Has anyone noticed that a sharp razor has more draw on a strop than a dull one?
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Has anyone noticed that a sharp razor has more draw on a strop than a dull one?
More draw and a more even feel I have noted. Actually I am not certain "draw' would be the word I would use here as it is more like a slight suction than what I normally call draw.
This is a fun question because I just learned the answer today...
I had read about how guys felt a difference, but never noticed it myself. I haven't had a pro-honed razor for a year, and today I had a synthesis of my good stropping and improved honing where I put the razor to the strop and just knew it was ready... it felt like the linen was velcro (no joke!) and then it felt like the leather was sticky or something.
I think it takes a really, truly sharp smooth razor and good stropping technique to feel it (like I said, after 1.5 years of SR shaving this was the first time I noticed it) but it feels totally, completely different.
I don't think I can describe it any better than those above, but yes certainly it is noticeable. I think you just have to experience it for yourself. Somehow, you are just more aware of the very edge of the blade rather than the bevel.
Yes, it's an amazing revelation, isn' it?
Alethephant,
A razor fresh off the hones also has a slightly different sound on the strop.
The extent of this 'difference' very much depends on the grind of the razor :)
It is subtle, but noticeable to my ears.
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
+1, I agree with the guys above. I also notice the effect more on a 3" strop than a narrower one.
i find sounds are different. As soon as i strop i hear different sounds between shave ready and not ready blade.
I agree with the above, but want to add one thing.
The way a sharp razor vs a dull razor feels and sounds will vary from strop to strop, so that's something to keep in mind as well. Like anything else, you need to "calibrate" to the individual strop.
Usually after I finish honing a razor I use the way it feels on the strop as an indicator as to how sharp it is. The more draw the better and with some depending on the razor it will sing on the strop however Holly is correct in that it depends on the strop. I usually use my latigo which has loads of draw. My Horse has none at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
Either way it's a one sided equation in my experience. If you have a strop that exhibits draw and the razor has none that means to me it ain't shave ready however even if it has loads of draw it ain't no guarantee it's shave read. Sometimes yes and sometimes no.
No.........
There is a very, very, subtle sound difference as the edge is stropped in and smooths up, by being burnished by the strop... Depending on the strop there can be a very slight change in feel...
But everyone answering is assuming a sharp edge, in their answer..
Although it would be a huge waste of time, try NOT setting the bevel, but polishing out the the sides of the bevel to 8k+... Then stropping it in... I would be willing to bet, you get the same feel and sound from a perfectly dull, but polished edge....
This is a superb thread! I thought I was going bananas but I've been feeling this too while stropping. I have definitely had this with my Puma since I got it more than three years ago. All my other razors have given similar feelings but none as consistent as my Puma.
Good thorough answers - I could have never described as so.
I agree with Glen - in theory, it is the side of the bevel that hits the strop. If it is somehow wrapping around the edge you are in trouble. So any feel changes you get on the strop are only reflecting what is happening on the side of the bevel. If the bevel is not set (as in the two sides do not meet at a narrow enough distance), you may well feel a change on the strop as the sides smooth out, and this change in feel will have nothing to do with edge sharpness.
However, under the assumption that you are stropping a shave-ready razor in the first place, I have sometimes noticed a change in strop feel. I do not worry too much about it though, as I have shaved with hundreds of razors where that does not happen and have still gotten excellent shaves.
So IMO, strop feel is neither a necessary nor sufficient criteria for a good shave, although it can be indicative for some razors with some strops under some conditions.
James.