Hart Steel razor's on great sale, could not resist

[Super Mario]

Gents, I just had my brand new Revisor 6/8 and Hart 6/8 out for honing by a great honer from B&B. That marks the 3rd effort to hone my Hart and no matter, it is like shaving with a butter knife! The blade is crap - as of this moment it has only one destination.....Pacific metals recycling! The Revisor, on the other hand, is almost as sharp as my vintage Feather shavette and was able to get into a 2-pass for first time ever on a straight. Feedback on the Hart was that the edge is soft compared to the spine suggesting it may have had an uneven heat treat.

Also, just google around and you will all find that the owner of Grim Blades now owns CS and Hart. In fact when I sent the Hart back to CS for their expert re-hone, it came back in a box labeled Grim Blades!

As for me, I will stay with my Boker and Revisor for straights. Either have been excellent shavers for a beginner....the Hart was so bad out of the box and on 3 attempts for rehone it might send one running back to a cartridge or electric razor. Hmmmm, did not try it for slicing cucumber for a salad...might have a use in the kitchen

 

[Acmemfg]

Save the scales. Someone may want them if they are any kind of decent wood

 

[Slash McCoy]

Not surprised at your recent comparison results. I have never heard of a razor made by or sold by Revisor not being an excellent blade. Hart? Meh. I can think of other razors as well, that everyone was just ecstatic about when they burst on the scene. One guy drops a two or three hundred or more on a new razor from a new maker and of course he loves it. Otherwise he got screwed out of a couple hundred Semolians. So he writes a glowing review. Like the emperor's new clothes, everyone else sees the same thing, and buys, buys, buys. Mass hysteria. And total ignorement of the fact that the razor can't even be honed without two layers of tape, or that it is just plain ugly, or looks like it has maybe 45 minutes of semi skilled wannabe razorsmith labor in it but sells for two days wages for the average buyer. I get more and more disillusioned with them even though I have never ownned one or shaved with one. They are, IMHO, not even properly designed, much less properly manufactured. I guess this is where I am supposed to say, "YMMV", but nah.

 

[Lomez]

FYI: I'm not pro, and I have no microscope- but here is my sample to add to this thread.

 

[Acmemfg]

Not surprised at your recent comparison results. I have never heard of a razor made by or sold by Revisor not being an excellent blade. Hart? Meh. I can think of other razors as well, that everyone was just ecstatic about when they burst on the scene. One guy drops a two or three hundred or more on a new razor from a new maker and of course he loves it. Otherwise he got screwed out of a couple hundred Semolians. So he writes a glowing review. Like the emperor's new clothes, everyone else sees the same thing, and buys, buys, buys. Mass hysteria. And total ignorement of the fact that the razor can't even be honed without two layers of tape, or that it is just plain ugly, or looks like it has maybe 45 minutes of semi skilled wannabe razorsmith labor in it but sells for two days wages for the average buyer. I get more and more disillusioned with them even though I have never ownned one or shaved with one. They are, IMHO, not even properly designed, much less properly manufactured. I guess this is where I am supposed to say, "YMMV", but nah.

A tad acerbic?? Perhaps but the fact is our Mr. McCoy makes a few valid points here. The marketing hype caught me and I own a Hart. OK razor (mine is one of the older ones) but no great shake. Indeed the specimens I cherish made by guys like Williams, Brown, Zowada etc. blow the Hart out of the water. Production razors by Ralf Aust are twice the razor of Hart at a fraction of the cost.
In the end, it's really nothing more than cutting hair off your face anyway.

So, this elephant walks into a bar...

 

[Jarrod]

Now down to $99 a pop, I see.
Good deal?

 

[Lomez]

Nice! I think so, but I think it depends on if you like a thick heavy razor.

 

[David]

Now down to $99 a pop, I see.
Good deal?

I can't afford one of those.

 

[Acmemfg]

Now down to $99 a pop, I see.
Good deal?

$99.00?
Not a deal in my opinion. Not when you can get a new really shave ready Ralf Aust or Dovo from
a reliable vendor for about the same price....maybe even $15-$20 less.

 

[M14Shooter]

I would pass even at $99.These are not the quality of Hart Razors from a few years back.

 

[Andy77]

I would pass even at $99.These are not the quality of Hart Razors from a few years back.

When I first started this thread I was baffled. My 6/8) Hart is wonderful. Keeps an edge, shaves like butter. But I bought mine in 2014.

 

[Jnatcat]

I have honed a few of the newer Hart Razors and also several of the older ones and they are not close to each other as far as quaility, I would pass on it even at the $99, I can get a ZY or GD to practice on for less.

 

[Lomez]

The problems with the new ones are the poor finish or scratch on the satin finish and the geometry? Can they both be fixed?

 

[Andy77]

I have honed a few of the newer Hart Razors and also several of the older ones and they are not close to each other as far as quaility, I would pass on it even at the $99, I can get a ZY or GD to practice on for less.

This makes me sad! When I bought my Hart, it cost $250, was regarded as very high quality, and IME worth every penny. So sad to see a quality American brand ruined in pursuit of "profit maximization."

 

[kelbro]

This makes me sad! When I bought my Hart, it cost $250, was regarded as very high quality, and IME worth every penny. So sad to see a quality American brand ruined in pursuit of "profit maximization."

Same here. Not that I plan to sell mine but they have completely destroyed the resale value on what was once a very nice quality razor.

 

[Andy77]

Also, if I ever sell it (which I won't) I'm going to have to convince the

Same here. Not that I plan to sell mine but they have completely destroyed the resale value on what was once a very nice quality razor.

I was just writing the same thing.

Ah, well. We'll always have Paris...

 

[Acmemfg]

Mine was a gift so it is very doubtful I would ever part with it. Nonetheless mine is an early edition; made just after Tim Zowada's departure from the operation. It is a pretty nice razor really. Good fit and finish; a
Zowada it ain't.

 

[alpster]

$99.00?
Not a deal in my opinion. Not when you can get a new really shave ready Ralf Aust or Dovo from
a reliable vendor for about the same price....maybe even $15-$20 less.

Just curious where you are getting "new Austs and Dovos for 80-85 bucks. That would be a bargain.

 

[Acmemfg]

$75 for a new Dovo would be even better. Granted, Ralf Austs are a tad higher but within a couple bucks of the aformentioned $99 Harts. Check The Superior Shave and Straight Razor Designs websites

 

[JoeShaves]

Kelbro

I had read a lot of favorable reviews on Hart razors and that is why I purchased one. I only paid $132 for the razor plus a $20 upgrade for Cocobolo scales. That is about half the normal price for the razor. I would have been satisfied if the razor had some cosmetic deficiencies that warranted the reduced price, but I expected a razor that shaved well after honing. If I had paid $300 for the razor, I would have been outraged.

The grind on my Hart had deep scratches that went all the way into the bevel. None of my other razors, including Gold Dollars I purchased to practice honing, have scratches as deep as this razor. It looked like the grinding was done on an extra coarse wheel. It was sold as a "satin finish" razor; they never would have been able to polish a blade with such deep scratches.

Although I do not know the history of my razor, my suspicion the razor was a previous return and CS cut the price in an attempt to recover a portion some of their investment. The only razors on sale were "satin finish". Did they have similar scratches? I have no idea.

When I first received the razor, there were microchips in the edge. I fully anticipate having to retouch a factory edge, but I have never seen microchips. I killed the edge to remove the chips and then tried to hone the blade using one layer of tape as recommended by Hart. Every time I went to a finishing hone, whether synthetic or natural, I got additional microchips and had to start over. The chipping occurred even with light pressure on the hones.

I was finally able to get a decent shave from the razor by setting the bevel without tape to remove some of the scratches and then honing a secondary bevel with two layers of tape on top of the first one. With two layers of tape, I no longer got microchips. However, with the less acute bevel, the edge is not as sharp as I would like for my tough beard, but I no longer get nicks and cuts when shaving.

The Hart is still in my razor rotation, but it is my least favorite shaver. I get Great shaves from all my other razors, vintage or modern. Even the Gold Dollar razors I honed from factory dull to shave ready give closer, more comfortable shaves. I expected more from a "made in USA" razor, even one on sale.

I did not attempt to return the razor, so I do not know how CS would have handled the return. I chose to keep the razor to refine my honing skills. Perhaps one day, I will obtain a finishing hone that will put a suitable edge on this razor, but by then I will have spent far more on hones than the $150 I saved purchasing the Hart on sale.

I understand that my Hart is an individual production sample and other Harts might not be like mine. However, I have read other reports of Hart O1 tool steel blades having a tendency to develop microchips, especially on high grit synthetics like the Naniwa 12K superstone. My blade certainly has that tendency.

I am not advising others to avoid Hart razors, but I would advise them to be suspicious of any razor, no matter what the brand, being sold at a steep discount.

I just bought one Dec 2020 and I am pretty sure you are right. It was not shave ready by any stretch. I stropped it.. nothing. I ran it on my 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 suspect they are selling returned razors as well.
I have always gotten excellent products from Classic Shaving. If they stand behind their product I will continue to do business with them. If not I will never buy anything from them again. Sad. I will provide an update here once this runs its course.