Thread: Microscopes When Does Magnification Become Too Much of a Good Thing ?

I just use a 10x these days to check the bevel. A 20x if I'm just plain unsure if there is any chipping left in the edge or on new razors I get to check which grit to start with.

I actually recently discovered the tiniest little chip, just barely visible under 30x, on my Wade and Butcher when I was admiring the edge under magnification (the things I do when I'm bored...). Normally I would work through my honing progression again to try and get that micro-chip out, but then I realized something. I shaved with it just the night before and had a fabulous shave with it, and no cuts or irritation!

If I just finished honing a razor and saw a little micro-chip like that in the edge I would keep working on it until it was gone. I'm not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, since it can cause problems, but it can always deem an otherwise shave-ready razor not ready simply by visual inspection.

What I'm getting at is that the most important test truly is the shave test. I shaved with that razor again tonight and it went very nicely, so I don't care if it fails the microscope test, it passed the most important one in my books.

Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

I actually recently discovered the tiniest little chip, just barely visible under 30x, on my Wade and Butcher when I was admiring the edge under magnification (the things I do when I'm bored...). Normally I would work through my honing progression again to try and get that micro-chip out, but then I realized something. I shaved with it just the night before and had a fabulous shave with it, and no cuts or irritation!

If I just finished honing a razor and saw a little micro-chip like that in the edge I would keep working on it until it was gone. I'm not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, since it can cause problems, but it can always deem an otherwise shave-ready razor not ready simply by visual inspection.

What I'm getting at is that the most important test truly is the shave test. I shaved with that razor again tonight and it went very nicely, so I don't care if it fails the microscope test, it passed the most important one in my books.

I've had a couple razors like that as well. I remember looking at one of my favorite shavers under the scope just for kicks and being horrified at what I saw (with regard to microchipping). I was tempted to play with it, but being one of my favorites and really liking the shaves off of it, I figured it was better safe than sorry and put it back on the shelf I agree, when honing a fresh blade it's hard not to want perfection, but ultimately all that matters is the shave test.

Here is a quote from one of Lynn's old posts on what he looks for when using a microscope, "What I always try to look for through the microscope is to see if the edge is even in distribution across the razor. Next I want to make sure that the striations are tight and in most cases they do look darker through the microscope. I also try to make sure no shading up toward the edge and no micro chips near the edge. These usually indicate overhoning and the chips indicate that even if the razor is shaving sharp, it usually won't be as comfy as it should be".

Point being that a razor can have micro chips and still shave you. I have one custom that I bought used and it had a micro chip in it that I couldn't see with the naked eye but was there under the 30x. The razor is S30V stainless which has a reputation for being one of the tougher alloys to hone. I have another that I did hone and it lived up to it's reputation.

So I was confronted with the decision of whether to hone the chip out or leave it alone. Figuring that if I hadn't looked at it with the microscope I wouldn't have seen the chip I went ahead and shaved. This particular razor shaved well and I decided to leave well enough alone.

I could get along without the scope knowing what I know now. I am glad that I have it though and especially glad that I had it when I was first learning. If for nothing else being able to compare razors honed by Lynn, Tim Zowada and other honemiesters with what I was doing was helpful in knowing what a properly honed edge was supposed to look like.

I wouldn't mind having the ability to look at my edges with say 100x but the 30x is fine for my routine honing , checking out a bevel, examining a newly acquired razor, or seeing what the edge looks like when I am done honing, stropping and sometimes after a shave to see if it is still consistent and not micro chipped.