Thread: Using "Selective" razors for honing practice

Hey all,

So I'm bidding on a pair of "Selective" brand razors on ebay. Now I know what you're all thinking: "Don't do it!! They suck!!" But I already know that! I already have a few nice razors (a dovo, a few boker king cutters, dubl duck special #1, wade and butcher), and am decent at honing, but would like more practice. I recently had 3 of my razors sent out to a honemeister, and am more than pleased with the result. I'm a little reluctant to practice honing with a good razor, since it's not worth botching an already shave ready blade... I just want to practice the motion of honing with a razor, just so I get better at it, and for fun too when I'm bored on a Saturday night....haha. But seriously, I just want some CHEAP razors that I can use to practice honing with. If I win, I'll get a nice couple of crappy new razors for under $10! I do NO plan on shaving with these, and it'll be fun to have some cheap razors to abuse!

Anyone other honing newbies out there using really cheap razors to practice honing?? Just seems like a good investment for me.

Dave

P.S.

I think they'd also make AWESOME letter openers!

i've been trying to find cheap razors to practice honing with, at least on here not ebay. You should make sure whatever you buy is able to take a shavable edge though. I hear some of the pakistani ones won't even take a good edge.

Also, you DO want to shave with them. It's the only difinitive test for an edge!

I think it would be more prudent to get a few from local antique shops that were made in Germany or England or USA that could take a good edge. With the ones you are talking about you wouldn't know if your honing was good or not. Find some more on Ebay but stick with well known brands and stay away from Pakistan type blades.

bj

Get something known to get a good edge, a Wapi or a Double Arrow. Or practice with one of the ones you already have. With the eBay garbage you'll never know if it's you or the blade what's failing.
Go slow and looking at the edge with a Radio Shack scope to learn the progression.

SRDave,

The advice above is sound. If your razor is not capable of taking a good, shaving edge you will never know if your honing techniques are good. Why waste the time? Get a cheap vintage blade that can take a shaving edge. It's inexpensive tuition.

Originally Posted by Bruce

SRDave,

The advice above is sound. If your razor is not capable of taking a good, shaving edge you will never know if your honing techniques are good. Why waste the time? Get a cheap vintage blade that can take a shaving edge. It's inexpensive tuition.

Exactly! In order to get good at something, you must practice true, but you need to practice perfect technique to build perfect habits. If your razor is inccapable of showing any results you will never know whether or not you are training yourself to have perfect form or creating a bad habit that will have to be unlearned later.


Or to put it bluntly, if it don't get sharp enough to shave it ain't a razor and you can't practice sharpening a razor by using something that isn't one.

When I started out I got three good quality blades that were well worn and had crappy scales for $15, these were what I learned to hone on. They still give good shaves. In addition to teaching me honing they taught me blade polishing and I also learned how to replace scales on them too, now one of them is a favorite of mine.

True, all the above advice is sound. I just wanted some razors that I wanted to practice the motion of honing with, that's all. I want to build up my little honing muscles, so the motion of it feels more natural. It's true that I can't really test the quality of my honing, but I just wanted sine DIRT cheap razors to mess around with. BTW, I just won them on ebay. Only paid $5.24 for two razors! That's what I meant by dirt cheap.... Haha, even if they don't take on a shaving edge they shall make fine letter openers. Thanks for the advice everyone,

Dave

I bought a couple of selective razors off ebay but that was before I found this site. I was actually surprised that they were somewhat sharp. I have practiced stropping with them and I will practice honing with them as well. I can not wait till my real razor comes in so I know what sharp really is but hey this was a good and cheap lesson for me good luck.