First Time Using A Barber Hone

Well, I got my barber hone thins morning (Thanks Maxi, you're the man!)

Came home, watched gssixgun's youtube video again and grabbed a Genco that I felt was not as smooth as it should be.

10 laps using water and a small drop of dishwashing soap. I was very careful to make sure the blade was flat and used only the weight of the razor for pressure. 50 laps on the leather strop and then I tested it. The shave was definitely better than before and just a hair less smooth (excuse the pun) than my other razors.

For all of you that suggested the barber hone route, thank you. I'm a believer.

Now the question.

Will I be hurting anything if I just simply made it a routine to do those 10 laps on all my razors once a month?

That's what barber hones are for. I would use the hone whenever you feel the edge could do with a touch-up. Use as many laps as required to get the edge where you want it.

What "he" said.

FWIW --

If the razors are in a regular rotation, you might want to use the barber hone every 20 shaves. But that's 20 shaves _on a single razor_.

So, if you have 5 razors and shave daily, you'll be using the hone (on the full set) every 100 days.

CHarles

Assuming that your razor is at peak performance and that means that the bevel is set and the thing is shave ready a barbers hone will keep your razor going for a very long time. It is not unusual for someone to give a razor some laps every other shave. When you become experienced enough you will be able to notice slight differences in the performance of your razor and that is when you hit the hone. The fact of the matter is that sometimes, when one is starting out, if you wait to long to go to the barber's hone you will not be able to get it back to peak performance without more work that a barber's hone is not designed for.

The beating that you razor takes is not a constant quantity. Let's say you don't do a prep one day and just get down to it. Your razor edge will take much more of a beating than if you use a hot towel, for instance, to soften your beard.


Take Care,
Richard

OK, the general consensus is that the hone is to be used as needed and that can be anywhere from a few shaves to 20 shaves. The ultimate YMMV.

I guess I'm just going to have to learn as I go.

Yet another learning curve and a new skill to master.

I love this hobby :)