Sharpness Standard

I think I can hone reasonably well. I've been straight shaving for a while and have had some good results. A few of the best shaves I've ever had were from straights that I honed on my stones.

More recently, I've found a new barber who does straight shaves. She uses a Feather Straight Razor, with the replaceable blades.

My question is: is the perceived sharpness of a new Feather blade a decent yardstick against which I can evaluate the quality of my honing?

Though I achieve great smooth shaves, I'm still surprised at the ease the Feather blades glide through my beard.

Any input will be appreciated.

Cheers,

Jack

A DE blade is a very different animal than a straight. While they do the same job they do it differently. The best comparison would be two similar razors one honed by you and the other honed by a pro both finished on the same grit hone.

Jonathan

I think the perceived and actual sharpness of a Feather blade is a fine standard against which you can evaluate your honing. Just don't expect to match that level of sharpness or the ease with which it cuts your whiskers. I've been honing for over two years, have all the right stones, and get great edges on my straights, but I don't expect them to match the sharpness of the Feather. If I get close then I'm perfectly satisfied.

You could get real close, but IMO feather razors are not all that comfortable of a shave & I like a semi-crisp edge. You can do several things at your stage of honing: compare your edges to a pro's edge, send a few blades out to some others you know and respect for evaluation, or do a blade swap with a honing veteran. Just have fun with it...

What grit stone is a Feather ground on ???

What type of bevel is ground in it ???

What angle is it at ??

What effect does the coating have and how many shaves does it last ???


What are the answers above and can you replicate that for 3-5 shaves ???

Remember a Feather shave de-grades with every shave :hmmm: so you are going to be re-honing or touching up each week to match it, Soooooooo which edge is really better ???

ps: Yes I can tell you all the answers but I think you will learn much more by finding them and all the opinions posted about them through the years

And don't forget, when you're honing a straight, you're aiming for a balance of sharpness and smoothness.

I have not used feather blades yet, but as I understand it, most folks will tell you that while insanely sharp, they sacrifice smoothness to get there. (see shooter's comment, for example)

I shave with a shavette and a feather blade about once a month. I recently was thinking along the same lines about the sharpness, but I realized the straight is more than sharp enough to get you that good shave. Like using a coti edge, it may not be as sharp as a synthetic( depends on the stone and the honer), but I could shave with that edge 4x a day. And it is definitely sharp enough! De blades have a different angle and they are coated as was said. I'll take my straights anytime. If all I wanted was sharp, I would just use a shavette.

You could hone one of your razors and have your barber use it to give you a shave. Double Dog Dare You!