Thread: Who hones and who just doesn't want to?

I've gotten as far as a Coti with a Crox balsa board, and leather stropping board in order to refresh my razors...took me awhile to get all 12 professionally honed, and am going to visit a honemeister to learn first hand how to use the Coti and the refresh process.

Having said that, with 12 shave ready, and my refresher kit, it should be a long time before I need to send them out again...so no honing is in the cards for me...for a skill that takes a considerable time to get good at...I'll pay the pro's.

My two cents...

Some people like to make and eat chocolate chip cookies.
Others just want to eat them.
Whatever floats your boat.

Everyone has good points for both sides of the coin...

I recently made a 7 razor rotation. One week per razor. Im on the second 7 week cycle and everything is still shaving great. So it's going to be a while before I hone any of mine.

I do hone my own when I need to. I enjoy it and I think I'm pretty good at it now. I also enjoy honing for and teaching others.

Michael

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Used to,just sold my hones.Actually got pretty good at it but found it to be boring repetitive work.
A pro honed blade in my rotation lasts me a year or more and are many pros on SRP that hone for what I consider cheap.
I have better things to do,let the experts do it.

I don't see how the pros spend hours at a time honing. The only thing worse would be shelling butterbeans!

I tried to learn to hone and I've put a shaving edge on a few razors, but I never got really good at it because I never really practiced. Once my razors were shave ready, I was just shaving with them. Then other hobbies pulled me away and, with the arrival of our son after several years of my daughter being an only child, spare time turned into a rarity. I still have my Nortons, Chinese and Coti and I plan on keeping them for the time being, but I am also considering building my rotation back up next year and having them all honed by someone who's a lot better at it than I am. Then I can maintain them with the 8k, Chinese or Coti (or pick up a barber's hone). I'm not really that into the whole razor rescue thing as I was a year or so ago, so being able to take a butter knife to shave ready isn't as important to me.

Originally Posted by jdto

I tried to learn to hone and I've put a shaving edge on a few razors, but I never got really good at it because I never really practiced. Once my razors were shave ready, I was just shaving with them. Then other hobbies pulled me away and, with the arrival of our son after several years of my daughter being an only child, spare time turned into a rarity. I still have my Nortons, Chinese and Coti and I plan on keeping them for the time being, but I am also considering building my rotation back up next year and having them all honed by someone who's a lot better at it than I am. Then I can maintain them with the 8k, Chinese or Coti (or pick up a barber's hone). I'm not really that into the whole razor rescue thing as I was a year or so ago, so being able to take a butter knife to shave ready isn't as important to me.

Since you're in Toronto, I send mine to the Classic Edge, Phil does a great job honing...he's backed up now, but sheesh does he put an beautiful edge on a razor!

Originally Posted by gfro

i hone because I want to be self sufficient.

That pretty much sums up why I do it. That and I love the challenge of learning something else I can do.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

You have pulled a cord John a solid Ebony baseball bat,i can do that,for about $500.00 thats what the material would cost.

I can visualize that. Ivory section just above the grip with maybe some silver bands in between.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Since you're in Toronto, I send mine to the Classic Edge, Phil does a great job honing...he's backed up now, but sheesh does he put an beautiful edge on a razor!

Thanks! Right now, my W&B is still serviceable and I should be able to get the TI in alright shape with the coti. After that, I am definitely considering trying Phil.