Thread: Shaving with a 1.2K edge wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it was gonna be.

Originally Posted by globaldev

i'd think think that a well refined blade without stropping would be noticeable worse than you make it sound.

Really? I thought I already made it sound pretty bad.

I would suggest a bit more testing then...

Coming straight off the finisher, should be a very smooth comfortable shave, without stropping... This is another test unto itself

When testing on the lower grits ie: 1k 1.2k, you have to strop to get the rough metal feathers off the very edge, you are trying to compare two very different things..

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I would suggest a bit more testing then...

Coming straight off the finisher, should be a very smooth comfortable shave, without stropping... This is another test unto itself

When testing on the lower grits ie: 1k 1.2k, you have to strop to get the rough metal feathers off the very edge, you are trying to compare two very different things..

I know I am. My point was that stropping or not stropping makes a huge difference (for me).

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "rough metal feathers" that one has to get "off the very edge". You are talking about the debris that piled up at the very edge I'm guessing?

I don't use synthetics (I've used a coticule for this, still have to try it with my cretan which is a more aggressive stone), which is why was talking about a basic bevel being established, not about definite grits. There might very well be a notable difference between synthetics and naturals in this aspect, at least for coticules one would think, as they don't produce a sawtooth pattern.

And I realise that this I have been slighty deviating from the original point of this thread. I didn't inted to and have only now realised it. I still hope I got to add at least a tiny bit here.

to follow up with this, last night i shaved off a 5K Shapton Pro w/ some light slurry at the end (same razor CVH MK6) and it was absolutely great, not a sublime feeling, but it was definitely a great shave.

When i mentioned redefining shave ready for myself, i never would have placed a 1K or 5K edge as shave ready previously, as most people (i know i did) seem to define it as getting through the fourth stage that glen stated. i think i still might based on preference, but it makes me wonder why there are so many that say an edge from a experienced honer isn't shave ready. Disclaimer: i hone for no one but myself, so no confusion that someone else said this about my edges.

In those cases, i'd love to reach into the screen and give the edge a try and se for sure if it was capable of shaving.

I am not sure if it's the quality of the steel in this razor or my technique, maybe a bit of both, but it certainly makes me feel different about what people consider a shave ready edge.

I've never tried this but I find it very interesting.

I wonder what a barber 100 years ago would have thought of a good 1k edge.

Michael

"A dull razor in the hands of an experienced shaver, is better than a sharp one in the hands of a novice"


Don't forget that having experience with how to get the most out of the edge, plays a very important part too..

Part of these experiments is to help with your honing , the other part helps with your confidence

Originally Posted by gssixgun

"A dull razor in the hands of an experienced shaver, is better than a sharp one in the hands of a novice"

Don't forget that having experience with how to get the most out of the edge, plays a very important part too..

Part of these experiments is to help with your honing , the other part helps with your confidence

sounds legit

i think my honing is well up to snuff, but i may overdo the laps a bit. not by hundreds, but by maybe 20-25..

i think today as i honed it further to ~8K i could feel within moments of starting the change in feedback only after 4 or 5 super light laps on a Hatanaka Toishi Akatsuki HG-1. perhaps even less. i wanted to stop, but i just couldn't… i need an intervention!

i just feel like there is no way it could be "there" yet.

Most people realize after doing these experiments, that the ole' "Less is More" saying really starts to make a bunch of sense..

Just keep sneaking up on the optimum edge as you go

Originally Posted by globaldev

i think today as i honed it further to ~8K i could feel within moments of starting the change in feedback only after 4 or 5 super light laps on a Hatanaka Toishi Akatsuki HG-1.

i want to say the shave off this edge was keener, but not yet smooth. however, i did have some outside influence that could definitely affected the shave. even my soap was kind of not feeling right before i shaved. but the result of the passes was clean.

And to finish off my experiment, a couple passes on a ozuku w/ nakayama tomanagura and it was all there, sharp and smooth. It's a rite of passage for me I think, I no longer wonder about what it would be like, now I know. Thanks for the comments along the way.