Thread: Straight razor edge

Hi,
I would like to know how much shaves you guys get out of your freshly honed razor?

I've figured out i get around 7 or 8 shaves with my straight without that thugging feeling!

With or without stropping?

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

With or without stropping?

Great question, to be honest I wouldn't have even thought to ask.
Assuming with stropping, at least 30 if not 60, it's hard to say exactly but i tend to use only one or two razors.

Are we counting stropping with crox because then we could go quite a while. But I would say somewhere in the 30 to 60 range like ed said. Sometimes more depending on some factors. I once got about 75-80 out of a dovo I had.

With stropping, I'm up to around 60 shaves on my Friodur. Touched it up last night with some CrOX and I'm pretty sure is still good for at least another 20-30 before I'll be looking to have it honed again.

It really can depend on the individual razor, but in general you should be able to get significantly more than 7 or 8 shaves.

After you get that tugging feeling, what do you do to restore the razor's edge?

I used to get 7-12 shaves, and after about seven years I'm more in the 25+ range most of the time.

The difference isn't better honing, b/c I blew through pro-honed edges just as fast. I guess it's a combination of better shaving, better stropping, and (maybe) better post-shave blade care.

I should really try to keep track... I rotate through about 20 razors and it takes about 2 years before I get out the stones and go a bit OCD on the edges for about a month

My strop routine starts with about 10 on the linen back of my Miller strop, about 30-40 on leather, shave, rinse dry on towel and about 10 on linen again. I read somewhere that the linen strop afterwards removes most of the remaining skin cells or debris left over from skin contact. I have noticed a longevity difference in my own razors with this treatment so I continue to do it.

EVERY contact with the edge chances a damaged edge so try at own risk.

I'm up to 58 days with the same razor I had honed for me , with nothing more than a clean strop and after 20 shaves 3-4 laps on the 12k naniwa as per advise I was given to do maintenance instead of waiting till it tugged , but no tugging at all , but with leather only I've gotten a month or more. Tc

Depends on my stropping.... If I pay attention and don't mess up I can get about 2 months without needing to touch it up on the hones. I have an issue with not paying close enough attention and rolling the edge. Been getting better but still something I watch out for.