Thread: Test shaves done with "new" razors?

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I must say I fell the same as you, not that I have the mega bucks like you. However, when I found my last Rolls Royce had been driven and sold as new I sent it right back. I have a nice pair of Italian shell cordovan hand made shoes now instead - takes a bit longer to get places, but I'm damn sure they were not test-walked!

My last custom was a disappointment, too, I confess to having a few customs. In the literature that accompanied it it said 'hand wrought' so I phoned the maker to ask what that meant - apparently he had pounded it with a massive great hammer. I wasn't having that, no way, so I sent it straight back.

Honestly, what is the world coming to?



Regards,
Neil

Funniest answer in the lot.

Well I do understand everyone's point and it does make 100% sense. I honestly never even thought that a new straight would have been used by the maker to test out the blade. It does make sense though and don't consider it an issue now.

Man I'm glad I don't work for Dovo ..... I can't imagine how many test shaves I'd have to do every day but I imagine my face would be raw.

FYI, unless I'm wrong, Dovo doesn't test shave their or deliver them really "shave ready", but to the point, I have heard it said over and over on here by some of the finest honemeisters there are that the ONLY real test of an edge is the shave test, and I am under the impression that they all test shave an edge before sending it out. I could however be wrong, so we'll wait and see if one of them chimes in.

Originally Posted by wingdo

Funniest answer in the lot.

Well I do understand everyone's point and it does make 100% sense. I honestly never even thought that a new straight would have been used by the maker to test out the blade. It does make sense though and don't consider it an issue now.

Man I'm glad I don't work for Dovo ..... I can't imagine how many test shaves I'd have to do every day but I imagine my face would be raw.

I wonder if you would even know if a razor was "test shaved" or not if they didn't tell you. Maybe there are custom razor makers that test shave a razor and never say anything. My guess is if they did test shave and didn't tell you, you'd never know. On a personal note, all of my razors are vintage antiques, so it wouldn't bother me. I do get the idea of buying a brand new virgin razor though.

Pete <:-}

I always test my razors (I dont have the same level of experience as most on here, but I put a good edge on my razors and my friends are happy with the edges I have put on their razors) I also just assumed everybody else would test the razors as well.
But on the plus side you gotta admire Roberts honesty in his answer.

I have two razors over 200 years old, they probably have seen some use prior to my usage, they probably shave better now than they did new. Point being, if a razor can take thousands of shaves over a multitude of generations, what is one shave? Take into account the fact that honing is where the wear and tear comes into play, abrasion of the spine and edge upon stones compared to your stubble.

This reminds me of an eBay transaction I had a while back. Bought a razor, the seller sent the wrong one. No big deal, I sent it back.

But apparently it was a big deal to the guy who originally bought the razor that was sent to me. He refused to take it after he learned it had been sent elsewhere and someone else had TOUCHED it. I mean, my god, who knows what foul oils were on my finger tips when I briefly opened that box. (I halfway wonder if it was just an excuse to get out of an impulse purchase he was regretting).

The seller was a gem though. We had a long chatty conversation about the other guy's silliness.

Yea I can't imagine buying a new custom blade that was not tested to be of perfect quality before being sent out. Also, a shave test doesn't mean they are actually shaving their entire face with 3 passes and aiming for a BBS. It's simply a stroke or two to be sure the razor is going to perform the way it was intended. Even Mastro Livi test shaves every razor he makes, so wanting a "virgin" blade seems a little hypochondriac to me.

As I have already stated above, I understand everyone's point and have retracted my question. It makes perfect sense.

Interesting question and I see where you're coming from wingdo.

Me, it doesn't bother me in the least if it is test shaved. And as far as I'm concerned, the test shave is really just another YMMV type test, what one person considers shave ready or it shaves them, may not be what I consider shave ready, so to me that test can be rather meaningless.

Valery from The Gentleman's Den always asks if I mind if he test shaves any of my razors, he asks because some people prefer that he doesn't shave with them, for the very reason that wingdo states, I think it's totally understandable, it comes down to, as Jimmy points out in this month's tips, a case of YMMV....

Was a totally fair inquiry as to people opinions on the matter. Of course its always nice when people stick to their experience and personalize their opinions rather than judge others for their opinions and initial position on the matter.
Either way I am glad the thread was able to help the OP out.