Thread: Sharpness test

Ok try to follow me on this....I am a newbie and I have two identical razors both of which I bought shave ready. I have kept one to shave with and the other to compare. I have been shaving around 2 months now and even though I have no tugging or pulling out of my shaver I decided on a whim to try the other to see how it compared. I had a much much much closer shave on the one that I hadn't used.

This leads me to the conclusion that I (as expected) have dulled the other razor most likely due to crappy stropping or some other nonsense.

My question is this....how do I know when a razor is in need of a touch up if I don't experience tugging or pulling? I know the obvious is...duuuh...when you are no longer getting close shaves but this is all in relative terms....that is how close is close?

Second question...I have the 4/8 Norton combo...would I be best served just to swipe it a couple of times on the 8 then try a again or do I need to go to the pyramid laid out in the honing Wiki?
Thoughts?

Well after two months of using the same razor it's quite possible that it's just use and not poor stropping. I'm not sure if I've ever actually rolled an edge by stropping poorly, but I suspect that it would be quite noticeable when shaving.

I'll defer to the hone experts about your question regarding using an 8k, but my gut tells me that it isn't necessary and you'd be better served by using a pasted strop or newspaper or something with a very fine grit.

Originally Posted by commiecat

Well after two months of using the same razor it's quite possible that it's just use and not poor stropping. I'm not sure if I've ever actually rolled an edge by stropping poorly, but I suspect that it would be quite noticeable when shaving.

I'll defer to the hone experts about your question regarding using an 8k, but my gut tells me that it isn't necessary and you'd be better served by using a pasted strop or newspaper or something with a very fine grit.

that last comment was my first thought too so I ran it across a pasted (philly with the green paste) strop with no noticeable improvement. It did seem even smoother which is odd but not cutting any closer as with my other razor.

While not answering your question, you are making a point made the other day by I think it was JimmyHAD that once you know how to shave with a straight razor, it is reasonably easy to get a good shave with a blade some way South of perfect.

The typical comment on your experience might be that your edge was still sharp, but rounded from stropping. It would be good to see some microscope pictures.

Interesting thread, by the way.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

While not answering your question, you are making a point made the other day by I think it was JimmyHAD that once you know how to shave with a straight razor, it is reasonably easy to get a good shave with a blade some way South of perfect.

The typical comment on your experience might be that your edge was still sharp, but rounded from stropping. It would be good to see some microscope pictures.

Interesting thread, by the way.

Good point, I guess if my edge was rounded it would still feel smooth but not cut as well...makes sense....then to solve it would I need to go to the pyramid or just do say 10 laps on the 8k and try again.

Originally Posted by volleykinginnc

Good point, I guess if my edge was rounded it would still feel smooth but not cut as well...makes sense....then to solve it would I need to go to the pyramid or just do say 10 laps on the 8k and try again.

You seemed happy with your blade's performance, didn't you? Some of us like the shave with a razor slightly less sharp. It would not be wrong to freshen up your blade with a hone. But, if shaving well, it would not be a mistake to just keep trucking!

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

You seemed happy with your blade's performance, didn't you? Some of us like the shave with a razor slightly less sharp. It would not be wrong to freshen up your blade with a hone. But, if shaving well, it would not be a mistake to just keep trucking!

That was kind of my dilemna...I wasn't unhappy with the razor that I was using but no question I was absolutely MORE happy with the razor that I hadn't been using because it that shaved much closer. Both were smooth it was just a much closer shave which generally is always a better thing (assuming no burn or nicks).

The rounding of the bevel that would occur just from stropping is trivial. It's much more likely after two months that the edge is just chewed up as you would expect after that time. A pasted strop will refresh it to some extent, and you could resort to that several times in succession. Eventually though you'll have to go back to the hones.

At that time, I'd try 5 to 10 LIGHT strokes on just the 8k, then strop and shave. If it's not good enough yet, then repeat it. If this fails to do the job, only then would I suggest a minimal pyramid. In general the 8k should be sufficient by itself unless you have really worn it out.

When to touch up the edge? When you notice a diminishment in the shave.

Originally Posted by Utopian

The rounding of the bevel that would occur just from stropping is trivial. It's much more likely after two months that the edge is just chewed up as you would expect after that time. A pasted strop will refresh it to some extent, and you could resort to that several times in succession. Eventually though you'll have to go back to the hones.

At that time, I'd try 5 to 10 LIGHT strokes on just the 8k, then strop and shave. If it's not good enough yet, then repeat it. If this fails to do the job, only then would I suggest a minimal pyramid. In general the 8k should be sufficient by itself unless you have really worn it out.

When to touch up the edge? When you notice a diminishment in the shave.

awesome Utopian...many thanks...I'll give that a shot and see what happens.

I would not have expected any different results than you are describing.

On your first razor, you have gotten two months on it and considering that you learned to shave and strop on it as a beginner, I would say job well done. I would certainly expect the second razor to shave better at this point and you are enjoying the benefit of everything learned up till now to boot.

For a touch up, I would recommend 10 X strokes on either a .5 diamond product or CrOx and then 50-60 strokes on leather followed by a test shave before I would take the razor back to a hone.

Have fun,

Lynn