Honers: Do you test your straights?

[Luc]

Right, I'm just curious to know if all the honers here test the straight razor after they honed it.

I don't want to know who does and who doesn't that's why I will do an anonymous poll.

I think when a razor needs to be honed, it needs to be tested before it can be sent to the owner to make sure it's all right... But that's my point of view... Maybe after time and experience, there's a sure way to know if a straight is ready without a shave... (If you can split a hair in half in the air, it's ready)

So, what I'm after is, if you hone a razor for someone else, do you shave with it before it goes back to the owner?

[Fnord5]

Most of the time I shave with it, It's a cheap way to try a new blade.

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Great question, Luc. I'm interested, too, especially how a guy like Lynn Abrams or other prolific honemeister tests so many edges before they're sent out.

[Fnord5]

Great question, Luc. I'm interested, too, especially how a guy like Lynn Abrams or other prolific honemeister tests so many edges before they're sent out.

Lynn assumes his edges are of quality, he does not test them AFIK.

[Leon]

I don't want to know who does and who doesn't that's why I will do an anonymous poll.

I don't have a problem saying that I shave with every single razor I receive to hone. To me, that's the ultimate test.
I don't remember when was the last time I shaved with one of my own straight razors. :rolleyes:

[Pete_T]

Lynn assumes his edges are of quality, he does not test them AFIK.

No, he does. He mentions on one of his Youtube videos that his face gets sensitive from all the testing. He doesn't do a complete shave, though. More like what Livi does in that video that was recently posted here, I think.

[Ray-man]

I have this really tough beard and one pass with a razor, anywhere on my face, gives the best feedback for how well it is honed. I test every razor.
Lynn Abrams isn't kidding me though, I am sure he just smells the edge and can tell weather it is sharp or not.......:smile:
Maybe some day....:glare:


Ray

[English]

I think that making a razor ready for sale and honing razors is a little bit different. The net result should be the same, namely a shave ready razor.

I don't hone razors for money.

I do on occasion refurbish vintage razors for sale or buy, try and resell razors that take my fancy.

My process will include polishing the blade, resetting or establishing a good bevel and then though a process of honing and stropping bringing the razors edge to a shave ready condition. On occasion I will also rescale blades on which the old scales are beyond repair.

Incidentally, I find that the stropping is as critical as the honing and it is actually more prone to error than the honing.

The only test I have found that works after doing this work is to ensure that the blade balances well in the hand when shaving and that the finished edge will shave comfortably against the grain.

Although I think I can tell with my thumb pad when a razor is shave ready, I am never 100% certain unless I test shave.

[chess1]

I try test them but it is impossible to do so. i do test sharpness test which one i was not able to shave test.
In that particular razor Person(owner of the blade) will get note which will say shave test hasn't been done. you test it .Any problem send back and i will cover shipping both ways payment.
So far i haven't get any blades back yet.
That is why i choose the option says i try to.

[professorchaos]

Of course. How else can you know whether or not a razor is shave ready? I've a few tests which gives me a high degree of confidence that it will be shave ready. But believing it to be shave ready and knowing it to be shave ready are two completely different things. And that is why I don't hone many razors for other people - too few shaves a week with my own razors!

[GsSixgun]

I can only test shave a maximum of 8 razors per day, therefore I can only hone a maximum of 8 razors per day.....

Pretty simple really...:wink:

Plus part of the fun of honing and restoring razors is getting to try out all the razors....:biggrin:



PS: Lynn is a good friend of mine, one thing we talk about is Test shaving razors, he tests them all.... It really isn't that hard once you have a system, you guys are thinking whole shaves we're not.....If I didn't keep a beard and shaved my whole face I could test 20 razors per day also....Think how many separate strokes you do per shave, now break that down into mini tests... You also have to realize this, "the more you hone the better you get" at honing, trust me here, I can tell (so can Lynn) whether a razor is shave ready before that razor ever touches my face, just from how it acts on the hones... The test shave is just the "Proof of the Pudding"

[GsSixgun]

I try test them but it is impossible to do so. i do test sharpness test which one i was not able to shave test.
In that particular razor Person(owner of the blade) will get note which will say shave test hasn't been done. you test it .Any problem send back and i will cover shipping both ways payment.
So far i haven't get any blades back yet.
That is why i choose the option says i try to.


Actually Sham your edges are very nice, I got to test one, I think it was last week.. I re-scaled a razor you had sold, with some fancy scales, and I test shaved it after to make sure I didn't mess up your honing when I changed the scales, and just out of curiosity of course too...Very smooth, very sharp, very nice edge....

[Fnord5]

Hmn, I assumed that Lynn didn't test EVERY blade considering the sheer numbers of razors he does for SRD ect.

I don't know if I could get away with just patch testing like Livi does, because my face shaves well in some spots, but not so good with the same edge in others(and visa versa) so I need to do at least half my face with a blade to see for sure.

[richmondesi]

I'm a relative noob to honing, but even I can tell with amazing accuracy how well a whole shave will go based on my mini-shave tests that I do. When you make a habit of shaving patches without any lather or water ATG on your neck, chin, and mustache, it's pretty easy to extrapolate that razors that do well under those circumstances will do well in a full shave test. Having said that, I still do at lease a half shave to satisfy my OCD and also to satisfy my curiosity about the balance, handling characteristics, etc. each of the razors I get to play with too. :biggrin:

[Kees]

I rarely hone for others but do test it before sending it back. I do ask the owner for permission.

[chess1]

Actually Sham your edges are very nice, I got to test one, I think it was last week.. I re-scaled a razor you had sold, with some fancy scales, and I test shaved it after to make sure I didn't mess up your honing when I changed the scales, and just out of curiosity of course too...Very smooth, very sharp, very nice edge....

Thank You Glen first time someone in public said my edges are good. I feel a little nice.

[richmondesi]

Thank You Glen first time someone in public said my edges are good. I feel a little nice.

I feel pretty confident that I've heard that before Sham. It's to be expected though from you:wink:

[CraigJ]

Glen if you start shaving your legs or back you might be able to double your honing capacity.:smile:


I can only test shave a maximum of 8 razors per day, therefore I can only hone a maximum of 8 razors per day.....

Pretty simple really...:wink:


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