Thread: How sharp is sharp?

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

My question would be have you ever shaved off a razor done by one of these "real hone guys"? If your satisfied with a 6 k edge I would propose you try it, cause till you know what your missing you won't know and a 6k edge is well,,,,, , or just shave off the edge you have, no worries.

But like most of us we thought we were getting Good edges till we learned otherwise. Tc

Hey TC - You're probably right. However, I won't ever miss something that I've never had. I'll just have to be content and satisfied with what I currently have. It works for me. My Grandfather used to give me hell for wanting a second pair of shoes growing up. His philosophy was you only have two feet therefore you could only wear one pair of shoes at a time and didn't need a second pair of shoes.
It took me 30 years to overcome that (I have probably 20 pairs now). My point - In time I will probably get my razors honed professionally. Since I'm just a rookie, I need some time to adapt. But I do appreciate your input as always!

Well, to the OP and others, not that much. It has long been said the difference that we all argue about, over 6-8k, is really a 2-5 percent improvement… in distinguishable sharpness.

But it is not so much about sharpness, it is about smoothness and the feel of the shave.

It is much like the modern advancement in horsepower, with Turbochargers and Nitrous Oxide, (and really these technologies, are not that new) and motors in the 800 to plus 1000 horsepower range, how much does it matter?

Traction matters. If you can’t put the horsepower to the ground, it does not matter what the horsepower is.

Sharpness does not matter if it is harsh. For hundreds of years guys have been honing on natural stones and Barber Hones, in the 6-8k range, producing very acceptable shaves, and stropping them to comfortable edges on plain old leather.

It is the madness of videos of hair test that drives this sharpness obsession, (and yes, they do look cool) but does HHT really matter to the shave?

No, not really. If you are happy with your current honing regiment, spending hundreds more for a 2 percent improvement does not make a lot of sense.

Perhaps the best advice is to have a razor honed to the extreme, by a capable honer and see if you are missing something. I suspect probably not… that much, especially if you have been shaving and honing for a while and have mastered stropping.