Does the Finishing Stone Become a Moot Point the Longer the Edge Stays in Service?

[duke762]

I guess this mostly applies to natural finishers. Say, a Coticule edge is known for it's comfort, Arkansas for it's keen skin friendliness, and the Jnat for it's crisp keenness. After about 20 or 30 shaves (maybe less, I don't know) don't the characteristics of the stone disappear due to stropping? Won't they all feel about the same at some point?

If you value the stones particular characteristics, should you refresh more often?

 

[Legion]

I’ve not noticed a change of feel as the edge ages, apart from keenness. Having said that, I don’t let my edges degrade too far before I do a touch up

 

[Bounder]

I have often wondered this, especially after about 6+ shaves, when does the stropped edge become the defining one. I suppose as always there are variables like hardness of the metal, using linen, how many laps on the strop and etc.

 

[rbscebu]

When you have questions like this, 5he best thing to do is get two identical new SR's, hone them to the same shaving standard and then use one as a test SR and the other as a control SR.

 

[bluesman 7]

If you value the stones particular characteristics, should you refresh more often?

On the other hand, if you value the feel of an edge that is stropped and shaved into condition, you would refresh less often.

 

[lightfoot]

I’m actually in the early stages of some trial testing that involves a single razor assigned to a single stone for shaving over the next two months. I’m just picking up a few strokes on the stone between the shaves and regular stropping just to see how the edge may or may not change over a longer period of testing time. The stone is a middle of the road Coticule. I’ve managed to achieve a 8000 or so “equivalent edge” on the test blade. We’ll see if that changes over time with routine use.

 

[Bowmaker]

The feel doesn't change for me. My guess is stropping has it's limitations on altering an edge. I don't have any way to back that up other than shaving with the same edge over time, which is purely subjective.

 

[Bowmaker]

When you have questions like this, 5he best thing to do is get two identical new SR's, hone them to the same shaving standard and then use one as a test SR and the other as a control SR.

That would be the way to do it as a shaver might not be able to pick up on a gradual change over time.

 

[Gamma]

Here, in my home, with my razors honed by me on my stones....
A 4 month old blade honed on synths and finished on a Shapton 30k feels markedly different than a 4 month old blade honed on and finished on a Jnats or a 4 month old blade honed on a hard Dressante and finished on an Escher.

I usually don't let edges go that long though.

 

[ables]

It is an interesting thought expirement to wonder if the strop can override the finisher stone, logically the answer would be it would eventually. Personally though I also do not find this happening, likely from looking for any excuse possible to touch up a razor and having multiple razors I use to shave with. My two current favorite razors is a DublDuck honed on yellowlake oilstone and a Henckles on Arkansas, both have numerous shaves over many months and still retain the same unique shave feel.

Comparing rubbing razor metal on a stone vs on leather, I just don't think the strop changes the edge that much after the first or second stropping. I also consider myself a strop heathen as my interest in stones has always been much larger than in leather. My face can not tell the difference in stropping on my cheap homemade calf strops or nicer purchased latigo/shell. Maybe Ive just never had a killer strop but I dont feel inclined to spend $$$ on the fancy ones when mine do well. I also made my own flax linen strops that i prefer to vintage linen. Different strops feel different/better but 20 on linen and 30 on any leather seems about the same to me. And any time a razor feels wrong to my face I've never been able to strop it back into shape.

 

[Empire straights]

I know on knives the stone finished on had an effect on the blade for a long time. I feel like arks and washitas hold an edge longer than many others and though the Washita edge isn't usually a fine, I notice it's got teeth and is more aggressive than a finer finished knife.