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How long before it should need its first hone..?

Another instalment in the occasional series of infuriating "how long's a piece of string" questions!

I bought my Boker Classic SR at the beginning of June so it's had maybe 2.5 months use at around 2-4 shaves per week, so say 30 shaves total with 50-60 strokes on a Boker strop after use.

I'm a little concerned that it might be losing its edge as it seems a little variable along the length of the blade and it sometimes pulls a little rather than cutting. It still does arm hairs with ease but feels less sharp than it did to my untrained thumb and last time I stropped it the first 60 strokes seemed to do nothing; the edge only approaching acceptable after a further 40.

I've had few complaints until this point (although have no frame of reference) but appreciate that sooner or later it'll need honing and wondered how long members expect to get out of a box-fresh razor before this is necessary. I know there are loads of factors at play but am still really green to this so as always any thoughts from those more knowledgeable would be much appreciated :)
 
How well you moisturize and prep your face, how many passed you make, the angle you shave at, how much buffing you do, steel type and how dry you keep your razor as just a few of the many variables that influence the answer to your question. To say nothing of the fact that "sharp enough" is an arbitrary point unique to each individual. If the shave is no longer comfortable then it's time to take action. Counting shaves rarely serves anybody in a real world context. A few laps on a finisher every few shaves will draw it out. So can pasted strops and lapped balsa.
 
If the bevel was set properly when you got it, it should never need a "full hone". You just need to do a quick touch up on your finishing stone when you start to feel a slight tug or dullness.

If you are new to straight razor shaving and are not experienced with honing, just send it out for a touch up.
 
As has been written, steel, grind, stropping technique, shaving technique, etc. are all variables that affect how long a razor edge will actually last. Also is the fact that slight edge degradation isn’t noticed as it happens so gradually. I’ve seen threads of guys going 80+ shaves without honing. Me... I touch up around shave 20 and I notice that the blade has been touched up the next time I use it. It’s an obvious tell, too, which tells me the edge wasn’t at its best before. Of course I hone myself so it’s not a big deal to touch it up. If I had to send it out to someone else that often... even every 2 to 3 months, I would look into the diamond pasted balsa strop that many here swear by.
 
Sounds like you are around the point of needing a touch-up on a finishing stone.

When I started, I needed to pull out my finishing stone after about 5 shaves. Almost a year later, the number has probably doubled. Not sure why. The edges I hone have definitely improved.

If you use diamond paste on balsa after each shave, you should be able to keep an edge going indefinitely. Depends on what you like.

I recently started using linen after each shave and feel like this is increasing the longevity of my edges.

So there are a lot of factors. Harder steels may also have more longevity. Many guys claim to get upward of 35 shaves per hone.

There’s really only one way to know and that is to get a few more razors and just try different things.


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I started with 2 vintage shave ready razors I bought of Etsy and between the 2 of them I got about 4 months out of them.

I was shaving each day and I was new so it played a factor(learning to strop-etc).
That being said after they started tugging I did research into”the method”On this forum and I was able to start honing on my own.

A lot really depends on how well the razors were honed to began with.
My experience looking back both of my first shave ready razors were decent..Not great not bad..So that also played a factor.I was also not doing much ATG at that point.
Now that some time has past I can’t imagine straight razor shaving without honing my own razors..I would get a gold dollar and practice on it..When you get comfortable then try on the boker.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Your best bet is @Steve56 he did a test on one of his razors I have tagged him so he will see this and make a comment

Thank you Ian,

It varies with the particular razor and how tough your beard is. But I’d expect 20-25 shaves out of a normal razor with a normal beard before you’d need a touch up. With a finely made razor and hard, fine grained steel, considerably more, maybe double that.

I did a three ‘run to failure’ tests and got 63 shaves out of a Cape 1000 Swedish Steel, 67 out of a Filarmonica Doble Temple, and 153 out of a Filarmonica Sub Cero with the hard cryo steel. Alfredo got 133 out of a hard vintage Thiers Issard (and I’d expect no less from a modern TI C135 razor). There’s a thread here with all this in it somewhere. That said, all these were past the point of needing a touchup from the ‘in shave’ feel standpoint, although I have to admit that the Filly Sub Cero was still producing acceptable results, but the in shave feel just wasn’t there past 120 or so.

Hope this helps.

Steve
 
Sounds like you are due for a touch up. As you gain experience, the edge will last longer. I usually touch up at around 30. I do my own touch ups, therefore hit the finishing stone a little early. If I had to pay and send out, I would hold off a little more.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Time for an edge refresh. I suggest that you send it out for a light honing, without tape. While its away, set yourself up with diamond pasted balsa strops. When you get your SR back, just maintain it on the diamond pasted balsa strops and it will never need an edge refresh again.

If using diamond pasted balsa strops, never strop the blade on a pasted cloth or leather strop. That will induce convexity in the blade's bevel and the balsa will not do its magic.
 
Time for an edge refresh. I suggest that you send it out for a light honing, without tape. While its away, set yourself up with diamond pasted balsa strops. When you get your SR back, just maintain it on the diamond pasted balsa strops and it will never need an edge refresh again.

If using diamond pasted balsa strops, never strop the blade on a pasted cloth or leather strop. That will induce convexity in the blade's bevel and the balsa will not do its magic.
To clarify: I believe you mean to never strop the razor on ‘pasted leather’. One should strop on clean leather as the final step in Method honing.

PS. ‘Stropping’ on a piece of diamond impregnated balsa is honing and you are in fact refreshing the edge after every shave. There’s no issue doing that but the whole never hone again thing is a little misleading. It would be more accurate to say there is no need to hone on lower grit films or stones again if you refresh an edge daily on 0.1 micron diamond pasted balsa. The same would be true of any finisher.
 
I get exactly zero shaves out of a box fresh razor. I’ve never had a razor delivered to me that was up to my shave ready standard.

A weekly touch up doesn’t take much time and will keep your razors in top condition.
 
I get exactly zero shaves out of a box fresh razor. I’ve never had a razor delivered to me that was up to my shave ready standard.

A weekly touch up doesn’t take much time and will keep your razors in top condition.
Generally how long will this weekly "touch up" last you, before a more drastic hone is needed?
 
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Generally how long will this weekly "touch up" last you, before a more drastic hone is needed
Forever. Unless you somehow damage the edge.

Every grit has an effective range. If you stay within the effective range of the finisher you will never have to go lower.

Without regular maintenance the edge will eventually need so much sharpening that it’s not practical to do it on the finisher anymore. It could be done but it would take too long. At this point it’s faster and easier to drop down to a courser honing medium and work your way back up.

Someone may want to do a major honing session for a few reasons.

1. Fix a damaged edge that has developed chips.
2. Correct geometry issues like smiles and frowns that can started to creep in.
3. Reset a bevel that has been rounded by using pasted hanging strops.
4. Speed up the sharpening process of a razor that has gotten dull.
5. Erase a previous finish and introduce a different kind of finish to the razor.

Apart from that you can just stick with a few regular laps on your finisher. Once or twice a week works for me. Some go more. Some go less.
 
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My razors never get dull. I like honing and if I notice even a very slight drop off I take it straight back to the stone. I usually refresh them after 8-10 shaves though I could definitely go much further.
Learning to hone makes life so much easier and enjoyable too. You can maintain your own razors and can experiment with different abrasives to get the type of edge that’s perfect for you.
 
Blades do not wear evenly across their length. Constant touchups do not address 'real wear' so after a while those updates lose their ability to bring the edge around. I've found that every razor will benefit from a fresh bevel set at 'some' point in the edge's life cycle. When that is depends on too many variables to get into.
Me, personally, I don't like to shave with 'an' edge. I want to shave with 'the' edge - there's a difference between the two and personal preference is what's it's all about here. I am only willing to compromise a 'bit' when it comes to shaving edges. I like fresh off the stone blades, I don't like to 'prolong' the edge when I can just make it pristine in a matter of moments.
But that's just me, and how I am. Not everyone is the same.
Milage always varies, depending on how you drive the car.
As for a new blade in the hands of a new user - edges will, invariably, 'fall off' sooner/faster. The blade might not need more than a touchup. Hard to evaluate it long-distance, but this is but one reason why pasted strops exist. Might want to consider stropping technique also, good stropping goes a long way in the world of edge longevity. Don't count laps, learn to feel the blade improve on the leather; it's done when it's done.
Same for shave technique, angles, and so on. But feeling a bit 'off' after 30 shaves is not unheard of.
 
How long an edge last is a product of your stropping ability. 30 shaves are pretty good for a new shaver/stropper. An edge can be trashed in a single stroke.

How often do you clean your strop?

Wear on a razor edge is from a dirty strop, there is a lot of dust in the air. It will land on your strop, then you strop in it and scratch the bevel and edge. Add to that improper stropping technique, too much pressure, not enough pressure or improper flip and the edge can wear much faster.

Wipe your strop before stropping with a damp microfiber and wipe your razor with a damp microfiber before stropping.

So, how many laps you need depends on many variables, but good linen is probably more effective than leather. When learning to strop, pay attention, go slow, hold the strop taught and use lite pressure. Stop forward motion then flip, do not slam the razor into the strop.

Test an edge for chips, by running a Qtip lightly along the edge, just the cotton. If you feel the slightest tug, it needs a touch up.

Think about it, what is more abrasive on your razor edge, your relatively clean face and wet beard or a dusty strop wiped with your dirty hand?
 
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