Originally Posted by
floppyshoes
As for the razors, I find they shave well. I have two (a tosuke and an unknown antique) and both will happily keep getting sharp until I run out of hones and pastes at the very fine end. They take the finest edge of all my razors, hands down. They are also nice for those with dense and tough bears since they are very stiff and have shorter edges. You could have finishing nails coming out of your face and take them clean off with no drag assuming you honed the razor right.
There are some cons, however. It takes longer to shave since the blade is shorter and a little more difficult to use in certain places. They are notably difficult to hone due to the hardness of the steel and tendency to chip on faster cutting hones. Lastly, due to the asymetrical grind, they tend to be a little tricky to angle and are terribly unforgiving when you don't.
The mystique, IMHO, stems from the "rawness" of the tool. Very effective in the hands of the right user, useless if not dangerous otherwise. Much like natural water stones, each seems to have a personal character, likes, dislikes and quirks. Since they are handmade, no two are identical.