Thread: What razor to get for my husband

Originally Posted by CrabbyCakes

It might not be what everyone would have picked but that is fine.

I don't want to do you a disservice because you may be missing the point the more experienced members here are trying to make. The issue is not the aesthetics of the razor, but the function.

Unevenness along the spine due to imprecise grinding makes a razor hard to hone. Honing a razor is about precision and repeated execution of the same stroke, so if the grinding is inadequate the task becomes pretty difficult. Only poor (incorrectly heat treated) steel is impossible to hone, but how easy the job is done is a direct result of the maker's skill.
Razors are pretty simple objects, so there is no shortage of people who just make something that looks like a razor, is aesthetically appealing and can even be made to shave, but really mastering it takes time and experience.
There is also no shortage of aspiring honemeisters who are not taking work on razors with grinding problems - their skills are just enough to only do the easiest work.

In my book Charlie Lewis (member here with a screenname spazola) is the person who has mastered the aesthetics you are liking, and had you been able to get one of his razors you wouldn't be getting comments about unevenness of the grinding or problems with the edge.