Thread: How often will a razor have to be honed?

With some practice with stropping and a good strop set with a leather and canvas/linen strops a razor can be kept shaving sharp for a very long time. I used only one razor (Dovo Stainless) for about three years with just such a strop. Not even a fancy one - an Illinois 361. With no strop paste added. My report on that experiment years ago is probably still somewhere in the depths of this forum. But practically, I agree with those who say about a year between honings is a good average. And since so little metal is removed with a fine grit hone, honing more often is perfectly fine. (And fun, too.)

I'm in the same boat as Mike. And him being a Master at boats puts me in a great place. But thats another story...

I have so many shave-ready razors I could sell off all my stones and never need to hone again for the rest of my life. But, We have people like Victor who makes razors and loves to test his edge. Victor can get 100+ shaves easily on one of his razors. But for the guy who is somewhat new to using a straight, I can see a refresh needed at 15 to 20 shaves. JMO.

I can get more than 15-20 shaves out of an edge and I probably would if all my finishers disappeared. Problem is I have a horrible case of HAD. The side effects are awful, AWFUL I SAY!

I should add that I personally never have to re-hone, unless you call my post-shave 50 laps on the balsa re-honing. The razor just stays sharp, never gets dull. Other pasted stropping methods might not work indefinitely, but will definitely work, and extend time between honings easily by a factor of 2x, sometimes more.

Then again, for many, the honing is the most enjoyable part.

It should also be said that the longevity of an edge depends on many things and some have already been discussed. Mostly this has to do with care and treatment but some of it at least depends on the steel. The harder steels like prewar American and German steels are known to be quite hard. Sheffield steel not so much so. This can be a double edged sword so to speak. Getting an edge on a harder steel is more difficult but it should hold the edge longer. This is an oversimplification of course as there are more things in play. For example, if a steel is too hard it will chip more easily. And there are other metallurgical factors but practically speaking the harder steels (out of anything a razor will be made of) should hold the edge longer.

Just what I've been thinking about also, thanks for the info in this thread.

I've got some 3" hemp webbing canvas im going to make a strop out of and on one side I was going to use some diamond paste on..

Originally Posted by Cutlersdream

Just what I've been thinking about also, thanks for the info in this thread.

I've got some 3" hemp webbing canvas im going to make a strop out of and on one side I was going to use some diamond paste on..

Hemp is very good for strops. It can be quite aggressive but may need some prep first. You might want to check this thread out:

https://sharprazorpalace.com/strops/122944-hemp.html

I was thinking that also from the texture of it in hand, I'll check the thread out.

Cheers

I have a razor now at 176 shaves and counting on just clean strops, but when I started shaving I think that I averaged about 12 shaves before the edge needed more than just clean strops.

I also attribute getting over 100 shaves to involve a bit of luck. A little bit of errant grit on your stop on a few occasions could easily send you back to the stones.