Too hurt to hammer .. Tim zowada was hurt in an accident and created the razor ... It's a nice one
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Public service announcement : tomorrow is hart steel hump day
Are we to Photo bomb the SOTD? heheee
Been thinking of picking one of these up. I am trying to determine if the quality justifies the price, and from the fans in this thread, I am thinking that it does.
I think it's whatever your budget allows for or better yet what you're okay parting with. I bought it because it's American made, and I like it. They do have customs, but the last time I looked they were all sold out, nice looking ones to.
I've got a 7/8 square point with Koa scales. it came from the factory with a tuggy hone that I cleaned up. the bottom of the scales were rough in a spot; either they weren't properly finish sanded, or the stain pooled and wasn't cleaned up.
I do like it, and have no intention to replace the scales. it's probably spent more time on my face than any other blade since I've had it, but I'm not 100% convinced it's worth $300 new.
My experience as well. It was my first straight and I thought the price was what you needed to pay for quality. I like the clean minimalist appearance and we share a name :p. Sadly, it came "unready to shave" despite the manufacturers claims to the contrary. My honing skills are poor and it has yet to live up to its potential.
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I'd like to say that mine has not lived up to its potential but I'm believing that it really doesn't have that potential. Mine barely came shave ready and I think I know why. Since I acquired mine, its never taken a truly great edge. I had a LOT of problems with the steel chipping as I was honing. Knowing that they use one layer to hone the blades, I added a second to try to stabilize things. It helped....a tiny bit. Frustrated that I was not able to get a really good edge on it, I went to three layers. That helped more. I've put mine across synthetics and naturals. The edge I got from my Jnat was probably the best its had since Ive owned it but it falls short of what I'm able to do with other razors. In an effort to push it a little further, last night I put it over my Suehiro 20k. No better than the Jnat. Is it a shavable edge? Yeah, it is. But is it a great edge. No, absolutely not. My Wade and Butcher FBU takes on a much better edge and shaves much better than I think this Hart ever will. I even tried to contact Hart about the chipping and quality of the steel as it was known to be an issue with earlier models. They never responded. I like the idea of an American made razor but I'd suggest a Revisor or TI over a Hart any day.
Who was the AT that ground you Blade ? Maybe he was having a bad day or like you stated maybe bad steel one of mine has small pitts on it an never had any rust I not sure if it came like that I saw it when I was cleaning it after I had shaved. As to honing them I have only had to touch mine up a little using a welsh thurigian . If you like American Made Razors you should try one of Tim Zowadas "Carbon Series" Razors I have prototype of his 2H2H Razors and one of the new "Carbon Series" Razors and I really like them. My Son is only 7 and he has already says those are his razors.
I love mine. Great shaver.
I have three, 7/8 Square 6/8 Square Baxter and the Kamisori.
The 7/8 is my "go to" razor - easy to maintain and a all around great razor that gets close to 50% of the razor of the day slots.
And that's great if the steel holds it's edge. But mine needs at least three layers of tape to keep the steel from crumbling away. Thanks to Utopian for coaxing a shav able edge out it. But I don't have long term hopes for it. In the end the steel on mine is simply inferior even if we were able to get an edge on it. A $300 razor shouldn't need this much voodoo to get a shaveable edge.
Like cars I'm willing to go with American gladly but the product has to be quality. My two Revisors hone up and shave much better than the Hart. If I'm buying new, I'll go with Revisor before another Hart or a cousin of one. The design is nice, the grind is nice. But the quality and customer service left a lot to be desired. And at those prices there are many options available. I recognize that mine was probably the exception not the rule. But I won't allow it to happen again on my dollar.
I have the Baxter "Not A Replica" Hart, and it holds its own with any of my razors. Hones up fine, holds an edge nicely with stropping, and a very comfortable shave. Anybody else have the BOC Hart and if so, how is yours?
Same thing on the first one I tried - on one spot along the edge would crumble during shaving. The angle was 15 degrees, so definitely within the spec.
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The curvature of the spine didn't match the curvature of the edge as well - they were offset relative to each other, which I attribute to lack of grinding skills (it was early in the production).
The second one, few years down the road, was better and didn't have the crumbling steel issue, but it was an average shaver - I have dozens of sheffields, some 200 year old, that shave much better and look better, not to mention for a fraction of the cost of a hart.
In other words I gave them a chance, then a second chance, and I'm not a fan. For $300 I could buy a far better razor from sheffield any day (e.g these ones cost me less http://straightrazorpalace.com/attac...p-img_1413.jpg, http://straightrazorpalace.com/attac...p-img_1433.jpg, http://lh4.ggpht.com/_rQyZbP-n9YM/S4...0/IMG_1906.JPG).
I've honed a few of these and have been wanting one for myself I can accept a few have issues. What I cannot accept is no response or replacement from the company. Do they have a phone number? Maybe try and call them.
No doubt you can probably fix the issue but 1) shouldn't have to and 2) how much metal are you going to have to remove? You buy a 7/8 because that's what you wanted.
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My HARTSTEEL travelled from the factory to the vendor and then to me, all the while never having touched the surface of any stone. No bevel set, nothing. I had to hone it myself for which Hart sent me a $20 credit. The O1 Tool Steel honed beautifully and shaved great but it was disappointing to find the new edge in that neglected condition.
Never owned one.never will.What I do not understand is why,with all the neg. feedback they garner do people keep paying big bux for them.
I didn't see much negative feedback out there when I bought my 6/8 Hart spike two or three years ago, so I really didn't think twice about getting it. I'm satisfied with mine. It keeps a great edge, and it's one of my best shavers. It came shave ready from Classic Shaving.
Now, I guess that they are having problems with quality control. And from what I've seen in the last few posts, I assume that temperature control during the hardening and tempering processes are a problem, if the steel is crumbling. Of course, if they're sending out razors without ever being put to a stone, as some have said above, it would be kind of hard for them to tell what quality of steel they are producing now.
Have people been reporting their issues to Hart so that they can review their production controls? They seem like they would like to be known for producing great razors, not junk. Hopefully they would respond to the reports by improving their controls.
Many people like them, and there are hype-driven sites where they get actively marketed. Plus they are pretty much the only currently mass-produced razor with such a heavy grind.
The steel is very solid O1 - comparatively easy to get heat treated correctly, so it's easy to make good razor out of it.
You can pay a little more and get a custom razor, but most people would rather save a little bit and buy a mass-produced well marketed product instead of a truly artisanal one.
Most custom makers have enough self-respect to not attempt cashing on cheesy 'made in america' crap - they'd rather establish their name based on the quality and craftsmanship, not on false patriotism.
In short, hype and aggressive marketing are big money makers in this country and can elevate otherwise ordinary products to huge commercial success, while superior products in the same price range struggle to gain traction.
The project manger was Tim Zowada. He himself posted that they were monitoring the feedback on these razors, but had no interest in reaching out to the customers who posted about problems or addressing those issues. So, while I have great opinion of him as a razor maker, I have zero interest in any project where his role is managing/consulting/quality control.
I have no doubt that they want to produce great product, but over the years I've reached the conclusion that he/they prioritize the product and their own time instead of the customer. It is a matter of choice, but so is my choice about how to spend my money.
Gugi,
I appreciate your opinion, and agree with it. In the early stages, there was a lot of communication with customers that had less than positive experiences. It just didn't make it to the forums.
As for the current situation, I have no idea. I parted ways with Hart over two years ago. So, if "ignorance is bliss", I'm as happy as can be... :)
Most of the Modern offerings have been light weight, small in the shank - a disaster for large hands. I used to think I liked heavy grind razors (I do), but I realized that simply having some heft to it makes the difference for me. I have a few light ones but they don't get that much use.
They aren't lighter than the same vintage models, though the vintage are superior in shaving. There are thousands if not tens of thousands vintage full hollow models, and while the majority have the same proportions and weight as the current standard razors, there are many that are different, i.e. heavier shanks, heavier spines, longer blades, etc.
However, it is incorrect to attribute the difference between say a current Dovo 1516 and one made in the Fritz Bracht era to differences in geometry because such simply do not exist.
I have two Harts and I love them both. When I got the first one, a small part of me WANTED to find something wrong with it so I could send it back! They are worth every penny to me. YMMV