Thread: Got a new Hart - and I'm so sad!

I have 7 and all were shave read out of the box or for me anyway maybe my skin is just leather or something I really like them. But what one likes the others may not.

Originally Posted by Slamthunderide

I have 7 and all were shave read out of the box or for me anyway maybe my skin is just leather or something I really like them. But what one likes the others may not.

I doubt it...Mine were great also. Unfortunately, things made by people's hands (while perhaps done REALLY well) always have some variability and imperfection...it is this imperfection that not only proves that it was done by a person, but also is what I appreciate about customs and semi-customs. It is the acceptable DEGREE of imperfection that is debatable by all.

Razors basically ALL are semi-custom when it comes to shave readiness, and the guy that does the final honeing is the decider.

Something that EVERYONE should understand is all honers have variability, and even Lynn would (I am guessing) agree...but the variability becomes less and less ("tolerances" become tighter and tighter) over time and experience. The BEST honers will test and catch ALL sub-standard results before they go out the door...but even then, we see occasionally someone post up that their SRD razor was sub-par (and we usually attribute the statement to in-experience or something else). HOWEVER, I would presume that the wise buyer would in every case contact the honer directly with inquiry, and said honer would re-inspect and verify any problems that might exist.

Hart is not ONE guy, but several artisans. I can tell you that my very small collection would demonstrate a great amount of variability between artisans there. Is it the buyers fault that he/she got a sub standard razor? IMO, no....but it is the buyer's discretion to accept or return the razor upon inspection...or simply contact the maker/vendor directly BEFORE attempting to "fix" the problem.

Let me say it this way, If you try and fix something, it demonstrates that either you think you and your standards are higher than the person who made the mistake, or (perhaps) you damaged it and thus felt compelled to repair it yourself instead of swatting the mistake back to the creator. No offense, this is just how it often looks to the customer service department. That said, the CS department has a vested interest in keeping customers happy regardless of what actually happened...and that is why these matters should be taken there (IMO) first, other than posting on a public forum...but it is a free country, so it is all good.

I hope this does not offend anyone or put words in anyone's mouth (pro honers). I am making some assumptions based on the services *I* offer and the observations I have had in various avenues of custom and semi-custom creations (both in razors, and in many other custom goods (bicycles, knives, clothing, etc.)).

Peace

For the record, this thread has NO intention of throwing Hart under the bus. I will call the vendor today and ask them about the situation. Truthfully, this is only my second new straight razor so I do not consider myself a very good judge. My reason for asking about this was to see if others had similar experiences because I don't know if I trust my own judgement yet. Sounds like I'm not alone which is good for my confidence

I intentionally didn't touch a strop or anything but my face yet because I recognize that it's entirely possible that I ruin the edge. I have only one other straight so it's the only thing I have to compare it with and to me the difference was more than obvious.

When you see all the threads asking about "is my blade sharp enough?" you can see how subjective this all is which makes it really hard for a newbie and for this, these forums are awesome. Had I gotten this Hart as my first razor and not had these forums, I would have given up for sure.

I've got the 6/8 square point and the kamisori waiting to be used. Got them after i started the beard growing contest i'm part of. I received them after trading some of my favourite vintage blades to another member here who wasn't happy with their performance. I'll be honing them to the best of my ability (which has been pretty damn good lately) and using them asap. Not sure If I should test shave with a month of growth though....

I just contacted the vendor and they told me to ship it back and they will cover the re-honing. I'm disappointed in the edge that it came to me with but all is good.

ESL, Thank You for posting this last entry. Its important to be as vocal about a vendor making something right as when they let something slip. You do us proud by letting us know the outcome.

'Hope you find the refinished edge very satisfying.

Originally Posted by EggSuckingLeech

I just contacted the vendor and they told me to ship it back and they will cover the re-honing. I'm disappointed in the edge that it came to me with but all is good.

Brilliant!

As I thought, they stepped up and are offering to make it right. While they cannot change the fact that you have been disappointed initially, I have confidence that they will return a fantastic edge to you.

I have found their CS to be quite acceptable

I wanted to follow up on this.

So I sent the Hart back to Classic Shaving and it just came back today. I decided to give it a go tonight. Well I'm happy to report that the honing was like night and day. After I wiped off the oil I tried the HHT and hairs popped all along the blade. When I shaved with it, the experience was NOTHING like before and it shaved quite smoothly. Unfortunately I decided to stop after my WTG and XTG passes because I am unused to the heft and size of the blade. I got a couple nicks and I didn't feel like pressing my luck tonight. I'm sure with more practice, I will get as proficient as I am with my Dovo and my journey with straight razors will carry on.

Anyway, all is well with the Hart now. It's unfortunate that it didn't come like this on the first time around but they fixed the problem and I now have a wonderful Hart added to my collection of 3