Thread: Straight Razor Question

They don't have to be mirror polished to shave well - the other week I shaved with somebody else's razor that had some striations from the 1000 and 5000 grit hones. My rehoning improved it a little bit but that's it.

Under strong magnification I can see the honing striations on almost every razor that I have. Even those who have been finished with ultrafine abrasives in the suboptical spectrum have a striation here and there because nothing is perfect.

Here's a photograph of a brand new Feather blade (I think it is the PRO variation). You can not see striations on the tertiary bevel, which is to be expected because these things are also coated with something similar to teflon.


And here's a razor that has been finished on suboptical abrasive:

If it is a quality straight you will be able to get it shave-ready, either DIY or by honemeister intervention. Out of the box razors are rarely shave-ready. If the edge is keen and you can't shave with it it probably is an operator problem. But most newbs experience a very steep learning curve.

On this forum we discuss the qualities of various razor brands, so there's no problem mentioning which brand you have, it might help us to help you. If you are having problems with certain vendors: try and resolve the problem with them.