Hello gents.

Is it possible to measure the lifespan of a straight razor? No. But can we find a general consensus on how many years would a straight typically be of good use? Maybe.

Honing is something that comes in mind. Depending on the hones used, a straight razor will have more or less metal removed and thus have a shorter or longer lifespan. As we all know, using a coarser grit hone will remove lots of metal and should only be used to set a bevel. If a straight razor has a bevel, will the higher grit (>8k) stones be sufficient to keep the edge sharp forever? If so, the metal removed will be minimal and the size of the razor will remain pretty much the same for lots of years, right?
We see straight razors with more than 100 years, spanned across several generations of a family, slowly getting shorter throughout many years of honing and stropping. We also see lots of junk for sale, straight razors that look like toothpicks, honed far more than they should.
My old barber told me that there were some days that he shaved more than 10 men. At that pace, his straight razor didn't have the same lifespan as the straight razors that we collect but use in a much less pace. And I saw his Fillies, and yes they were pretty slim, but then again, I don't know what honing process did he use, I only know that he used a red paste on a strop, so he seems to use only an abrasive paste to keep the edge sharp. How abrasive? I don't know. Assuming that it was similar to Dovo's red paste, then it should be around 8k grit I guess. So, if he didn't hone the razor, shaving 10 men each working day for, say, 10 years would turn the razor useless. I don't know how many shaves would that be, but they would be several thousand.

What are your thoughts on this, gents?