Thread: How sharp is sharp enough? What let's you know when a refresh or honing is needed?

Originally Posted by Jack0458

After my razor will cut hanging hairs and I shave once it won't cut a hair. Then after I strop on leather it still won't cut a hair.

It sounds to me like you are shaving with too high of an angle.

Another thing it could be is the razor. Does this happen on more than one razor? I had a razor that behaved that way while all of my other razors did not. I finally determined that the bevel angle on that one razor was too acute, ~15 degrees, for the steel/temper of that razor. I have since reduced the bevel angle to 17 degrees and now the razor holds its edge. I have other razors with bevel angles ~15 degrees that hold up fine. Changing the bevel angle is a pretty major honing mod and I'm not suggesting that you do it, just bringing it up as a possible cause. If this is happening with other razors, it is extremely unlikely that this is the problem.