Thread: Is this nick acceptable?

Hello Everyone!

I think I may have answered my question going through this exercise seeing as how hard it was to photograph this, but I'm new to straight shaving and want to eliminate as many rogue variables as possible! I just had my razor honed, and I wanted to see what the blade looked like when it was in prime condition. I brought out my 10x loupe and noticed 2 small variations in the blade. Are these nicks that were not properly removed by the person honing the blade? Will these variations cause nicks in my shaving? I have attached some reference photos below.

Thanks everyone in advance!

We call those "micro chips". I have shaved with razors in that condition for many moons if I had them shaving well and didn't feel like taking the extra time and effort for 'perfection.' Sometimes, I'm told, carbides can peel out of the edge when stropping. Can leave such a micro chip. Say that to say ....... the person honing the blade may have checked it with magnification after honing and the edge was perfect.

Either he, or you, gives it a stropping and peels a carbide ........ micro chip. So it is up to you as to how the shave is. If I can see a chip with my naked eye it is no longer a micro chip and needs to be dealt with ......... at my house anyway ........ YMMV.

Methinks if it's big enough to see it's not a micro-nick. And yes i'm not shaving with it.

My Robeson has a small chip like that. I honed it last year and I can tell you it wasn't there before, and it shaves with no issue.

I would agree that if it is big enough to see with the naked eye that it is too big to put to my face. The carbides coming loose as stated above usually only occur during the first one or two initial sharpenings so you may want to send the blade back to a professional if you don't have any hones.

Good luck

The best way to find out is to shave with it. If that part of the blade feels uncomfortable, it's unacceptable. If you can't tell it exists and it shaves fine, it's not an issue. Like many other aspects of judging a straight razor edge, the "end all be all" judgement is a shave test.

To us honers, it's unacceptable (for most). You aren't a honer yet, so I will answer your question with a question: Does it effect your shave? If it does, it needs re-honed to remove the chip. If it does not, just enjoy your shaves.

Thank you everyone for the feedback! The worst part is I am not familiar enough with a straight to know if it is shaving well. Do you guys just mean, am I getting cut when I shave with it?

A nick that size probably won't cut or scratch (but go carefully the first shave in case I'm wrong!). I'd be on the lookout for a more general redness or irritation, if there is trouble at all.

I've had miniscule nicks and pits cause tugging as they don't nip the hair properly. Actually had one on the toe, just a few 128th's from the cutting edge that gave my blade a "bitey" feel. I'll tolerate neither, and now i'm very thorough inspecting the "edge" beyond the cutting bidness part.