I'm going to buy my first new straight razor soon and wanted to know what condition they come out of the box in? Are they pre-honed and already set with a bevel or do they need to be restored? What stone is best for maintaining a new straight's edge?
New straight razor care and maintenance?
- Thread starter JeffMeeks94
- Start date
All of mine were 100 year old vintage razors. Looking back, I’m happy with that decision. I learned do hone and maintain myself.
$15 razor , $30 for 3m non adhesive films, and a $4 tile is all you need along with a $20 leather strop.
I started in late September of ‘18.
$15 razor , $30 for 3m non adhesive films, and a $4 tile is all you need along with a $20 leather strop.
I started in late September of ‘18.
It depends on if they are factory OEM honed, "artisan" honed or retailer honed.
Usually the last 2 are good to go and the factory based ones are not as great as some would expect.
ask the seller before buying, perhaps ask here about the particular retailer or source and people will provide some experience..
Best stone to maintain a honed/finished edge is probably going to be something in the 8K-12K+ range. Natural & Synthetic stones in this range aren't usually inexpensive. However some CrOx paste can be used to keep an edge going for a while. Or films. There is also the Chinese 12Ks, the welsh slates, dragon tongues, etc..
If you tell us more about what you want out of the experience and your budget, it'll be way easier to point you in a direction..
there is low cost and simple, that's the 5/8s common vintage and film & pastes
there also the less low cost and less simple way, that's new or vintage desired razors, unique and varying natural hones (coticules, japanese, etc). the synthetic hones in grits from 600 - 1K (typical bevel set range) -> 3K-5K (mid range polishing) 8K -> 15K (finishing) ->20K+ (high finishing, may/may not be needed). you may need 2 hones (norton 4/8 combo) shapton pro (2.5 & 5), (chosera 2 & 5), , you could need 6... full set of synths... all depends on you..
and you need a strop... fabric/leather is usually the go to..
Me and you keep it simple don’t we?
That’s because it is simple.
I started honing with a coticule (not the blue stone but the yellow).
It’s very easy to hone with that stone and it gives a wonderful edge. The good thing is you can set a bevel and do great finish with just one stone. It’s actually very simple to use.
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
It’s very easy to hone with that stone and it gives a wonderful edge. The good thing is you can set a bevel and do great finish with just one stone. It’s actually very simple to use.
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
