Thread: Average Number of Shaves Between Honings

Been finding that with a lot of my razors that after about 5 or 6 shaves they start getting scrapey, yet I've read some folks claiming that they only need to hone once or twice a year.
I've been experimenting with strop technique, trying to find ways to keep the edge alive beyond the 5 or 6 shave threshold I keeping running up against, but haven't got it to where I could go without honing for more than 6 weeks.

So, question for the honers: how many shaves do you expect to get out of a razor before you have to head back to the hones (for a touch up or otherwise)?
Well aware that this question will elicit a wide range of responses, for obvious reasons (type of razor, honing skills etc.), but your feedback would be real useful.

Yes, you will get a wide range of responses.
My answer to your question, is that i have found that I can use a single Razor for daily 2 or 3 pass shaves for around 2 months with just daily stropping.

Are you saying that you are only getting 5-6 shaves without Honing, or shaving every day for 6 weeks between Honing?

Are you Honing yourself, or sending the Razor out?

I go about two months between honings. I'm not sure that I need to hone, I just do it. I don't wait for the razor to start pulling.

This might come across as insensitive or like tough love, so to say, and you have correctly identified the problem, but based on your question and where it is posted, I would say you are still unclear on the root cause.

The problem for me is that I have dealt with a lot of people that are fundamentally stuck in a paradigm and get angry when I try to break it. So let me ask this . . .

How much more honing practice do you need to improve your stropping?

I often hear the 2 months between honing comment but I seldom hear if they "touch up" an edge with a barbers hone or the like. I would believe the 2 month if that also included "touch ups". I have CBN on a felt strip that I keep in the bathroom that I do about 10 laps on after about 3, four pass shaves or when I feel a drop in performance. For me, it is necessary and does an outstanding job of keeping my razors smooth and very keen. After a couple of months I go to the hones with my main razor and lightly hit the bevel and work up. I find it a lot easier to not let the bevel go to absolute hell between honing sessions and it doesn't take long to whip a razor into shape.

Take care,
Richard

Originally Posted by easyace

Yes, you will get a wide range of responses.
My answer to your question, is that i have found that I can use a single Razor for daily 2 or 3 pass shaves for around 2 months with just daily stropping.

Are you saying that you are only getting 5-6 shaves without Honing, or shaving every day for 6 weeks between Honing?

Are you Honing yourself, or sending the Razor out?

Hi thanks for the response... I get about 5-6 shaves per razor before having to return to the hones. However, I have a rotation of 4 razors and usually only shave every 2/3 days, which means a razor goes 6 weeks between honings. I have tough beard and sensitive skin, which might be a factor as well. And I do my own honing; I'm usually able to get a nice comfortable edge of the stones, but feel that I should be able to squeeze more shaves out of my razors afterwards.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I go about two months between honings. I'm not sure that I need to hone, I just do it. I don't wait for the razor to start pulling.

This might come across as insensitive or like tough love, so to say, and you have correctly identified the problem, but based on your question and where it is posted, I would say you are still unclear on the root cause.

The problem for me is that I have dealt with a lot of people that are fundamentally stuck in a paradigm and get angry when I try to break it. So let me ask this . . .

How much more honing practice do you need to improve your stropping?

Thanks for the response. I think its fair to say that I haven't identified the problem yet: it could be in the honing, could be in the stropping. As you know, honing is an art, and I've only about a years experience at it: there's no doubt that I could improve, and I'm still experimenting with different techniques, etc.

When you say that you go two months between honings: are you saying that you shave every day with the same razor for two months? (=60 shaves before going back to the stones)? If not, how many shaves do you get on average on a given razor before having to rehone?

Originally Posted by riooso

I often hear the 2 months between honing comment but I seldom hear if they "touch up" an edge with a barbers hone or the like. I would believe the 2 month if that also included "touch ups". I have CBN on a felt strip that I keep in the bathroom that I do about 10 laps on after about 3, four pass shaves or when I feel a drop in performance. For me, it is necessary and does an outstanding job of keeping my razors smooth and very keen. After a couple of months I go to the hones with my main razor and lightly hit the bevel and work up. I find it a lot easier to not let the bevel go to absolute hell between honing sessions and it doesn't take long to whip a razor into shape.

Take care,
Richard

Hey thanks! I'll definitely try the CBN...Cheers, Gringo

I get about 40-45 shaves between honings, without touch-ups. That math may not make sense at first, but I don't shave with the straight every day out of 60 (two months). But, I use a razor strop, not a piece of flat leather sold as a strop, and I know the difference.

The key is learning to tweak the leather in the strop to be as effective as you want it to be. You can do everything from wiping the strop with your oily palm (even rubbing your forehead before hand), which is very, very, mild; to adding soap; to adding abrasives, like lead powder, which is wicked powerful stuff. Then you are honing a little at each stropping session, and you have to cut back on your stropping, perhaps to once every few shaves, and the razor edge lasts for a really, really long time.

But, it takes courage to stop taking conservative advice and do what really works for you. Strops are nearly indestructible, not the delicate flowers that people might lead you to believe.

Do an SRP Google search on "Arthur Boon" and see what he says about how strops are supposed to be treated and how they are supposed to work. I think you might be surprised.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-part-2-a.html

Notice what he says about the importance of the strops stickiness. I'm NOT suggesting that you want to use your strop for honing. I'm just suggesting that the problem is simply in the tool.

Besides the honing, stropping and bad technique the main issue why a person will dull his razors faster than someone else has to with with beard coarseness. I personally know a few that have such a coarse beard they need to use a diamond or cro-ox pasted strop before each shave. They went nuts in the early stages trying to figure out why their razors turned dull so fast. After extensive testing we found out it was their wired, tough, coarseness of their beard. Just a thought.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I get about 40-45 shaves between honings, without touch-ups. That math may not make sense at first, but I don't shave with the straight every day out of 60 (two months). But, I use a razor strop, not a piece of flat leather sold as a strop, and I know the difference.

The key is learning to tweak the leather in the strop to be as effective as you want it to be. You can do everything from wiping the strop with your oily palm (even rubbing your forehead before hand), which is very, very, mild; to adding soap; to adding abrasives, like lead powder, which is wicked powerful stuff. Then you are honing a little at each stropping session, and you have to cut back on your stropping, perhaps to once every few shaves, and the razor edge lasts for a really, really long time.

But, it takes courage to stop taking conservative advice and do what really works for you. Strops are nearly indestructible, not the delicate flowers that people might lead you to believe.

Do an SRP Google search on "Arthur Boon" and see what he says about how strops are supposed to be treated and how they are supposed to work. I think you might be surprised.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-part-2-a.html

Notice what he says about the importance of the strops stickiness. I'm NOT suggesting that you want to use your strop for honing. I'm just suggesting that the problem is simply in the tool.

Thanks a lot for the info. I own a Tony Miller latigo strop which I only condition using the oil from my palm, rubbing down the strop for a minute or two before stropping. I've noticed that right after coming off the hones, there's considerable "stickiness" or draw, but after said 5 or 6 shaves, the razors begin to slip along the strop. Very recently I've been experimenting with slower stropping motions, making sure that the blade edge is on leather and drawing at all times, and I've noticed that this helps.

Have you tried using soap on latigo? What kind of soap do you use?