Thread: Your experience appreciated: passes HHT but tugs and pulls and hurts

ffarouki

Have you looked at the edges of your razors using something like a jewelers lope to check their condition? I know my bevel is set when I can get arm hairs to pop off of either my 1K or 3K naniwa hones, which I use depends on how bad the blade is, but I would not want to shave off of them.

Maybe eddy79 has the best idea, send on out for a pro honing and see how it shaves compared to the one kept at home. If the pro honed one shaves a s badly as the one kept at home you could almost bet the problem is operator error.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

ffarouki

Have you looked at the edges of your razors using something like a jewelers lope to check their condition? I know my bevel is set when I can get arm hairs to pop off of either my 1K or 3K naniwa hones, which I use depends on how bad the blade is, but I would not want to shave off of them.

Maybe eddy79 has the best idea, send on out for a pro honing and see how it shaves compared to the one kept at home. If the pro honed one shaves a s badly as the one kept at home you could almost bet the problem is operator error.

Bob

Very well put Bob


I can only add one thing, many times I will get a razor in for honing, that the Owner has attempted to bring to shave ready, I ask them to include in the note to ask me to test the razor BEFORE honing it..

What I have learned is that I have to test two ways, first I take the razor out and without any other testing or looking I simply try a shave, rarely does the razor shave well.. Then I stop and strop, I will do 50/100 and re- test shave the razor, often times this changes the razor from a no/go to a passable shave...

This gives me a chance to test not only the honing but also the stropping of the owner..

There is also no doubt in my mind at all, that an Experienced hand can shave a much lower level edge then a Newb hand can, the Prep, Lather, Angle, and ability to use Scything strokes change the equation

So what do you know.. In a way, it DID turn out that my technique was partly at fault. Right before I sent it off to get honed, I decided to try a different angle in shaving, ie making the razor almost completely flat on my face and to my surprise it cut better.

Something to do with wedges or bigger razors I guess. I didn't know that bug I'm excited to try out again.

That being said, thanks to all your advice I sent my razor to Gary Haywood (separate post full of gratitude to soon follow) to get honed. Can't wait to see the difference.