Thread: How often do you hone?

I rotate my razors once every two months. I give the razor a hone on my PHIG (C12k) hone prior to oiling and storing it, so that it is ready for its next go, about 10 months down the track.


Mick

I have verry verry thin facial hair, i also use the razor to keep my sideburns whacked off. so i hone my razor like two times a year. and then its generally like 4 swipes on the barberhone and a good stropping and we are back in business.


i dont care what anyone says a barber hone is your best friend when it comes to straightrazor use.

When one starts to pull. My rotation is too large to keep track of how many shaves I get between honings. I like to use a different razor every day. Sometimes I have to abandon one after the first shaving stroke, though, and move to another razor. Oops, time to hone that one! If the edge is not too dull, sometimes 10 laps on a CroOx coated paddle strop will refresh it enough for one last shave. Time lost. Probably should use a much smaller rotation and keep better track.

Do you strop right after you use a barber hone on your razor before shaving?
MHW

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Depends too many factors. you can use your barber hone on each shave if blade needs a little more sharpness.
honing is a little different story.
ok blade will need to be re honed app 3-5 months.
hope this helps.

As mentioned above honing & touching up are 2 different degrees of the same action. You can maintain the blade with whatever stone you find gives you a comfortable close shave.

Honing and stroping help to concentrate, I like both. I use my strops everyday, hone - once a week. Jnats, which I use mostly for honing, work perfectly only when regularly used. I even have 2 cheap razors, which I hone just for training. Hands should not forget honing movements.

I had a Dovo Tortoise that got in 70+ shaves before it needed a stone honing. I did use my pasted paddle strop to keep it performing until the bevel needed to be reestablished with a stone honing. Now I have a barber hone and I don't think my razor will need a stone honing for a long, long time, if it ever needs one.

So, I guess its when you think the razor needs it or when you feel like it.

Pabster

Hi Dan,

I am new to this myself but took to it like a duck to water. However as I am only 6 months into str8 shaving I haven't the experience of others but here's what I have found.

Once I had learned to strop correctly (performed prior to each shave) a razor bought and honed by Steve at invisible edge lasted around 3 months before it needed any other honing. This razor was used every other day.

When the shave started to tug a little and stropping alone didn't smooth the shave I then purchased a Belguim Corticule and used that to bring the edge back to original standard.