Thread: Would this be a good/bad buy?

Since January, I have managed to aquire five straight razors that I plan on keeping. The Dovo Best is my main shaver, though I just picked up a near mint Easy Aces by Genco (http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...er-family.html). The edge on that is scary sharp, but it seems to have a minor inconsistency from point to heel. I'm thinking a couple passes on a really fine stone would do the trick. I have three razors all needing a professional honing - A Morley and Sons, a Torrey, and a Faultless by F.A. Koch. I would love to learn on any of those three, but I have absolutely zero experience in razor honing. Trying to read about setting bevels and the do's/don'ts was making my head spin.

All that taken into account, I will go broke trying to have everything sent off for honing when the time comes for it. My Dovo probably has another few weeks of life in it before it needs a touching up. Decisions decisions.

Honestly looking at that reminds me of the lanksy system. Good for knives not for straights.

There are a lot of different options for getting a keeping a razor shave ready.

The predominate approach on this site is a progression of stones from 1k to at least 8k and typically to 12k

However there are other ways.

The way I use is a king 1k for bevel set followed by a series of paste. I use 9 micron diamond ( i find this optional but speeds things up) then dovo green ( which is about 6 micron, next is dovo red ( which is about 3-4 micron) , finishing on dovo black ( which is about 1-2 micron). You could substitute diamond paste for the dovos.

This set up would probably cost you right around the 50 dollar mark.

Another alternative is lapping films. They are normal thin sheets embedded with diamond grit for of whatever micron size it says. You would then place that on a piece of granite or glass and hone like you would a stone.

The lapping film is relatively inexpensive from what I know so might be worth looking in to.

Others use a mix of stones, films and paste.

You can also use oil stones like the arks which are a little cheaper then other stones. But they take time to lap and learn how each of your stones work best.

That system isn't particularly good with kitchen knives and would be useless for razors. And since you can get it new for $45, it's not even a good deal.

Chromium oxide on balsa is good for maintaining an edge, and inexpensive. It's a decent stop-gap while you get your bearings and come to grips with the wealth of material in the honing threads. After all, you only need one working razor at a time.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I made a decision early on that if I was going to use straight razors, I would have to learn to maintain them.... You don't want a makeshift stone like the one you found for $50 because you are entrusting your face with the razor you're sharpening.

First off, I want to say thank you for your offer, resources, and time you have put into your responses. I'll send a PM your way.

I also figured that I would invest in the maintenance aspect of straight razor shaving as well. Spending $30 in honing and shipping service per razor in addition to the wait time doesn't seem to be a viable option. Plus, I love working with my hands and learning new skills. I was looking on Amazon for stones (after I watched the video you linked) and saw this Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific. That set includes the 4k/8k stone you spoke about, and also has another set as well as a stone for flattening the hone. That set is right around the same price as the 4k/8k with the DMT stone you mentioned earlier. I have looked into some strop pastes, but I only have one strop so that won't work for the moment. I figured I would upgrade to a three inch strop at some point and use the two inch as a pasted strop. I'm still a good ways off from that though since the strop is only been in use since January.

I would love to save money where I can, especially given how I am already looking for new razors every chance I get. That being said, I don't want to sacrifice quality for the sake of being cheap. Plus not having to spend a fortune on the disposable razors seems to even out.

I am not familiar with the lapping stone in the set you referenced, but it was made by the same people who put out the 4/8 stone so it must be OK.

The 220/1000 is a stone you will use for setting bevels only, and then probably just the 1000 unless it is in rotten shape. Your Dovo won't need it because you received it shave ready and all you need is a touch-up with your highest grit. Based on the picture, the Genco won't need it either.

That set is recommended often. The only Caveat with it is that the flattening stone will need to be lapped flat its self with some wet dry paper before it is ready to use.

The Norton set is a good starter set ..... and maybe beyond. The weak link is the lapping plate. The Norton lapping plate can go out of flat from use, assuming it is actually flat to start with. In that case coarse sandpaper on a flat surface can bring it back. Lynn Abrams and many others, years ago, had nothing but those tools, and they honed thousands of razors to shave ready.

If you don't get caught up in hone acquisition disorder you could live with that set for a life time and never need anything else. A DMT D8C continuous lapping plate would be a real nice addition.

If you have the $ to spare I would recommend a CHosera 1k, the norton 4/8 and the aforementioned diamond plate. Five + years into this, a lot of hones come and gone, that is my go to kit for my honing.