Thread: Newbie Honing Question

Hello,
I have just purchased my first straight razor, which, came shave ready. I have been researching honing and stropping for a few weeks now and have come across many different opinions. My questions are the following:

1. To keep a perfect edge on my razor, which type of hone do I need?
2. I shave only twice a week but have a pretty coarse beard. How often will I need to hone?
3. If I only have to hone periodically, does it make more sense to send my razor off instead of investing in an expensive hone or set of hones?
4. How long do hones last?

Thanks!

Although they're all good questions, I don't feel they can be given a firm answer.

A barbers hone will be great for touch ups, but so would a Coticule, Thuringian, Chinese, or many others.

Re honing will have to be done when it's needed. Steel hardness, grind, honing methods, beard thickness, prep, etc all play a part, but it can't be given a set time. It may be a few months, it may be a few more.

For touch ups, you won't need an expensive set up, but you'll also not get much honing practice. Sending your blade off may well be the best answer.

Hones can last many lifetimes, or not as long as you'd expect. It's dependant on frequency of use & your care of them.

I'd suggest you get a finishing hone. Read a bit & choose one. There are many varied options, & one may not necessarily be better than another. Try touching the blade up when you notice it starts to dull. If it doesn't go as well as you'd hoped, send it off.

CrO/Diamond spray strop and a Barbers hone/12k SuperStone or another high grit stone will do for maintaining the edge.
If the razor gets too dull to bring back with those means then send it out for honing. Depending on usage and stropping skills etc. a razor might need only once or twice a year or more often. I have read people claim they can maintain their razors for more than a year without major honing, its all relative.

Heh heh. I remember my amazement when I started using a double-edge and began the moist-heat pre-shave prep in earnest how the blades would last typically 1-3 more shaves per edge (I only used one side at a time to best gauge blade quality).

Then I started using my leftover disposables as travel case residents for post-sauna shaving at the local fitness club. Heh heh.

I have an ultra-fine Spyderco synthetic sapphire honing tablet. I have successfully used that to both bring up self-honed razors to shave-ready status and refresh the edge of a razor that had lost that special something. Unfortunately, the ultra-fine stone is every so slightly imperfectly machined flat and I would only dare used a small patch at one end of the thing to make small circles. In a way it is better that my finest Spyderco stone be the one that is flawed, as the finisher doesn't have to remove much metal, only finish. I've made it work.

Some of the men with very coarse, thick beards, most of whom have big, thick wedge shavers have to re-hone their blades on a weekly basis! And they shave every day or every other day. Big savings for their family (got bills to pay).

If the beard really destroys even a comparatively hard str8-edge's metal then a finishing hone is probably a necessity. Some people make do with pasted strops for more frequent touching up to retain the edge. Conceivably indefinently if done right...

Hi BGAndrea,

Where in MD are you?

I'll give you some thoughts on your questions.

My hone, the one I use about once a month, is about 50 years old.

I do not believe that anyone, in the long run, should rely on sending blades out to get sharpened past a typical learning curve. I believe I may be in the minority here though.

I think you can go a long time, maybe 2 months between honings, but I think that most guys, a little spoiled from using DE razors will want to hone more often.

I'd say get any finisher. You'll have to read up a bit to see what suits your preferences most. You can spend a lot of money on an exotic or just a little on a barber hone. Chrome ox or diamond will work to refresh an edge, but at some point you'll need to go to a hone, so personally I prefer just hones and no pastes.

Personally, I've had a couple different Swaty's, a few coticules, a C12k, an Asagi, and a vintage Thuringian. Initially, I liked the coti over the Swaty's, then I got the C12k and liked that more, then I got the Asagi and that become my go to. The Thurry is recent, and I've not played with her enough to really compare to the Asagi, but it's looking like it'll be the Thurry for Sheffield blades and the Asagi for everything else. In short, my point is there are lots of finishers out there, and the only way to really see what you like is to try bunches of them. For that reason, my advice is start cheap and, if possible, through meets or whatever, try to use other, more expensive finishers before you actually buy them.

1. For maintaining the edge on a razor which has been properly honed to start with, all you really need is a barber hone. That'll keep you going for years upon years, most likely. They're fairly cheap and easy to come by, and they only take a few strokes to refresh an edge.

2. Depends on a lot of things.
A. How quickly you get the hang of stropping. The better your stropping, the longer your edge will last.
B. The steel. Some razors keep their edge for longer than others just because of the hardness of the steel (which has good aspects and bad aspect - harder steel also takes longer to hone).
C. Your individual standard. Some guys here hone pretty frequently, but others wait until they start to notice tugging.

3. Sending your razor out to be honed will cost you $15-$20, and several days to weeks without that razor. A barber hone will cost you $30-$50, and...

4. ...It'll last you pretty much forever, if you take care of it.

So, I'd say it's worth it to buy yourself a finishing hone. Could be a barber hone, or a Naniwa, or whatever. It pays itself back within a couple of honings, and it gives you a lot more personal satisfaction.