Thread: How sharp is sharp?

The question to ask yourself is this. When you shave does the blade glide down your beard and remove the whiskers so effortlessly if you were blindfolded and someone shaved you, you would hardly even feel the presence of the razor on your face. If the answer is no then you aren't getting perfect shaves.

To get to that state may mean adjustments in your technique or additional honing or use of a finer stone.

The shave will be smoother, IME. Not necessarily better.

Actually, a year from now, the shave will be better and smoother regardless of which stone you use.

A good Synthetic 12k will make it easier to get a smooth straight edge that will give a better shave.

So if you are getting Great Shaves now, wait a year, after you have learned how to squeak out performance from your stones.

Ummm. The OP has been a member for quite a while, he is not a particularly active member, but has been at this for a while. I would think that by this time he has already figured how to shave and is getting very good performance out of his 8K. So it is likely that he has already learned to max that. I think the time to move up is likely now or never. Some like the feel of a synthetic edge while others like the feel of a natural edge. If you can get t o a meet they are great places to learn about the other edges and experiment with those who already know the hones well. Otherwise try some different edges. Also you can buy a new hone every year until you find exactly what you want.