Quote Originally Posted by Frankenstein View Post
A while ago when I was practising/learning how to hone I'd use two razors to shave. The one I sharpened first, to make sure it was sharp enough, then another which had been honed by someone who knew what they were doing. ..........have been better because the first razor would do all the dirty work, and the second would just clean up - which meant the edge wouldn't get as much use and thus stay a little sharper for the final pass.
Been there.... Done that!!! Yes I actually did that for a while with a blade honed by Hi_Bud_GL above. When I started getting better shaves with my honing job, I put his away until it got re-honed I like comparing blades and feeling the differences. I think you will learn a lot by doing that.

You are correct, I think the first pass for some reason seems to be the hardest on the blade. For a while, I tried taking the first pass with a DE and then finished with a straight. That worked well and I still use a DE under my jawline if I am in a hurry or if it just isn't working for me.

I also have found that some blades just fade quicker than others. I had a Sheffield steel actually feel different on the second side than it had on the first side. Guess I just got it too sharp and it couldn't handle it...... They tend to be more "comfortable" than "keen" anyways.