Thread: Edge doesn't last long.

Hi guys,

My first razor was a Dovo 5/8, which was sent off for honing and used happily for a few years - just stropping on leather. It was getting a bit dull, so I thought I'd have a go at honing myself; that didn't go so well.

I put the razor to the side and picked up a few cheap blades from ebay; after a few goes at the first blade, it now gives me a reasonable shave... but not for long. It probably lasts a couple of weeks before it feels like it needs to be touched up on the 8k - then it's peachy again.

Could this simply be the razor, or could bad honing produce this outcome?

To be clear, are you saying that the cheap eBay blades are not lasting or the Dovo?

Dovo steel will usually hold a good edge. The bevels are not always the best and they can be a challenge to get really super sharp but once they do, they usually last.

Hi Kelbro,

I'm not touching the Dovo again until I'm happy I can hone it without ruining the thing. It's just the old second hand blade (Texol No4) that I'm worrying about at the moment.

There are a lot of factors affecting longevity of an edge: the quality of the steel, the quality of the honing, your stropping technique, and the toughness of your beard. If you were able to keep a Dovo going for a long time, it must have good steel and your stropping technique is probably good.

You did not specify the nature of your cheap blades. Some cheap blades (for example, Gold Dollar), can be be made shave read; but the steel is not particularly hard, so the edge may not last long.

Other cheap blades are often called razor shaped objects because they are not suitable for shaving.

Some vintage blades are cheap, but can be turned into decent razors if you have the skill to restore it. Some vintage razors have deteriorated steel at the edge. I have had to resort to the use of a 400 grit hone to remove bad steel from the edge of a vintage blade to get to good steel underneath. Then I set the bevel at 1K and went through my normal synthetic progression and finished on a natural finisher. It now holds a nice edge.

If you provide additional detail on your blades, the forum members can be more helpful.

Hi RayClem,

It's a bit marred has a few spots that won't come off, but it seems alright. So one could hone a razor in a manner that is sharp, but in some way not a sharpness that can is retained across general use?

https://tinyurl.com/ybwggvpc

If a razor is giving you a good shave for 14 or so shaves, it's just fine. There are so many variables to effect an edge from geometry, steel hardness, how it was honed, how well it was honed, stropping, shaving, environment, and beard. Heck, storage can effect the edge...hopefully you strop after the shave to clean up the blade properly.

This is why they have barber hones. Just a couple licks (5-10) over a barber hone, strop, and shave. If it doesn't give a proper shave, repeat. If after 3x it doesn't shave properly, it needs to revisit the stones and re-set the bevel.

Originally Posted by Grenage

picked up a few cheap blades from ebay

What brand / quality are these blades? Vintage good quality or cheap china stuff?

I find that letting the lather sir for a bit and soften the whiskers along with shaving angle to have a fair say about edge longevity

Also, I don't expect my edges to last for a loong time

With daily use of a razor I do a weekly touch up on my Coticules (about 30 passes just on water)

Thanks guys,

They're decent old Solingen and Sheffield blades, as best I can tell. I guess where the Dovo is about 100 years younger than the others, it's only natural that it should vary so much. Perhaps I'll just touch this one up now and then, and give the Dovo another crack in a while.

I must confess, I've never stropped after shaving; perhaps that's something I should start.

I do strop after, only linen though, it makes me feel a little safer of getting rid of all the moisture and aligns the edge some

Like all the others have said, there are so many variables it is hard to give a specific answer. The only thing I can think of is to make sure your bevel is truly set before going up the hone progression. If it is not quite 100% set it may not shave too terribly badly but will fall off very quickly.

In the photo of the Texol it looks like you are honing back into the stabilizer and are starting to get a heel hook forming. You may want to look at this thread regarding reshaping the heel.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...ing-heels.html

Bob