Are there razors that will NOT take an edge

[bluesman 7]

I thought people may enjoy seeing the current status of this razor. I won the razor in a PIF from Acmemfg, thanks Acmemfg. When I received it I was surprised at how good it looked. It had quite a smile and a good HHT, so I put it straight into my rotation and looked forward to shaving with it, as it had a very comfortable looking shape. Before that shave came I decided an inspection with a loupe would be prudent. Well, there was a chip near the middle of the blade, so scrap the shave test. I decided if I was going to have to hone out the chip anyway I may as well see how good I could make the razor. I'm a big fan of smiling blades, but aesthetically I only like them when the spine smiles too, so I cleaned up the shoulder, bread knifed the blade straight, then thinned and trued the spine to result in a 17 degree bevel angle (down from about 19). When I put the newly shaped razor flat on the hones, I ended up with this.


A warp in the blade caused that funny step at the heel. I decided to try shaving with it anyway and ended up using it three times in this shape. Once for the test, and it shaved so nice that I took it as a travel razor over Christmas and used it two more times. The edge was great, but that heel was very bothersome, so today it looks like this.
.

Eventually I intend to PIF this to a newbie.

 

[Gamma]

Nice work on the heel, and getting the bevel angle straightened out too.

 

[Neurotopia]

So what, like 5 or 6 passes on a Thuri to get there, right?

 

[Slash McCoy]

Oh, what a nice newbie razor that will make! Piffing that razor is a great idea! Very strange how the heel came out with that step in the edge. I have never had that happen. But you fixed it nice and it even looks better, with that long swoop. But I bet you get too attached to it to pif it. Those things shave great at 17 degrees and from here on out it will hone nice and easy.

 

[Rschan]

To echo Rick's point, pressure is needed. The key is to try to keep it as even as you can and progressively let up more and more as you more on in honing.

+1 Depending on you stone you have to adjust the pressure

 

[bluesman 7]

Oh, what a nice newbie razor that will make! Piffing that razor is a great idea! Very strange how the heel came out with that step in the edge. I have never had that happen. But you fixed it nice and it even looks better, with that long swoop. But I bet you get too attached to it to pif it. Those things shave great at 17 degrees and from here on out it will hone nice and easy.

Your right slash, the Double Arrow shaves so nice at 17* that I took my Gold Dollar down to 16.5* and got an awesome shave this New Years Day.

 

[Slawman]

Double arrows were the low end Chinese razors, till the Gold Dollars became popular. I had recently bought 5 of these razors, and much to my dismay, these are prone to developing cracks in the edge while bevel setting. Of the 5, 2 had this problem, though to be completely fair, the 2 that had this issue, I was trying to set the bevel on an Amakusa cheap Japanese stone. The other 3 took a nice bevel on a DMT 1200. Though the scales on these seem more like antique razors, I would rate Gold Dollars as a better value than Double Arrows. Also, in my experience the grinding and finish are better on the GD 66.

Best regards,
thepusher

I must have got lucky that I got with a few other razor along with a Double Arrow. That Double Arrow is one of my best shavers. Must have been owned by a barber of a straight razor fan!

 

[buca3152]

I got one. Double stabilizer. I would post a pic but it's not Handy. They shave great. Most of these razors got a bad rap from improper honing.

 

[A Cut Above]

I had a Mastro Livi razor with RW34 steel that just would not take an edge. I contacted 2 of the best honemeisters who also said they had problems getting a satisfactory edge.

 

[DaddyD]

I had a Mastro Livi razor with RW34 steel that just would not take an edge. I contacted 2 of the best honemeisters who also said they had problems getting a satisfactory edge.

I was in Italy, arranged going there to pick up a custom razor I was having him do. A close friend who hones allot, informed me to think twice about purchasing one of his razors. He dreaded any that ever arrived at his work bench. Stated they were poorly made. With his prices, it wasn't hard shutting it off. I was looking forward to visiting his place and having his barber shave me with it but I cancelled.

 

[DaddyD]

Simply put some razors hone better than others. The geometry and steel has allot to contribute towards this. Poorly honed razors throughout the years and bad geometry can make things stubborn and difficult. Poor steel is a pain. I suggest knowing what to look for before buying a piece of garbage!

 

[A Cut Above]

Mark; I have 8 Livi razors in all types of steel. I know there are people who bought the 2016 club razor and didn't like the steel. I have it and it is extra extra hollow and the blade feels springy. As for the edge, it is deadly sharp but fragile. The rest of the razors are stainless and my Damascus is amazing. The one thing that drove me crazy was the problem I had with the scales not closing correctly. Attached is my Damascus and it is the best razor I own and I have 40 other from all over the world. Holds a great edge and shaves smooth as silk. He really is a great artisan.