How Often Do You Hone?

[Zig the Pirate]

I'm not talking about stropping. But on average, how often do you re-hone (touch up) your straight razor? If I'm using only one, I'm touching up about once every three months.

I know this will vary, as steel qualities are many and the coarseness of hair varies. But on average?

 

[David]

On average, every six shaves. That’s far more than necessary but I like to hone and I like how the edges feel right off the stones.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I barely ever use an edge more than once. I like to hone and I buy dozens of new razors and hones every year. So I'm in the situation where I don't shave often enough to test all the edges I want to test already, so using the same edge twice is a waste of an opportunity to test a new razor, hone, strop, technique, or some combination thereof.

 

[Zig the Pirate]

I barely ever use an edge more than once. I like to hone and I buy dozens of new razors and hones every year. So I'm in the situation where I don't shave often enough to test all the edges I want to test already, so using the same edge twice is a waste of an opportunity to test a new razor, hone, strop, technique, or some combination thereof.

Spoken like a well-groomed gentleman

 

[Sinnbad11]

I get 15 shaves typically, i shave evening Sunday through Thursday. So that's three weeks for me. I don't keep close track anymore, I have a pretty significant rotation so realistically it's a lot longer than that.

 

[Basil]

I don’t really keep track of how many shaves each blade has completed. I generally pull out the stones every 2/3 months to do some maintenance.

 

[trentr]

I just went a month on 1 and grabbed another and went a month. Both still shave, but I think I am going to touch up every week or 2 just to keep them tip top and so it does not take much. New to this so may change multiple times over the rest of my life.

 

[global_dev]

I get 15 shaves typically, i shave evening Sunday through Thursday. So that's three weeks for me. I don't keep close track anymore, I have a pretty significant rotation so realistically it's a lot longer than that.

this sounds right for me, for number of shaves as well.. but i dont normally shave with a blade that often in a row and I could do better of noting how many shaves i have done with each. I mean i kind of take count or at least i do every now and again, but i don't notice how many have gone by. so i go by feel as necessary

 

[Gamma]

Hard to say. Sometimes daily, other times longer intervals. Depends on what's going on. I hone every day, usually more than one blade, so there are usually many edges in various states of condition lying about. I have a razor in the kitchen just for the purpose of honing, I never shave with it though. It is a rare day that any shaving edge here gets to the point where it 'needs' to be honed; they are just about always on the stones long before the edge gets to that point.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Re-hone? Refresh an edge that I have already honed once before? On average, I would say never. Although technically since an abrasive is involved, I suppose you could regard a balsa strop as honing, and I use a .1u diamond on balsa strop after every shave, so if you go that way then I would say every shave. But I never go back to stone or film for a touchup, once I get it sharp in the first place.

When it comes to honing new or new-to-me razors, I probably hone something or another every week, usually a whole batch at once. When I have a honing day, most of the time it is honing day and that's all I do that day. I batch process. I take the razors I want to hone and correct any bad heels or smiles or whatever on coarse rocks or sandpaper. Then I set all the bevels. Then I do a couple of midrange stages. Then finish, and then post-finish on the balsa progression. Any time I notice a razor is not at the same level as it's peers, it gets set back into another box and all the failures go through the process again after I finish the rest. On occasion I bite off more than I can chew and I have to finish a batch the next day. Generally the day after a honing day is a lapping and prepping day. Stones and balsa strops are lapped, sandpaper changed, film examined and discarded and replacement pieces cut, spray bottles filled, all that stuff.

 

[stone and strop]

My stones are always out and ready to go. My Avatar.
More than necessary for sure.
There's always a - I haven't tried... in a while. or switching out razors in rotation. They are always in great condition when put away but they still always get a new edge when they are brought back to rotation.
Its always a good time to hone

 

[camoloc]

quite often just for fun. and I don't have anywhere near to rock collections that most of these gents have.

using a finisher gently & often can be the equivalent to The Method Edge .1u maintenance 30 to 40 laps.

some stones (especially Arks) leave miniscule wear if any.

all great paths to the main objective. sharp apparatus and comfy close shave.

camo

 

[Tomo]

Generally every 3-4 shaves on natural stones. Daily if using balsa.

 

[Frank Shaves]

After 3 to 5 shaves because I want to try different hones and develop my skills.

 

[Jnatcat]

I have 8 razors in rotation and I just honed them all over the last couple days and it’s been a year since they have been honed, all still very usable but just did a 4k-8k-JNAT-Strop touch up and I figure they will go another year unless I do something silly like bang one of the edges

 

[Christian1212]

My coticule edges usually last 15-25 shaves. Ark and jnat edges seem to last 5-10 shaves more.

Feel like I can usually get atleast 10 shaves in with any edge before I notice a big difference (I shave about 3 times a week)

 

[Legion]

8-10 shaves usually.

 

[ajduplessis]

I honestly don’t know, most customer razors return after 70-120 shaves based on their feedback. My own “daily” driver a Dorko 135 is now on 61 shaves since rehone, its also my long term test razor. There’s a difference between MUST hone and LIKE to hone...

I have to put some sort of stake in the ground for customers wrt edge longevity, baring some caveats. That’s typically 6-10months avg.

Everyone here are serious honer’s so I understand the ‘need’ to hone as much as possible, but regular weekly/monthly honing IMO scares customers away from using straights...

I restore, hone and sell a razor about every week or 2 so I get enough honing practice which I appreciate.

 

[KW Driver]

I'll touch up when I feel a deterioration or it starts to tug slightly ATG. I don't track anything but feel.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I hone pretty regularly right now. My curiosity and enthusiasm are motivating me to work on the modest collection of SR‘s I have recently acquired described as barn finds. Trying to figure out what I’m doing right or wrong and what is working. On the weekend I might take a razor and put a finish on it before shaving, just to see how that feels at this point, trying to notice the differences.