Thanks for the reply. I know nothing about vintage straights so that’s an avenue I haven’t taken yet.
I suggest Thiers Issard or Ralf Aust. I just bought a Hart Steel 6/8 on sale recently (Dec 2020) and it was not shave ready by any stretch. I stropped it.. nothing. Ok Whatever.. I ran it on my finishing stones a Naniwa 12k and my Shapton 30K stone and stropped thinking.. ok it happens.. NOTHING it simply would not shave. I reached out to Dr. Matt of Youtube fame and he recommended I add two layers of tape and go down to 8k, 12k and finally my 30k and strop. I did that and it kind of shaved but not very well I suspect the bevel angle is to high as without tape it measures in at a great 16.1 degrees which is ideal but with tape it would suck. I had to do six passes and had to do a lot of blade buffing to get a semi close shave. What a disappointment. I also noticed microchips on the bevel. What the heck kind of razor is this that won't take a keen edge and finish without getting microchips? I reached out to Classic Shaving Customer service via email as they no longer offer telephone support due to the cerveza sickness. I asked them to hone it without tape. If they cannot give me a keen edge I will ask for a refund. If I don't get one I will file a dispute with my credit card company for a defective product. I can't prove this but I suspect they are selling returned razors at a discount. I also suspect they cannot hold a 16 degree bevel without microchips which suggests the temper is off and softer at the edge than at the spine. Live and learn.
It’s a good razor. It’s made from very high quality steel. I know that some of the grinds in the past have been some issues for some shavers. I do believe that has been worked out.But overall it’s a quality product. I know some of the members had issues with The retailer that owns Hart in the past. That retailer in particular I have purchased and had no issues. That’s just my experience.
Any news on this? I just ordered one last week and it’s on the way.
They honed it for free. But as I noted not a good shave. I eventually sent it to Dr. Matt and he said it had geometry issues which he corrected. I got a very good shave about 8 out of 10 and put it in my rotation. Would I buy it again? No. At least not until they correct their quality control issues. But to be fair Classic shaving tried to make it right and did not charge me for their attempt at honing it. I had to pay Dr. Matt who is really good at fixing blade geometry issues.
Just curious as to why (ignoring aesthetics).
I have three Harts that were purchased under current ownership but made by the Michigan artisans that are no longer with the company. They are excellent shavers.
