Thread: Lack-lustre tail end

So when I bought my razor new (5/8 Dovo Inox, with the plain white scales, number 42 I believe) I had to hone it from scratch, it came with only the factory edge.
So honed with a pretty standard 8000 grit, then a few hundred strops, followed by a few hundred more and it was starting to shave like I guess it should.
Trouble is, when I apply the old hair-test, it'll slice clean through a hair laid across the blade, very easily at the tip, the centre seems to be sharper still, but by the time I get to the tail end, it kind of half cuts the hair then does that funny curling thing it does (I'm sure you all know what I mean).
What I'm wondering, is this a common problem other people face? or is it just me?
It's not really a problem for the functionality of the razor, I tend to use the tip and middle a lot more anyway, I don't believe it's a problem with the honing or the stropping, I just wonder have other gents encountered this problem, is it fixable, and what might be causing it?

The bevel is not evenly and solidly set from heel to toe..

I think the real question here it not why dosent the heel of the pass HHT but rather how does the heel of your razor shave? IMHO that's what matters.... I could undertanad why it could raise question why 3/4 of your blade appears to cut better than the heel based of HHT, but if the heel shaves goo then it is good, plain and simple.

Originally Posted by JoeLowett

I think the real question here it not why dosent the heel of the pass HHT but rather how does the heel of your razor shave? IMHO that's what matters.... I could undertanad why it could raise question why 3/4 of your blade appears to cut better than the heel based of HHT, but if the heel shaves goo then it is good, plain and simple.

See this is an HHT instance where I disagree, normally I would say the exact same thing, ie: shave test shave test shave test -BUT- he already did the shave test, he also has a "Calibrated HHT" which is the trick to making an HHT useful instead of a dumb parlor trick... He is also using the HHT as the guy honing the razor, which is when it should be used..

So now using his "Calibrated HHT" he has determined that there is a difference in his edge from the Heel to the Toe, so having a valid test means that he can now adjust the edge so that it becomes even

Excellent point!! A calibrated HHT is quite predictive of shave results. Done correctly, it tells when the blade is ready for shaving.

right, so the explanation gssixgun gave sounds right, in fact when I look at the blade, there is a slight but noticable difference in the width of the cutting edge (I guess you'd describe it as) at the heel when compared with the tip.
I'm guessing the only "remedy" for this is yet another re-hone, and given that it's not actually creating any practical problems (as in I tend not to shave with the heel anyway) I might just stick to routine stropping, I'm guessing that will eventualy bring the heel up to a relatively consistent level of sharpness with the rest of the blade (it kind of worked that way prior to my last re-hone).
I guess I kind of already knew I wasn't the world's greatest razor-honer, I really only did it out of necessity, if I could find someone else to have done it for me I'd have opted out in a heartbeat.
Perhaps if I find someone with the requisite skill I might look at having another re-hone done, but for now it's wearing in nicely and shaving adequately.
Good to know what the problem is though.
Incidentally, is there any way to set a bevel level on a re-hone that is kind of idiot proof? I was kind of just using the spine of the razor to set the bevel, left a couple of hone marks on the spine but they are quite polished along with the blade so I don't mind that.
I'm guessing even if I did try to do another re-hone I'd just run into precisely the same issue unless I can find a way of somehow setting the bevel straight that isn't reliant on the skill (or in my case lack therof) of the person doing the honing.
I guess it kind of sounds like I've made a bit of a dog's breakfast of the whole thing, but honestly, I find it actually shaves well enough, so in that sense I'm pretty happy.

just thought a quick update might be in order, after a few shaves and a good deal more stropping, I, am pleased to report that my razor is now solidly passing the good old hanging hair test evenly from tip to heel.
Admittedly it does still seem marginally sharper in the middle part of the blade than at either end but it's shaving easily well enough right down the length.
Obviously when it's next due a hone I'll endeavour to find someone adequately skilled rather than trying to do it again myself and compounding the problem further, but I'm pretty convinced an un-necessary hone will just do more harm than good at present.
I don't see MUCH point in removing still more metal from a blade that is already shaving well enough as is.
When I look at the cutting surface, there is a tiny discrepancy between the tip and the heel, but it's minute, if I had to guess I'd say it was measurable in microns, barely perceptable to the naked eye really.
Anyway, I guess the point I wanted to make was that in this case it seems adequately skilled stropping seems to have compensated for less than ideal honing.