For Better or For Worse, a Psychological Honing Experiment

[marosell]

I'm going to refer to an arbitrary point in time when most people shaved (or were shaved) with straights as "Back in the Day", or BITD.

Two points:

• BITD people could not learn how to hone on the internet.
• BITD people could not do the homegrown research and trial/error methods and experiments that many of us do to get the FINEST edges possible.

I'm curious how these points affect the confidence of board member's edges. Is it as sharp as it could be? Is it sharper than it could have possibly been BITD? As a community do we feel as if we're striving to approach an older "standard" of sharpness that we imagine on an individual level, or do we feel that our honing abilities have long surpassed it?

So answer the poll above to the following question; it matters not what your experience level of honing is.

"BITD, you go to your barber and receive an average shave from an average razor. According to what you can *imagine* to be an average level of shave-ready sharpness, do you feel your personal razor is more dull, just as sharp, or sharper than the razor in the barbershop?"

I'm intrigued to see the results of the honers here, and also, what different sorts of things you think we can deduce from these results. What do the results mean? And what does it say about how we feel as a community about a standard level of sharpness both BITD and today?

Or, what would be a better poll question be that might give us more interesting answers to these questions?

[thebigspendur]

Remember that BITD especially if you go back far enough everyone used a straight and getting it honed was as simple as some itinerant guy who traveled around or your local barber shop or your friend or relative.

Most didn't obsess about it like we do but they manged to get a satisfactory shave.

You could have just as well asked the question how did people manage before cars existed. How did they get around and take care of their horses no?

[holli4pirating]

Back in the day, shaving others with a straight or honing straights might have been someone's full time job - I'd assume that person would be pretty good at it. Back in the day, there would have been a good chance (I think) that those who honed learned how to hone directly from others - I think it's easier to learn in person than over the internet. "Vintage" natruals seem, for the most part, to be better than their "new" brothers and sisters. We also talk about how, often, the old ways of doing and making things were better; why should honing be an exception?

Consider also, the size of barber hones suggests to me barbers carried them around all the time to touch up dull razors. How often do you touch up yours?

Just noticed (yup, still thinking about this question) that your two points both point towards the same bias.
Also, there is no "I'm not sure option," which is how I would vote.

[marosell]

Holli, I didn't realize the bias I might have been spinning, they weren't meant to do that, those were just a few of my thoughts. But looking back, you are absolutely right. I wish I had added some of your points to counter those. I wonder if that makes it sound like I think mine are sharper; interestingly enough, I seem to be the only person who thinks mine are duller.

I don't think the question itself is bias, but the results could sure be interpreted to reflect the way I presented the post in its entirety. Also, an "I'm not sure option" would have been a good idea as well.

[gugi]

One thing I know for sure is that my razors are sharper than the factory edges I've tried on NOS razors.

[Pete_S]

I'd say that the majority of people on here probably have much sharper razors then they had, except maybe BITD in Japan. Those guys have been into getting stuff really sharp for a long time.

I think that most of the people back then were much more skilled at straight shaving, though, and could get a good shave they were happy with with a razor most on here would consider pretty dull.

Then again, there is that Popeye cartoon where Bluto tests a razor with a HHT (the razor is so sharp the hair screams and splits before it touches the blade), so I guess I'll have to go with undecided, also.

[jnich67]

I would also bet that BITD men hated shaving and bitched about it the way most of us did when we used cartridge blades.

Jordan

[holli4pirating]

I'd say that the majority of people on here probably have much sharper razors then they had, except maybe BITD in Japan. Those guys have been into getting stuff really sharp for a long time.

I think that most of the people back then were much more skilled at straight shaving, though, and could get a good shave they were happy with with a razor most on here would consider pretty dull.

Then again, there is that Popeye cartoon where Bluto tests a razor with a HHT (the razor is so sharp the hair screams and splits before it touches the blade), so I guess I'll have to go with undecided, also.

Just out of curiosity, if you think back in the day people were better at shaving than they are today, why do you think the opposite of honing?

[avatar1999]

I am abstaining from this poll simply because I wasn't around BITD, and there's no way for me to know how my razors compare, unless I were to come upon a pro from BITD and have him judge, or if I came across a time machine...in which case, I think I would go and scoop up a lot of awesome razors and bring them back

[holli4pirating]

bring them back

You mean forward? ;-p
When you do, bring me some Sheffield steel from the mid and late 1800's. I'll PM you my favorite makers... ;-p