I don't honestly think you can get as sharp as a DE blade. But you can sharpen the straight to and edge that shaves better than a DE edge.


I don't kow if you have tried to shave off your 8k yet? You out to give it a go. Working with just that one stone to get the most polish it has to give can help improve your technique with it and can get you some really nice shaves in the process.

Once you think you have maxed out the 8k, and you should be getting OK or better shaves off it, see what each of your finishing options can do. Separately. I'm not a big believer in multiple finishing steps. I think that when we make this overcomplicated with to many steps we hurt our ability to gain skill with any one tool and thereby our result.

I've tried finishing with paste, any one of several barbers hones, wood ash on leather, and just the 8000 itself. I find each of them can be sufficient by itself.

currently my most common progression is to finish up on the 8000, then shave. If the edge is very close I'll go back to the 8000 for a couple of strokes and see what happens. If the edge is actually a bit worse than that I'll do five strokes on a barbers hone then try the shave again. Usually within 15 strokes with the barbers hone I've got a comfortable shave.

I only like the pastes on my German razors anymore. These are the razors I think get the sharpest the edge off these always feels more 'brittle' I'd say it feels harsher, sharper, and more fragile. If I really go to the finest edge with it I don't like the shave as much. With these the paste seems to retain the sharpness but 'soften' it somehow so the shave is more comfortable.

My Sheffields are the easiest to get a nice shaving edge on. these always feel silky smooth and really com up to perfection really nice with my favorite barbers hone.

My American razors seem to like the 8000 a lot. If I'm on my game when honing these come off the 8k with a good chance of having a comfortable shaving edge. Though they often don't feel as silky as the Sheffields, they aren't as brittle as the Germans and give my a nice compromise between the two.

For comparison my DE blades used in a shavette feels even more brittle than the German razors and very harsh. I've thought of taking one to the pastes for a few strokes to see if that softens the edge and feels better.