Hart Steel Razor

OMG...Now I know what all the fuss is about!

I am a newbie at str8 razor shaving and wanted to try my hand at a traditional, "REAL" straight razor, so I had purchased one of these a while back.

I rated pricing a 10 because when Hart Steel razors debuted at ClassicShaving.com, they were being offered at $230 for their only "model" at the time, which was a: 6/8" size blade with black resin scales, satin finish square point, without jimps. Shopping around on the internet, checking out different vendor's pricing, I got a hell-of-a deal!

Craftsmanship is rated 9 because the adjustable pin loosens easily but also tightens easily as well; I started using this today and it was loose as I was opening the razor but was able to tighten it easily with the enclosed wrench that came with the razor. Inspecting the razor, there were no visible flaws...the edge is straight, a nicely milled tang and tail and nice shiny black resin scales.

A N/A rating for "Ease to Sharpen" and "Lasting Edge" because I just started using it today and it came shave ready without stropping...hmmm, maybe it should be rated a 10 because of arriving shave ready out-of-the-box.

A rating of 10 for "Shaving Smoothness". This razor is soooooo smooth to shave with, it's an absolute delight and fun to use. Having enough cushion and slickness, this razor will glide on your face! I thought the square point would catch my skin, but to my pleasant surprise, it didn't...a nice and smooth blade with a nice heavy quarter grind.

A rating of 10 for "Easy to Maintain" because the edge was still sharp first time out and I didn't strop yet. There is no spotting because I wiped it off after use and the blade still has a nice satin finish.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing one of these razors if/or when budget permits.

I love this razor. I wanted a tool for shaving, that's exactly what you get with Hart Razors. They are heavy and stout. As long as I keep the pressure off and let the blade do its thing then my shaves are super smooth. I've never honed mine so I don't know how easy it is to sharpen but I've used it for over a year and only sent it out for honing once. They are fairly expensive but very well built and worth it. I recommend it for anyone.

1.Not a bad price for what you get

2.Razor was in perfect condition,not a single flaw

3.The razor comes completly shave ready and I have touched mine up once,no problem with it at all.

4.The edge just keeps going and going.

5.Here is where the razor jumps in front of the competition.I own a 1/4 grind LeGrot and this is smoother.

6.No problems maintaing the razor at all.Love the adjustable pin.

If you like a 1/4 grind get this razor.Highly recommend.

Paul

Paul

I recently picked up a second hand Hart Steel 6/8, round point with walnut scales off BST. From the moment I unpacked it,you could see it was built for a purpose. It was almost utilitarian in the way it looked. From the one piece scales, the substantial blade to the Chicago screw holding the blade in. There was nothing fancy about it at all.
The shave from it was very impressive. The long round point meant you could get close to things without fear of nicking yourself. The heavy blade just ploughed through the stubble with ease. I just never felt like I was ever going to cut myself with it, no matter how silly I got with my angles.
I've had bothing but BBS shaves from this straight and although I haven't had it very long, it's still an acheivement.
For the people that aren't looking to be collectors and really only want one or two straights that will give them a high quality shave, then the Hart Steel would be the ideal choice. I'm really happy to have grabbed one for my collection and I certainly won't be letting go of it.

Overall, I am very pleased with this razor. It is quality and is among the smoothest razor I have used and that includes a Wonderedge, Filarmonicas, Le Grelot, TIs, Dovos, and W&B. Overall it is a minimalist razor with the focus on the edge. I would recommend this one to any owner.

Price (7): Yes there are cheaper options, but I don't feel the price is out of scale given the price of razors on Ebay and other retailers. Basically, you are paying a $40 premium and I believe it is worth it.

Craftsmanship (9): I haven't found any flaws, but the execution is very understated so I deducted a point. The razor lays flat on the hone, opens and closes smoothly with tight pins, and there no flaws on the scales.

Easy to Sharpen (7): They come with 1 layer of tape having been used in the sharpening process. It will take some work to overcome this.

Lasting Edge (9): Good, no degredation after a week of shaves.

Shaving Smoothness (10): I have not used a smoother razor.

Easy to Maintain (9): Removable pins are a big hit with me.

I'm going to dispense with the detailed description. It's already been done in previous posts. My only contribution is that this is a 1/4 grind razor. Definitely my preference but not everyone's.

I feel that the Hart razor gives exceptional value for the money. It it a good looking, hefty, great shaving blade. I'm not aware of anywhere else to get a hand made razor for this price.

The craftsmanship is exceptional. I'm unable to find a single flaw in the blade or the scales. The grind is even and straight with a uniform finish. Small even bevel that stays the same for the length of the blade. The scales are nice and don't really look like plastic.

The shave out of the box can only be described as exceptional. I find that a two pass shave gives me BBS almost every time. I noticed no difference in shave quality after seven shaves. At some point the edge will need refreshed but I feel it will be a while. A light stropping has kept the edge as smooth and sharp as the the first shave.

For some reason this has been a very controversial razor and I'm not sure why. Possibly the first production blades were less than perfect but I did not experience that. This razor shaves as good or better than any razor in my collection. In my opinion if you have the financial ability, get one.

My impressions of the Hart Steel Razor won during the Carnival of Smiles raffle follow. First let me thank Classic Shaving for donating the razor. A tip of the hat to our moderators who worked hard promoting and running the Carnival. Lastly, I would like to congratulate B&B for choosing, and the membership for supporting, such a worth charity.

The Hart Steel Razor does not look impressive. It is rather plain and exclusive of ornamentation. No gold wash, no blade etch, no mirror polish, no fancy scale material or silver inlay. There are no pretentions, this is a utilitarian razor. It is made in the USA for shaving, not for artistic pleasure. A tool rather than a display piece.

The design of the razor reminds me of a 1880s Wade & Butcher. A slight smile and sway back accompanied by a heavy blade ending in a top rounded square point. If you like these design characteristics then the lines of this razor are pleasing, it will never win any beauty contests, but everything about this razor is focused on function.

While the (one) adjustable pin scales are uninspiring acrylic, they are solid, functional, and impervious to water. They also balance the heavy blade well. I personally have no preference regarding adjustable pins. I own and use razors with adjustable pins and have rarely experienced any difficulty. The heads of the pin are nicely counter sunk.

The razor is advertised as a 6/8ths quarter hollow. The one I received looks much more like a slightly concaved wedge compared with my other quarter hollow razors. I might concede eighth hollow. The satin blade finish was uniform and without flaw. Inspection of the edge revealed a narrow, even, and smooth bevel and edge.

The fit and finish are excellent and I discovered no flaw what-so-ever. TV was the artisan, and he did a fine job on this razor.

While advertised as shave ready, I don’t consider any blade shave ready straight off a hone. In preparation I gave the blade 50 laps on a Chrome Ox pasted paddle followed by 30 laps on TM cotton canvas, 30 laps on TM linen, 50 laps on TM latigo, and 50 laps on TM horse hide. This is the progression I’ve used on my freshly honed personal razors for some time, and it works for me.

My normal pre-shave stropping is 30 laps on linen and 50 laps on latigo. Through 10 shaves, 3 of which were two day growth, the edge has held up, the 10th shave just as good as the 1st. Absent a mishap of some type I expect the edge will hold up for many shaves.

The shaves were smooth and close with no irritation. My usual three pass shave provided great results not noticeably different from my other razors, mostly Solingen full hollow 13/16ths or 6/8ths blades from Puma, Double Duck, Weltmeister, Fritz Bracth era Dovos, pre Dovo Bismarck, and Filarmonica #13 Doble Temple razors. I continue to use some heaver grind razors, mostly half and quarter hollow Le Grelot, W&B, Frederick’s, Livi Regrinds, and Thiers-Issard. Pretty stiff competition.


The razor was prone to spotting at first. Not rust or water spots, but some small spots on the blade and spine. Fortunately they came out easily with a bit of MAAS. I wonder if their appearance was the result of some residual of the salt bath treatment process working its way to the surface of the steel. The spots appeared after shave 2 and 4 only so it turns out to be a non issue long term, but I’ve mentioned in the interests of full disclosure.

Bottom line, I’m impressed and pleased that a start-up, US based straight razor manufacturer using a cottage industry business model can produce such an excellent shaving razor. The designers have kept priorities in clear focus, concentrating on what a razor must do. I salute them.