of scratches and striations

you have a shave ready razor?

I have a George W & Sons pipe razor that would pass all these tests but when I shaved with it, it left some razor burn my other razors don't. After going back to the hones (down to 8K up to 16K) it did fine. As you progress, you'll become more accustom to the "feel" of the razor. It's just like the shave there is a learning curve and there is no easy Fast way around it. We are so use to almost instant everything it chaps us when we must wait for anything. Sometimes it's rough to be patient but in the end it's worth it.

[LarryAndro]

In response to a recent post, I do have a Lynn Abrams honed blade. It has been very useful comparing his edge to mine.

Truthfully, I am not frustrated. Over the last two months, I've slowly improved my sharpening. Over the last two weeks, even though I am far from expert, I am consistently getting good shaves with my blades.

I am a teacher at heart, and have been mulling my experience and the little and big lessons along the way. While doing so, I am trying to distill my experience into something useful for other new shavers. It still seems to me as if we should be offering new straight razor users something more in the area of sharpening. Or, maybe not something more as much as a better bundling and presentation of the information.

As an aside, I am going to take the quasi-challenge from an earlier post, (even though it wasn't really stated as a challenge, I am taking it as one), and will review some of the wiki materials with an eye for improvements.

Back to the topic...

ENUF2 said...

I have a George W & Sons pipe razor that would pass all these tests but when I shaved with it, it left some razor burn my other razors don't. After going back to the hones (down to 8K up to 16K) it did fine.

This is a good example of good information, but of analysis that seems to stop prematurely short. Speaking to everyone here, and not just ENUF2, why did going back to the hones fix the problem? (I know you don't have ENUF2's razor, so...) What are the range of reasons why an edge might be sharp, straight and smooth and still not shave right? I don't believe in black magic, which means that there was a reason(s) for the failure.

In my short experience, the most likely causes for razor burn are edges that are dull, not straight or not smooth. When I started using the Radio Shack 100x microscope, and fixed the Dull/Straight/Smooth problems, the razor burn disappeared. Are their other causes? Can these causes be detected by inspection or testing of some type? Then it moves out of the black magic category.

Enough rambling...