Thread: Adventures in 4/8 shaving...

I have a nice crew of full-length 4/8 straights. All were bought NOS and honed by me, and all are excellent shavers, extraordinarily smooth.

Below are my Bismarck, a pristine NOS eBay find that I paid a ridiculously low price for, a Torrey, again NOS and acquired very cheaply. Then there is the Henckel's Fridour Inox, my first stainless steel honing project, and the most recent, a "Zartina" which is a Solingen based brand I have never otherwise heard of.

All honed up as though they were born to the hone, even the stainless (thought it felt a little gritty on the hones, it took the edge very readily) and all are not just sharp, they are noticeably smoother than any of my other razors. I don't know if it was the NOS--I started with an excellent razor--or if the 4/8 fit my honing touch better. Whatever, they are wonderful

I also have a couple shorter bladed 4/8's, a Dovo Jubilaum and a Boker Baby I got from holli4pirating which is wicked sharp and slick. I'm currently restoring a pretty nice Torrey 4/8 with a shorter blade.

Pictures here for your straight razor porn enjoyment.