Spare Razor Question

Not sure if this is the correct forum, so let me know if I should repost somewhere else.

I'm a newb at straight razor shaving. I bought a dovo best quality 6/8 back in June, shaved with it for 2 weeks, dulled it with poor stropping technique, sent it back to SRD for a re-honing. I Got it back almost 4 weeks ago and still shaving, so I think my stropping or technique, hopefully both, has improved.

Anyway, I recently bought a finishing hone (I went with the Chinese 12k) for touching up the edge when the time comes.

The question: how important is it for me to have a spare razor (I don't) in case my honing takes awhile to get to a decent level?

Will one razor be a motivation to get proficient at honing or does everyone struggle with touch-up honing and would it be foolish not to have an extra?

I want another razor (or several) eventually, but I'd like to hold off a little while, maybe ask for one for Christmas from the wife or something.

Thanks for any imput; I hope my question wan't too long winded.

Ken

I think it depends whether you're ok with your razor being gone for a week or so

Personally I'd still want a spare in case of accidental damage

I have a DE at hand for these situations. They are cheaper than straights, easier to maintain, and better than cartridge razors. It's a great middle ground for when you can't use your straight, but don't want to buy a new one yet.

IMHO I think that two razors is the bare minimum, just in case something happens (heaven forbid!) to one.
I took me a while to learn to hone,(not like I'm not still learning) and if the only thing I had was the one I was practicing on, I would have been in trouble.
OTOH as others have said, a DE could work....

I've just started and I've got three straights. Mind you two were bought of Ebay for a total of less than $35 for both.

If you want a safety type razor as a backup I would recommend a Gem Junior. They use a single edged blade and do a really nice job. You can still find blades for them - use only Gem brand - at local pharmacies and places such as Bed Bath and Beyond.

Ed

I would personally have a second razor. You do not have to spend $100+, I have seen some decent vintage shave ready razors for $30-$50 here.


You got to know when to hone 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never shave your face when you're honin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for shavin' when the honin's done.

Thanks for all your replies. I'm still not sure what I'll do. I like the DE idea, as well as looking through the classifieds. Everyone seems to agree that very few people can hone their only razor satisfactorily on their first attempt at honing, which is what I suspected. Hmmm. I know I want to wait until I get get another razor to start practicing my honing, but that hone is going to be staring at me, egging me on. The perfect scenario will be that my razor won't get too dull until I have a few extra bucks for a second razor. In the meanwhile I'll keep my eyes on the classifieds.

Thanks again!


Ken

The Chinese 12K stone is a very, very slow-cutting stone. And it's not so much a sharpener as a polisher. So actually, it's a "best case scenario" for a newcomer such as you or me. For a full hone, i hear people talking about 50-100 laps on the Chinese stone coming from something like the 8K Norton.

So for a touch up of an otherwise finely honed razor, you might just take 10 easy laps on the Chinese 12K, strop on leather, and see how it feels shaving.

I made the mistake of "touching up" on fast-cutting barber hones, where 30-40 strokes was a VERY bad idea.

You might pick up a cheap razor of one of the universally reviled brands noted on this site for about $10-15 just to work on the physical movement of stroking the edge down the hone and back without fumbling it.

If you take it slow and gentle, keep your stroke count low (increments of 10 simple X strokes) I don't think you'll do much harm to your razor on a Chinese 12K stone as long as you keep the blade flat on the stone with even, very light pressure. I think of it simply as stabilizing the blade on the stone, not even pressing it to the stone....kinda like a good shaving stroke!

I actually think a Barber hone is best case because it only takes 4-6 strokes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LawsonStone

The Chinese 12K stone is a very, very slow-cutting stone. And it's not so much a sharpener as a polisher. So actually, it's a "best case scenario" for a newcomer such as you or me. For a full hone, i hear people talking about 50-100 laps on the Chinese stone coming from something like the 8K Norton.

So for a touch up of an otherwise finely honed razor, you might just take 10 easy laps on the Chinese 12K, strop on leather, and see how it feels shaving.

I made the mistake of "touching up" on fast-cutting barber hones, where 30-40 strokes was a VERY bad idea.

You might pick up a cheap razor of one of the universally reviled brands noted on this site for about $10-15 just to work on the physical movement of stroking the edge down the hone and back without fumbling it.

If you take it slow and gentle, keep your stroke count low (increments of 10 simple X strokes) I don't think you'll do much harm to your razor on a Chinese 12K stone as long as you keep the blade flat on the stone with even, very light pressure. I think of it simply as stabilizing the blade on the stone, not even pressing it to the stone....kinda like a good shaving stroke!

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I was also thinking about that.....the slow cutting being a good thing because it would take more for me to over-hone, but a bad thing because of more strokes and more opportunities for me to mess up. Thanks for both comments.

no better motivation to hone your honing skill than by having only 1 razor that you maintain yourself.

experience is an excellent teacher, but not a very forgiving one.

if you already have a well honed razor, then the 12k should be good. It will take more strokes, so there is more chance of you screwing the edge up. But you probably will not be able to overhone with it. But with the 12k you are screwed if you somehow damage the edge by whacking it on something hard (including that 12k).

Don't be afraid to use your second hand to steady the toe of the razor. My honing improved a lot after I started doing that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I would personally have a second razor. You do not have to spend $100+, I have seen some decent vintage shave ready razors for $30-$50 here.


You got to know when to hone 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never shave your face when you're honin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for shavin' when the honin's done.

---

You got to know when to hone 'em, know when to own 'em, (My thoughts):)

To address the OP'S query, I'm what many would consider a minimalist, and I own two straights (and, godammit, as of today a DE as well...Bloody RAD getting to me). I bought the second one new for $99 Australian. It's a Geisen and Forsthoff Timor brand that seems to be little known and trusted on this forum. However, I know they're made in their country of origin (Germany), and even something, even if it's poorly made, made in Germany, it's going to be good quality in comparison to something poorly made in China, such as a Gold Dollar Razors. Gold dollar seem to be the minimum recommendation from some here. I would rather the Timor over a cheaper Chinese gamble off ebay.
My experience with the Timor has been that it is almost as good as my Dovo. Now, if one needs work I still have the other. As well as a DE I suppose, but I haven't had a go at using that yet, since it only arrived today.
As for honing and in your case I suppose, touching up a razor on a 12k stone. Don't be scared, keep the blade flat, use a light touch and go for it. Read a few how to's first to get the idea. I had no real difficulty honing my own, but I did have my local honing Guru come around to ease my mind (Thanks Jimbo) on my honing technique. Well that's my two bob's worth anyway.
Wishing you many enjoyable shaves,


Mick

I started with a dovo best quality from SRD, shortly after added a henkels from cedarfurnitureman. Having two helps givce me piece of mind, since stropping can mess up an edge, the faucet can mess up an edge, the sink can..., well I think you get the picture. There are many ways to ruin an edge and if you dont have enough stones to go from bevel setting to finish, you are going to be waiting for a week or two from time to time, while it gets honed by someone else. I like shaving too much for that. Shortly after I started, and after reading tons of posts on this board, I decided to try some different "favorite" brand razors. I have since gotten a dubl duck satinedge, a no name soligen, a couple bokers, a torrey, a paula off ebay, and a few others but only one of those I have gotten ready to shave so far, that being the dubl duck. I also have 3 japanese straights, only one that is shave ready though. Then I decided to go back to another shave ready from lynn and don, a robeson shuredge. I have yet to try any sheffields but I am sure it will only be a matter of time. :) It is variety which makes the world go round.
IMO two razors would be a bare minimum, since I hate self imposed pressure, having one that you can shave with while practicing honing on another, will definitely lower stress levels, while also giving a benchmark.

All the replies are great. Thank you very much. I'm getting many different view points and some very good ideas. I forgot about having the second razor for a benchmark, definitely something to consider. We'll see how patient I am. I may just give it a go and keep it light and even. Everything to do with shaving with a straight is always much harder than it sounds though....

For now I'll keep shaving with the one I have and working on technique, especially skin stretching.

Thanks again,

Ken