Thread: Does bevel polish matter?

Guys,

When I hone I look for a high level of polish on the whole bevel. The highest level of polish seems to take a lot of strokes, more than many here seem to use. Maybe after a few strokes the cutting edge is fine enough? Does one really need to see a mirror on the bevel at all?

-----Michael

I've had plenty of blades that I've carefully taken up through 30K that still had residual scratches in the bevel. It never seemed to make a difference in shave quality. The residual scratches certainly were not deep and they were hard to visualize with the naked eye, but they revealed themselves under 10X and good lighting. A perfectly scratch-free bevel might be prettier than one with scratches, but it probably won't shave any better.

The more strokes one uses the more the likelihood for a bad stroke to set things back.

I just answered this in another thread about 2 weeks ago

Firstly some stones will NEVER attain a mirror bevel in fact the haze finish is the preferred one

Secondly honing for a mirrior finish is not the desirerable method for Striaght razors if it happens that"s great but a Sharp, SMOOTH feeling edge is the goal, you will most likely find a harsh edge by honing for looks...

You have to understand that each razor does have a max point, it is normally found at between .37 Microns and .47 Microns but once you reach it then if you keep honing you create a fragile Fin... Some people refer to this as overhoning...

Chase the feel not the looks... and your face will thank you

There is the point of view out there that says the more finely the bevel is polished the easier the razor will cleave and separate the hair being cut. Trying to diminish the friction of the bevel is desirable and why razor blade manufacturers have spent a lot of time and money developing different coatings on their blades. Razor blades have edges that are not a lot different from a straight razor edge in that the optimum edge thicknesses are comparable.


Later,
Richard

this answered my questions....Thanks G

I try to aim for a nice even scratch pattern when I set the bevel and I go on feel from there.

I get burn and irritation on an awkward little patch on my neck when I use a de or a straight which has been highly polished on pastes and powders. Using a straight which has a hazy bevel from one of my natural stones glides through this patch unnoticed.

I do think shaving skill should also be factored in, something polished to 100,000+ grit is not going to be as forgiving as a coticule edge.

Originally Posted by ace

The more strokes one uses the more the likelihood for a bad stroke to set things back.

This has happened to me many times as I have practiced honing. "just one or two more"....and then I hear the spine lift up a little.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I just answered this in another thread about 2 weeks ago

Firstly some stones will NEVER attain a mirror bevel in fact the haze finish is the preferred one

Secondly honing for a mirrior finish is not the desirerable method for Striaght razors if it happens that"s great but a Sharp, SMOOTH feeling edge is the goal, you will most likely find a harsh edge by honing for looks...

You have to understand that each razor does have a max point, it is normally found at between .37 Microns and .47 Microns but once you reach it then if you keep honing you create a fragile Fin... Some people refer to this as overhoning...

Chase the feel not the looks... and your face will thank you

I missed that thread, but wish I had seen it. So if I'm getting a good "sticky/suction" feeling on 8k in both directions after say 15-20 strokes then I just stop? I don't have to worry if it's not so shiny it could blind someone? It's that simple?!

------Michael

LOL
It is never that simple, but that is the start, the accurate part of your post is that you are looking for a "feeling" on the stone/hone FIRST then looking at the bevel SECOND once those two thing correlate to a nice smooth shave you are there..


After that it is all just BS and it seems that what we tend to focus on


The mirror bevel gives a more comfortable shave Myth is just that a Myth ,, any Coticule fan or J-nat fan will argue that conclusion all day long... Myself I tend to believe that the best edge comes from the experience to match the best Hone/Stone to the Steel and know how to get the max out of that combination... JMHO

Bevel polish is one of those things I rarely even think about. I concentrate most on bevel setting and then on the honing process itself which finalizes with polishing which in my mind actually starts at the 8K level and is completed with your finishing stone of choice. I don't look at bevel polish itself as a measure of how the razor will shave. In most cases, for me, the best polish on the bevel comes from the stropping.

In my opinion and experience, most quality stones will hone up any type of razor and it really becomes a matter of finding which stones and which process serve you the best.

Have fun.

Bevel polish matters on J-Kitchen knives e.g. to achieve the nice rainbow effect on the presentation side of sushi.
As for razors, an uneven polish may reflect an uneven or warped blade but re mirror polishing there is a point of diminishing returns.