How long will the edge last WITHOUT stropping?

[KrstGor]

Let's assume the following:

The razors has been professionally honed by experienced honemaister.

So, if you do NOT strop at all, how many decent shaves can you get before it becomes unusable?

I know, I know - different types of beard, soaps, water hardness, etc, etc will all play its part, but let's assume all these other things being equal/average and it's a quality Solingen carbon steel 62 HRC.

 

[kw1861]

For me, personally? Two. Maybe.

 

[MO1]

I guess it will depend more on your level of an "acceptable edge". you could probably shave without stropping for a week, but I wouldn't really try a fool's pass with an edge that haven't been stropped for a week. The edge will slightly deform after each shave and it will be more pronounced the more you don't strop. And stropping after a week, it will be hard to bring an edge "back", as you have let it deform too much.
I haven't really tried this, this is more what I imagine it will be like. may be an interesting experiment, but my face will probably not thank me for it.

 

[alla2465]

My question to you is why do you wanna know? Do you plan on not stropping or what?

 

[alex1921]

I would say try it and let us know. I never did this experiment but I am curious about the results.

 

[LJS]

Depends on a lot, but won’t be too many. Try it and report back what you find.

I don’t want to punish myself to find out

 

[KrstGor]

Folks, I know it's crazy Q, but I've a rather pragmatic reason for asking it - the razor will likely arrive prior to strop and so I was just curious. I've been waiting for the damn razor for almost 2 months now, hopefully it's coming next week. That said, it seems the strop will take yet another couple of weeks... that's why I asked.

 

[global_dev]

a lot of honers will have stropped before sending it to you, so you'll maybe have at least 1 stropped session.

some guys palm or arm strop. don't know how effective or comfortable that is. newspaper can be made into a makeshift strop. i guess be gentle.

 

[njtnjt]

Maybe 2 or 3 shaves. I’ve done the experiment

 

[rbscebu]

Folks, I know it's crazy Q, but I've a rather pragmatic reason for asking it - the razor will likely arrive prior to strop and so I was just curious. I've been waiting for the damn razor for almost 2 months now, hopefully it's coming next week. That said, it seems the strop will take yet another couple of weeks... that's why I asked.

With only one SR it is hard to compare a stropped SR with one not stropped. Another good reason to matching SR's, preferably M7DS's.

As for your need to know, I would suggest that, while waiting for your real strop, you strop before each shave on fresh newspaper folded over say a towel rail.

 

[KrstGor]

With only one SR it is hard to compare a stropped SR with one not stropped. Another good reason to matching SR's, preferably M7DS's.

As for your need to know, I would suggest that, while waiting for your real strop, you strop before each shave on fresh newspaper folded over say a towel rail.

Well, actually I can get a paddle-strop in a shop here. They sell it with "Robert Klaas Solingen Paste", yellow one is for "leather care" and the red one is for "honing improvement".

Perhaps for a beginner like myself a paddle-strop might be easier to use...?

 

[Suhrim21]

I would say try it and let us know. I never did this experiment but I am curious about the results.

I have and for my face I have to strop every shave. The minimum I've found was 20 laps on leather.

 

[RayClem]

If you get a new razor that has been professionally honed and stropped, always shave at least once with the razor before you try stropping it. Just like honing and shaving with a straight razor, stropping is a skill that needs to be learned. If you have a reasonable level of coordination, stropping is not difficult, but it is possible to ruin the edge of a razor by improper stropping. However, the edge can be restored, but it might need to be rehoned.

Go ahead and try to use the razor until the edge is no longer sharp enough or smooth enough to shave. Hopefully, by then, you strop will have arrived. However, there are lot of materials that can be used for stropping. Put on a pair of blue jeans and strop on your leg. Denim strops work. If you have access to a newspaper, you can fold it a couple of time and then strop on the newsprint. The ink used for printing has very fine abrasive particles that work well for stropping an edge. Some people strop on the palm of their hands. Obviously, you have to be careful not to cut yourself.

 

[Loner16]

I don't know the answer to the question definitively, but, I can have a razor stropped and ready to shave, if I get sidetracked for a period of time, I'll do another 15 or 20 laps immediately pre shave.

 

[ajduplessis]

2 shaves

 

[Tomo]

I’m not sure that I care to find out.

 

[SliceOfLife]

One shave. Any more and your razor isn't as sharp as it could be.

 

[rbscebu]

I'm finding out in a little experiment that I am doing here:

Holding An Edge (Stropless Shaving)

The blade edges in my first M7DS are now approaching perfection so I am thinking of a new challenge. I have two SR's that are effectively identical except for their steel hardness, so I am thinking about trying to determine how important is steel hardness when it comes to a blade holding its...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[wyoduster]

I have and for my face I have to strop every shave. The minimum I've found was 20 laps on leather.

I'm with you I also strop my straight every time I shave..

 

[SliceOfLife]

My suspicion is that 90% of the degradation a razor you don't strop suffers will happen in the first shave or two. After that it will be a VEEEERY slow decline. If your razor isn't substantially declined at the end of the shave vs the beginning... then your razor is quite durable. I'd be curious as to a "how many shaves without stropping" done one an 11-degree straight.

Thing is... we have strops. It takes a few seconds... why would you prefer a razor that lasts 50 shaves between stropping over a sharper one that lasts a single shave? Even barbers, shaving dozens of faces in a row would strop between each user, because they wanted the sharpest razor possible and a few seconds added to each shave was more than worth it. Honestly, I suspect most would probably strop DURING shaves as well, just to keep it at tip top shape.

If you do need the lower maintenance requirement, why not switch to a DE or a disposable blade straight? That's the next step in sacrificing sharpness to reduce maintenance.