Would an electric knife sharpener be good to sharpen a straight razor with?

I have serious doubts about me being able to keep a straight razor sharp. I was looking at electric knife sharpeners and I was wondering if that would do a good job on a straight razor or if would ruin the blade. I'm hoping some of you will know the answer to this. I have a feeling you're going to say it would be bad for the razor, but I don't know for sure if that's what you'll say. One in particular I was looking at is the Presto Pro EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener

Amazon.com: Presto Pro EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener: Home & Garden

Your help is appreciated

Um, I think the simple answer is no. The amount of heat an electric sharpener would generate might be too high for a hollow ground razor. Plus, the grit size of that sharpener is probably not 8000 or greater, leaving your razor with an edge, but not an edge you would want to shave off of.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Please dont do that to your razor. That would probably be the worst thing you could do. If you really need help sharpening there are many guys here that can help you. I would help you just please dont buy that thing and put it anywhere near your razor. A razor needs to be hand hone on fine stones. It is totaly different from a knife. The edge of a razor is far more refined and polished. There are many hone miester that will hone the razor for you for a small fee most around 20 dollars. If you realy dont want to pay there are guys who would probably do it once for free. Check out the wiki and read all you can on honing razors. You will understand after you read that.

It would be bad for the blade. Those sharpeners could grind a razor to its death. Just as with shaving, honing takes time to learn also. I was told to find some blades not worth shaving with and practice with them. Slow and steady that's how I learn. Watch Lynn's stuff on honing and don't get in a rush. Get a Barbers hone and just do touch ups for starters believe me you will get the hang of it. I may never be the caliber of some of the hone meisters here but I can get a blade shave ready.

I'm just discouraged because I got a new straight razor and dulled it the first time stropping without even using it first. I'm saying that because I know Straight Razor Designs sells quality sharpened razors, so I know it's my fault. But I don't understand, It looked like I was stropping it the right way. I wish their was an easier way to sharpen them.:confused:

If you promise to:
1) not buy that thing for razors (hell, don't even put your good knives through that!)

2) Not ever mention it again!

3) Not get discouraged, because you are NOT the first guy this has happened to!!!

Then I'll hone one of your razors for free.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a honemeister. I can get my razors sharp and smooth enough to give me a nice shave, but when I get one back from a real pro, I can sure tell the difference. But hey, they aren't giving it away for free.

I would try stropping the crap out of it on linen and leather. You can also try stroppign on newspaper too.

Honing really is not that difficult.

The spine sets the correect honing angle. Just lay the blade flat on the hone, and pass it back and forth.


It does get a bit more involved than that....but it is not rocket science.


Don't ever use that thing on your razor, unless you like to cry.:(

i was right where you were 2 years ago!!!! i had a brand new gold plated ornate dovo. very nice to look at. very sharp. until i rounded the edge by stropping incorrectly. and boy do i mean rounded. brand new and professionally honed. and bam rounded. so i brought it to someone with a digitaly calibrated lazer cutting something or other and they promised it would be sharper than after it was professionally honed by hand. it indeed was very sharp. unfortunately it was the wrong angle. i literally had to shave at such a wide angle it was rediculous.i later learned (and hope i am right) that the angle of the blade is the angle provided by the lift of the spine on the strop or hone. so if you were to have your straight sharpened at the wrong angle you would definately regret it. i ground mine to the correct angle on a very slow cutting arkansas black surgical. everything could be a contributing facter in your inability to mantain a sharp straight. anything from the tension on the strop. are you applying pressure on the blade? flipping over on the spine? is the strop mounted at a good heigth. so many factors. keep with it and dont chinz out and get an eelectric sharpener. even if there was one that was mint for straights you would still have to strop your blade. plus electric sharpeners is kind of an insult to the art of mantaining and shaving w/ a straight. good luck!!!!

Like smokelaw said, I wouldn't even put good kitchen knives through one of those.

For that price you could get a barber hone, a RupRazor Filly + CrO, or send your razor out to be professionally honed a few times.

Don't get discouraged and certainly don't doubt yourself. If there was a cheap solution that didn't involve skill or have a learning curve, you would have heard about it here by now.

EDIT: I fully agree with Seraphim. I was just as scared to hone a razor as I was the first time I put an edge to my face, but found it to be far less difficult than expected. Just be careful, read the wiki, and ask if you have any questions.

Fortunately sharpening a razor is far easier than sharpening a knife, and I wouldn't even use one of those electric things on my worst knife. Given how thin a razor's edge is you would likely burn out the temper on the blade and be stuck with a really nice butter knife. And the edge angles are going to be to high I'd imagine as well. Honing just takes practice.

Those electric sharpeners don;t even get close to the right angle for razors.
The sharpener is set to give 15-25 deg per side, razors sit @ smaller angles.
Also I don't think the razor will fit in the electric , the blade is not wide enough.

Don't give up on honing.

As you are learning to strop, lay your strop on a table counter while stropping. Hard to sag that way! When you feel comfortable, attach to a wall, hold taut, strop VERY lightly. You'll be OK.

Take up the honing offer. Strop carefully. You'll do fine...

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Originally Posted by frustratedSRuser

I'm just discouraged because I got a new straight razor and dulled it the first time stropping without even using it first. I'm saying that because I know Straight Razor Designs sells quality sharpened razors, so I know it's my fault. But I don't understand, It looked like I was stropping it the right way. I wish their was an easier way to sharpen them.:confused:

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I don't know where you're located but there's always a chance you could be fairly close to someone who may be willing to mentor you in the way of the strop and the hone. I understand being discouraged the first razor I sharpened was a no go, I had to go back twice before she would finally shave properly. Even if there's no one near don't give up. There is plenty of instruction on stropping and honing and there is always those with tips and ideas who will give it willingly to help. Basically you have all of SRP behind you. You will get there.

I have to admit that as a novice myself, I was looking for an idiot proof way to sharpen the vintage razors I've recently purchased.

The thought of getting some automatic, handy dandy, can't fail electric knife sharpener did cross my mind, until common sense kicked in and I realized that if there was some simple way to correctly sharpen razors it would have been mentioned here at SRP.

Besides, their called electric knife sharpener's for a reason, their for knives, not razors.

I'm glad you asked first. I wonder how many poor souls attempted something like this, before checking in with a valuable resource like SRP, just to have there blade demolished.
I also ruined my edge, with bad, stropping. Just when I thought it was to far gone to do any shaving with I decided to give it one more shave, before I sent it out to be honed. I pulled it out started stropping after a few laps it just started to click. So I threw it on the canvase for about 60 laps and then back on the leather for 50 more. The blade turned out to be the sharppest I have ever felt it. The fine folks at SRD honed it for me but for some dumb reason I stropped it before my first shave, ruinning the edge then (I assume).
It will come too you, keep at it.

Those sharpening gadgets are only good for one thing, destroying knives... Pure and simple, regular knives should never be used in them, unless you like buying knives every year...

As stated before above, you are not alone and not the only one to have thiese feelings at the begining. It gets better and soon you will be amazed at how easy it is once you learn the basics. It does take time and dedication but it will get better. You also don't need high end stuff to do it with. One stone you will read about alot and I still feel it is the best start up stone... Norton's 4/8k :)

Keep asking questions, it will only get better :)

Hi Dwarvenchef,
I'm glad you mentioned your admiration for the Norton 4k/8k stone because I intend to order the Norton Starter Kit from Amazon this weekend. It comes with the above stone and the 220/1000 grit, plus a lapping/flattening stone, plastic cases and instructional DVD for a little over $116.
If anyone has feedback about this kit, good or bad, it would be appreciated, I checked the wiki hone page here on SRP but didn't find much.

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Originally Posted by michael103150

Hi Dwarvenchef,
I'm glad you mentioned your admiration for the Norton 4k/8k stone because I intend to order the Norton Starter Kit from Amazon this weekend. It comes with the above stone and the 220/1000 grit, plus a lapping/flattening stone, plastic cases and instructional DVD for a little over $116.
If anyone has feedback about this kit, good or bad, it would be appreciated, I checked the wiki hone page here on SRP but didn't find much.

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Not much to say really. The Norton 4k/8k is well spoken of and documented here. The 1k grit would be good for setting the bevel and 220 grit good for major repair. The flattening stone for lapping with plastic cases for holding and storing... what's not to like?!? :tu

Not a bad price to get off the ground with, it will do you well as long as your useing a straight.

Don't worry about the 220 much, the 1k is the one you will use for MOST ouches.

The flattener is better than nothing but down the road you may want to upgrade away from it. It wears down with use and has had some issues with being flat from the start. But at the price of the kit, worth getting.

As a bonus you can use these same stones on kitchen knives, well western knives can stop at the 1k and harder steel knives can be taken all the way up the chain :)

we're still talking about your razor, right? Then yes, go for it.

Definitely a NO-NO on the Electric Knife Sharpener!

A similar thing happened to me at the beginning when I started straight shaving. I applied too much pressure on the blade when stropping and slightly 'folded' the edge of my spanking new full hollow ground Dovo..ouch

Best is to send it back to Lynn for re-honing. We live and learn, and most of us do make mistakes at the beginning (and even later on) our straight shaving adventures...

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Originally Posted by frustratedSRuser

I'm just discouraged because I got a new straight razor and dulled it the first time stropping without even using it first. I'm saying that because I know Straight Razor Designs sells quality sharpened razors, so I know it's my fault. But I don't understand, It looked like I was stropping it the right way. I wish their was an easier way to sharpen them.:confused:

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I wouldn't sharpen a knife on an electric knife sharpener.

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Originally Posted by Mykl

Fortunately sharpening a razor is far easier than sharpening a knife, and I wouldn't even use one of those electric things on my worst knife. Given how thin a razor's edge is you would likely burn out the temper on the blade and be stuck with a really nice butter knife. And the edge angles are going to be to high I'd imagine as well. Honing just takes practice.

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Well that gives me hope. Thanks. I used to sharpen knives as a young teen. My mother could barely chop veggies without cutting herself, bless her heart, so she would have me sharpen them for her. So, hopefully I'll get as good at sharpening SRs. I miss sharpening knives for her.

It would probably be pretty good for dicing carrots when you are done.

get a sharpening stone, learn to sharpen a knife first. i.e. deal with dead meat before your face. go slow. i wouldn't but the backside of my $7 chinatown cleaver through anything with a motor.

U wana use a brick to hone on. Much better than a knife sharpener

An electric knife sharpener is made specifically for sharpening electric knives. I have never figured out what an electric knife was made for.

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Originally Posted by icedog

I have never figured out what an electric knife was made for.

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To cut coticules out of the mountain in Belgium!

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To cut coticules out of the mountain in Belgium!

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:rofl2::rofl2::rofl2:

Seriously, though, you'll probably ruin your razor in one of those things. Don't do it.