Thread: Maintaining? (really need advice)

well, ive read the wikis and what not, and ive got a good idea of what wet shaving is about, but i had a question on maintaining the razor:

I saw in the wiki that a blade will be shave ready for 15-50 shaves?
Does that mean you will need a new blade after that, need to get it honed again, or just resharpen the blade?
I mean if the razor is shave ready, does that mean as long as you strop it every so often that it will never need to be honed agian?

Also, what size blade seems to be the most popular?
I saw the wiki said to get a 6/8, but i dont want to spend money on something that is going to do me no good.

Sorry last question, but what does it mean in the classifieds that a razor is in good condition compared to excellent?
Is it talking about blade, handle, etc?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers.

normal use will wear the edge of the razor over time, it will need to be at least touched up and eventually sharpened again. As for stropping, this is not an every so often thing, every shave you will strop.

size will not make the blade useless in the future and it is just a matter of preference, Seems the most common I see around is 5/8 or in the area. I believe the wiki is just suggesting mid range as a good start. you may want to go bigger or smaller in the future.

Originally Posted by TheBaron

normal use will wear the edge of the razor over time, it will need to be at least touched up and eventually sharpened again. As for stropping, this is not an every so often thing, every shave you will strop.

size will not make the blade useless in the future and it is just a matter of preference, Seems the most common I see around is 5/8 or in the area. I believe the wiki is just suggesting mid range as a good start. you may want to go bigger or smaller in the future.

thanks brotha.
appreciate the advice

Originally Posted by nick1990

I saw in the wiki that a blade will be shave ready for 15-50 shaves?
Does that mean you will need a new blade after that, need to get it honed again, or just resharpen the blade?

Lol....If properly taken care of, your razor will outlive your grandchildren. It will, however, need to be honed every few months.

On a properly honed , shave-ready razor , all you will need to do is touch up honing (5-10 laps) on a fine grit (8k or finer) hone whenever the razor feels like it isn't shaving as well as it should . You can also maintain the edge with a pasted paddle strop , but you will eventually need to rehone the razor when paddle strop doesn't do the job anymore . I've been shaving with straight razors for 2 1/2 years , and I've shaved with razors from 4/8 to 7/8 that have had all kinds of points (spike , round , etc.) , and both "smiling" , and flat blades . From my experience , I would reccomend a 5/8 blade with a rounded point , as a first razor . A smiling blade would be preferable , but not necessary . In the pic , the razor on the left is a 5/8 round point with a smiling blade . The razor on the right is a 4/8 square point (which used to be a spike point , but I rounded off the spike) with a flat blade , which IMHO would not be a good starter razor . I think a 5/8 is the best size because it's big enough to regulate the shaving angle easily , and small enough to shave the tight spots easily . A 6/8 is okay , too but it may be a little hard to maneuver under the nose , etc. . I think a 4/8 would be difficult for a beginner to regulate the shaving angle . I still nick myself sometimes when I use a spike point , so I don't reccomend it for newbs .

Don't worry about getting a 5/8 razor. You'll be permanently happy with it. And, I strongly agree with the advice of getting a rounded tip blade. It isn't mandatory. But, it removes the sharp point from what you have to worry about when starting. (And, believe me! You will dig a sharp point into your cheek a few times until you learn better. With my good pointed tip razors, that are utilitarian, not having much resale value, I actually dull the tip on a hone. But, this sentence will disappear as soon as you read it.)