Whats a Honemeister?

**Austin** · 04-04-2011, 01:14 PM

Gents, not a straight shaver nor am I interested in becoming one but I see this title thrown around quite a bit. Joe Blow honemeister extraordinaire, etc. Anyway, how do you get this title? Do you go to school and get a certificate? Do you apprentice under a Jedi honemeister? How do I become one if I wanted to?

**Munxcub** · 04-04-2011, 01:31 PM

Basically at what point does one transition from "guy who can hone razors for himself and his friends, and get eBay specials shave ready?" to "honemeister"? Personally I don't know... but am curious as well. heh

**talibeard** · 04-04-2011, 01:37 PM

Exactly the same way I became a lathermeister; one day you write it down and voila, a new meister is born.....

Though at least I passed for the modern Williams test, don't know what the honemeister did.

**rod251** · 04-04-2011, 01:40 PM

For me, the guy I send my razor to for touch-ups is a honemeister. Why? Because it just sounds more cool to say, "My razor's due back from the honemeister today," as opposed to, "my razor's due back today from the dude that sharpens it for me."

**Suzuki** · 04-04-2011, 01:46 PM

Isn't there a program for this at one of the institutes of higher education that advertise on late-night TV???

Seriously though, I think its a designation that applies to folks who are extremely skilled at honing straight razors and can bring up a wickedly sharp edge on any type of razor, including fixing defects in the edge (for example frowning blades).

Before someone can truly qualify as a honemeister, they will have likely sharpened hundreds of straights from carbon steel antiques to the harder steels and know which of their stones/strops (and they will likely have several) will bring out the best in a particular razor.

**altshaver** · 04-04-2011, 01:57 PM

Honemeister is really something that developed on Straight Razor Place.

Here is the history of the term:

http://straightrazorplace.com/honing...tml#post546032

It is a self-appointed title used amongst a group of individuals to provide credibility for their businesses. In actuality, this designation is really meaningless as there is no program to evaluate and designate the title for razor sharpeners. For instance, a person becomes a Doctor in their field when they go through an educational program and meet its requirements for the title. I know a German guy who really detests this term because the title of Meister holds a whole other meaning in Germany.

Please note that I do not have a personal problem with individuals or businesses that use the title of "honemeister," even if I don't care for the term.

**global_dev** · 04-04-2011, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by rod251

For me, the guy I send my razor to for touch-ups is a honemeister. Why? Because it just sounds more cool to say, "My razor's due back from the honemeister today," as opposed to, "my razor's due back today from the dude that sharpens it for me."

honestly, i completely feel the opposite.. i am a bit embarassed talking about a honemeister.. IMO anything with the suffix -meister kinda fits that perception though . except brewmeister maybe..

I mean no real offense to people who are experts in honing, but to me saying honemeister aloud makes me feel the same way as when i see the guy next to me in the DC slug-line with his satin baseball/car jacket embroidered with dragonlord as his name...

now i think honing is great and all, but i just can't get past this title right now...

**azmark** · 04-04-2011, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by rod251

For me, the guy I send my razor to for touch-ups is a honemeister. Why? Because it just sounds more cool to say, "My razor's due back from the honemeister today," as opposed to, "my razor's due back today from the dude that sharpens it for me."

**honed** · 04-04-2011, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by rod251

For me, the guy I send my razor to for touch-ups is a honemeister. Why? Because it just sounds more cool to say, "My razor's due back from the honemeister today," as opposed to, "my razor's due back today from the dude that sharpens it for me."

That surely must be the correct answer

**kg4ghn** · 04-04-2011, 04:16 PM

I don't like the term myself. I'm not even really sure why, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I've used it, but really just for a lack of a better word.

I guess it's because when I think of "meister" it makes me think of somebody with great amounts of skill. The first thing that comes to mind are people like Bill Ellis and the rest of the guys that take raw materials and create functional works of art with their skill. Somehow running a blade across a couple of rocks a few times until it is sharp just doesn't compare to me.

**fine wine** · 05-05-2011, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by talibeard

Exactly the same way I became a lathermeister; one day you write it down and voila, a new meister is born.....

Though at least I passed for the modern Williams test, don't know what the honemeister did.

That is exactly how you do it. Just say you are one and you are.

**RF1963** · 04-04-2011, 01:40 PM

There is no formal training, rite of passage, qualification to this title. It's a vanity more than anything.

**azmark** · 04-04-2011, 02:25 PM

Man+hone+ego=honemeister.

I've rehoned every single razor that has come "shave ready" not because it wasn't honed properly but because it wasn't honed to my liking. Many of these razors came from well known folks or businesses so they know what they are doing but some of these sources are what some consider a "honemeister" so the term means squat.

**danjared** · 04-04-2011, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by azmark

Man+hone+ego=honemeister.

Precisely.

A man who can hone well doesn't need a title. His results should speak for him, not the other way around. Anything else is marketing.

I once received a so-called shave-ready straight. It was very sharp in the middle. But, the tip and heel would not pass the HHT or TNT (yes, not even the TNT). Those same spots would not cut arm hair. After talking to the guy--who dismissed my testing and claimed that it "dulled" the trouble spots--he mentioned that he runs a honing service and was happy to hone for me. That goes to show you that, just because you pay someone money for something, whether a shave-ready razor or a honing, caveat emptor.

Tangentially: A friend of mine has a brother who is a personal trainer. He likes to say that his body is his resume.

**professorchaos** · 04-05-2011, 06:50 AM

Originally Posted by azmark

Man+hone+ego=honemeister.

+1. It's a marketing term, a bunch of hooey. The problem arises when the alleged master begins believing his own press.

**scoopster** · 04-04-2011, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by Austin

Gents, not a straight shaver nor am I interested in becoming one but I see this title thrown around quite a bit. Joe Blow honemeister extraordinaire, etc. Anyway, how do you get this title? Do you go to school and get a certificate? Do you apprentice under a Jedi honemeister? How do I become one if I wanted to?

Follow the ways of the stone you must......

**mongoose** · 04-10-2011, 09:33 PM

To be a true honemeister one would have the skill to hone more than a straight razor. If this person could hone knife blades, plane irons, saw blades, chisels, scythe, scissors and non disposable hypodermic needles then they deserve the title.

**Drybonz** · 04-17-2011, 12:55 AM

Ok, so now that we have a sticky thread with a whole bunch of people agreeing that "honemeister" is a joke of a term and that guys called "honemeisters" are guys with big egos, etc... what do we do about this: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index...le=Honemeister ?

It's a whole list of people that we want to identify as "master honers" or whatever you want to call it, so that people will know where to go.

So... do we pick a new term for them since "honemeister" is a negative term, or just stop calling them anything and let it get ambiguous?

**altshaver** · 04-18-2011, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by Drybonz

Ok, so now that we have a sticky thread with a whole bunch of people agreeing that "honemeister" is a joke of a term and that guys called "honemeisters" are guys with big egos, etc... what do we do about this: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index...le=Honemeister ?

It's a whole list of people that we want to identify as "master honers" or whatever you want to call it, so that people will know where to go.

So... do we pick a new term for them since "honemeister" is a negative term, or just stop calling them anything and let it get ambiguous?

Perhaps they should just be called razor sharpeners, since that is what they do. As far as the list is concerned, I am not sure why it exists. It looks like Badger and Blade is not willing to endorse them in the first place, and for good reason. Most businesses sell "shave-ready" razors, as that is what the market demands. However, "shave-ready" is a relative term for some people. In my opinion, anyone who gets into straight razor shaving that is not learning to hone for themselves is doing themselves a huge disservice. Honing is part of the whole straight razor experience; learn it.

**mongoose** · 04-18-2011, 11:04 PM

I fail to see ambiguity here when it is simple razor sharpening service. This is in no way hostle or demaning to anyone who provides the service that is needed for those who choose not to learn and do.
The frustration of some is understandable when a person steps back and finds the truth that a recomendation of a razor, hone or person that is hyped is the real disservice to the novice when the straight needs no special guides or jigs to maintain or learns the real maning of latigo and that cow hide can be purple. Think of the draw you could get from rooster dink pink strops.