Thread: Sharpening

Everyone says that new de blades are so cheap, why bother to sharpen them. My answer is , why do you like to sharpen straight razors. For a lot of us it is soley because of the challenge and satisfaction with being able to do something that perhaps everyone can't. I have successfully sharpened some de blades with the use of various vintage blade holders that allow you to use whatever hone you choose. You only have to sharpen the edge, not the entire bevel. It is aggravating and tedious, but rewarding for me. I generally use a coticule first and then a very fine jnat with nagura. After that stropping on a pasted strop and them plain leather. Results vary, but I have had some very good results.

DE razors were invented to take replacable blades. Straight razors are meant to be resharpened and honed and predate the "modern" DE. To most people shaving with a straight razor is more of a ritual than just removing the hair from your face. Sharpening and stropping is part of that ritual. On a DE razor changing the blade is a "normal" part of that ritual.

Now, I'm not saying you're an idiot for wanting to hone and sharpen your DE blades. But now you're making shaving with a DE razor a hobby. Whatever floats your boat. I wouldn't do it.

DE blades are really not suitable for re-sharpening, but the early SE razors actually came with blades that were intended to be reused, frequently a 7 day kit of them, and often included a blade holder designed to aid in stropping them. The old SE razors that have those blades can be a little pricey, and many of them have blades that may no longer be viable, but if you really enjoy the challange and are patient and can afford to get one of the pricier SE "sets", there's no reason why you can't shave like a modern 1890s man, so to speak, the early SE "lather catcher" razors generally have a rep for being great shavers, so it should be worth the effort, at least.