Too sharp? What's going on here...

I have been having some small trouble lately. I had my first experience with a coti sharpened fili, and it shaved like a dream. Being just one razor in my arsenal, I phased it out (fter using it for longer than I have any other razor). Now, I had just honed up the others in my go to set, so Ishaved with one this morning.
My progression was
norton 4/8k,
spyderco UF, which I lightly oil and spray with 1μ diamond, stroke until the hone is dark grey and the oil is sludgy black. Wipe down with oil, spray with .25μ diamond, repeat, wipe with oil, repeat without spray
finish on pasted strops: .5, .25, .125, .05, .025μ

When I shaved this morning, it was perfectly smooth wtg and xtg, just like with the coti sharpened fili, but atg left some burn and lines like a nick, but w/o blood, on both sides. Is it possible an edge can be too sharp and catch at the end of a stroke or something? I have a 100x loupe, but edges all look jagged to me at that magnification, the edge on this razor no more so than any other.

I am going to try a razor tomorrow that I didnt strop on pastes and see if it's better...

I ordered a nice jnat today, hopefully that will smooth out the edges a bit and make a difference

I don't know anything about the spyderco, but started off with lapping films, diamond spray and that route and sometimes got blades so sharp they wanted to bite easily and leave irritation. Very annoying! That seemed to go away when I started using more natural stones and using the ultra fine stuff more judiciously to dial in the edge where I want it. To me there is such a thing as too sharp but that is probably a matter of personal taste.

The UF is supposedly around 14k amd a very smooth finisher. I suspect that, if razors are getting too sharp, it is the pasted strops. Adding a 300000 grit spray to a 14000 grit stone, if my theory is correct, just helps accelerate the cutting a bit--like slurry--coating a slow cutting 1μ grain with .0125μ poly diamond grains

For me, personally, I don't think a razor can be too sharp, as long it is honed well, and not run on diamond larger than .1 micron. Since moving to CBN and sub .1 micron poly diamond no razor I hone is too sharp...although my shaving skills are often "too dull" for such a edge . Who knows, one day I may hone up an edge so sharp it gives you weepers just looking at it.

As strange as it can sound, I did get a "too sharp" edge at one stage. I got this great Japanese made Western style razor off eBay, the Bevel is good so I proceeded to hone the small chips out and off we go. When I was done, I tried it and to my surprise, it was ninja sharp. I mean, it felt too sharp. It was still all right but I did nick myself once or twice. I stropped the razor and used it the next day. It wasn't as sharp but still very very sharp. On try #3 and on (I'm up to 5-6 shaves with it now), it's perfectly fine. It seems that using it "tweaked" the edge.

I use the same stone and process to hone all my straights and that one was the only one like this. I know that I need to be more careful with that one when I shave and that's all right. My suggestion in your case would probably be to skip the pastes all together or the last one and see how you go. I don't use pastes at all and get nice results.

Having said that, I am not suggesting to get rid of the pastes all together. Some straights might be better performers if you use the pastes and others no...

I end the show with the Spyderco UF then strop. Just a dry UF, no oil or diamond, about 100-150 laps. I have read that your combo will really sharpen it up, but like a Feather blade, it may be a bit too sharp and thence rough on the skin.

A "too sharp" razor can often be tamed through a readjustment of your shave angle. After a couple of years with the straights, we tend to shave on autopilot. The angle is programmed into our hands. When a blade is just frightfully sharp and you are used to about a 20 or 25 degree angle and a just plain "sharp enough" edge, it is time to be conscious of blade angle again, and try nearly dragging the spine on the face.

Slash McCoy said:

A "too sharp" razor can often be tamed through a readjustment of your shave angle. After a couple of years with the straights, we tend to shave on autopilot. The angle is programmed into our hands. When a blade is just frightfully sharp and you are used to about a 20 or 25 degree angle and a just plain "sharp enough" edge, it is time to be conscious of blade angle again, and try nearly dragging the spine on the face.

Click to expand...

Great practical advice! I had the idea in the brain but just couldn't articulate it!

A good trick recommended by Emmanuel at coticule.be is to run the edge along a wet fingernail (thumb) 1-3 times, and then strop. That should tame an overly sharp edge.

The Coticule edge will 9 times of 10 be smooth. By your description, it sounds like you experienced one of Jeremy's (jkh) edges off of his La Grosse Blanche Coticule.