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honing service/"honemeister" recommendation

So, this is my plan (feel free to comment):

I'm just getting started but it seems that the best way to learn is to do. I've done my homework and I think it's time to get my hands dirty. However, the problem remains that aside from flaying myself, there doesn't seem to be any easy way to tell whether I've properly honed my straight without having some sort of example to compare it with. That being the case, I was thinking of picking up a few cheap straights--I know of the Gold Dollars available from Star Shaving but if someone has a better suggestion for a good, cheap straight I'm all ears--having one properly honed by someone who knows how, and then using the others to practice and compare.

With that in mind, I'd certainly appreciate recommendations as to who would be someone to turn to in order to have a cheap straight properly honed (and as mentioned above, any recommendations regarding another source/type of cheap straight would also be welcome).

Thanks in advance.
 

Legion

Staff member
I just had a look at Starshaving and they have the GD 208 like the one I have for a very cheap price. Baring in mind, you will still need to pay to have it made shave ready. But if the person he gives a referral to on his site is prepared to do all the work required to get one of those right, and for a reasonable price, they actually can shave very well.

Alternatively, spend more and get something "fancy" on BST that is made shave ready from someone here with experience.
 
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I just had a look at Starshaving and they have the GD 208 like the one I have for a very cheap price. Baring in mind, you will still need to pay to have it made shave ready. But if the person he gives a referral to on his site is prepared to do all the work required to get one of those right, and for a reasonable price, they actually can shave very well.

Alternatively, spend more and get something "fancy" on BST that is made shave ready from someone here with experience.

BST is certainly an option but part of my plan was two have two identical razors, one properly honed, in order to make a more accurate comparison. In the end it may not make that much of a difference but I'm working under the assumption that it would be easier to compare my work to that of someone who knows what they're doing if the razors were the same.
 

Legion

Staff member
BST is certainly an option but part of my plan was two have two identical razors, one properly honed, in order to make a more accurate comparison. In the end it may not make that much of a difference but I'm working under the assumption that it would be easier to compare my work to that of someone who knows what they're doing if the razors were the same.

Don't get the GD then. My impression is that no two are the same, and they don't just need honing out of the box, they often need regrinding. This can be done by someone with experience, and then they should work fine, but I would not wish it on someone as a first project.
 
Don't get the GD then. My impression is that no two are the same, and they don't just need honing out of the box, they often need regrinding. This can be done by someone with experience, and then they should work fine, but I would not wish it on someone as a first project.

In that case, would you have a recommendation for a no-frills straight that is at a minimum, consistently manufactured and wouldn't be too expensive to buy 2 or 3 of?
 

Legion

Staff member
The cheaper Dovos are about all I can think of. You will still need to get one pro honed, but they should both be the same, at least.

Alternatively try to find two less expensive vintage that are the same, although you will probably have to do some measure of restoration....

The wapienica used to be popular. You don't see them around much any more.
 
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Because the demand is low or the supply?

Supply, they are not made anymore.
When i started off honing, i sent a razor off to honemiester, and used this as my guide for my honing, also later on when i got my coti, i sent a razor over to coticule de for a free hone, which it offers to its members, again, used this as my guide.
As for gds, i like them, but some are far easier to hone than others, i have one which only needed a quick hone through my coti, others are way off mark, and took me ages to get right, getting a shave ready from the bst is a good way to go, it may be hard to get a set, but a good shave ready straight will give you something to aim for.
 
Well my plan appears to be unraveling rapidly.

So, what are the odds of finding a matching pair on BST, one honed and one with the factory edge? I can't imagine that'll be an easy order to fill....not even sure how I'd go about listing that in the WTB thread.
 
I think someone already mentioned a cheap level dovo, get one honed, and the other one out of the box, they would be a far safer bet than 2 gds, there is (was) a wilkinson set on the bst, but they are both honed!
 
Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Larry at Whipped Dog is going to hone a Gold Dollar for me and file another two so they match the profile of the honed razor and then I'll have two to practice on.
 
Ticks me off that the Double Arrows aren't being made anymore. They didn't seem to suffer from the heel grinding issues but it was otherwise essentially the same thing.
 
I found "razor exchanges" a truly valuable learning experience (if somewhat humbling at times). Hang out a bit, make a few friends, swap a few razors and you'll soon have razors done by all kinds of different guys, on all kinds of different stones. I tend to hold onto them, well oiled, to test myself against periodically.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
An island man, eh? I was supposed to have returned to Honolulu after law school but things didn't work out as I anticipated....I do miss HI.

Eh, go get made a partner, go buy everyone out, go make your millions, go come back, go join Waialae Country Club and kick back brah!


Everything will still be here when you make your way back.:biggrin1:
 
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