How many shaves before rehoning.

[Stapelfeld]

Hey guys I just wanted to pick your brain and see how you guys do it and how different it is between you guys.

Assuming you have a really nice edge and that you strop your blade before every shave and between passes. How many shaves do you guys usually get before you have to rehone your straight?

Thank you all in advance for always being very helpful!

 

[Gamma]

There's no one single definitive answer. Different steels, different grinds, different edges, different methods of edge maintenance, different starting edge condition, and different expectations of cutting efficacy, different sensitivities to that sharpness, different beard types and prep rituals, strop materials and techniques, etc.
It all adds up to YMMV.

There are people with over 100 shaves on an edge.
There was someone who claimed to go decades on an edge using a barber hone only.
There are people who hit pastes daily.
And all sorts in between.

I found no advantage to stropping during a shave. I usually strop before and after.

If I have a typical mid 1900s solingen full hollow and I hone it myself, I will probably want to hone it after 30-ish shaves.
But it will not does not 'need' to be honed in an absolute sense. It's just that I like the way a fresh edge feels.
I could keep that blade going on leather alone for way longer. I just don't need to. I have stretched several Solingens to 90-100 shaves on an edge, just to see what's what.
I would venture a guess that somewhere between 90 and 180 shaves is where the max edge lifespan for a typical hollow ground razor lies, but it's just a guess. I also think a large numbers of people in these threads are probably going to hone that edge long before 90 shaves.

 

[captaincaed]

I was surprised when I started shaving that I could go as long as I could on cotton and leather alone. I thought I’d need to hone weekly, keeping a double edge around for backup. I remember going a month or more and thinking “surely I’ll have to hone any day”.

I’m not saying my edges were any good, but they could tree top arm hair, shaved pretty close and didn’t cut me. In the beginning that was exciting.

And I’m totally ok with that long cycle. When I learned I could do that, and got a couple more razors, my honing pattern changed. Now I’ll often try to spend some time, max out one stone per day, relaxed, and have a razor redone in about a week. Makes it more fun and gives me patience for the nit picky steps like stone flattening.

I think I went off topic there. “About 20-30 shaves.”

 

[Stapelfeld]

There's no one single definitive answer. Different steels, different grinds, different edges, different methods of edge maintenance, different starting edge condition, and different expectations of cutting efficacy, different sensitivities to that sharpness, different beard types and prep rituals, strop materials and techniques, etc.
It all adds up to YMMV.

There are people with over 100 shaves on an edge.
There was someone who claimed to go decades on an edge using a barber hone only.
There are people who hit pastes daily.
And all sorts in between.

I found no advantage to stropping during a shave. I usually strop before and after.

If I have a typical mid 1900s solingen full hollow and I hone it myself, I will probably want to hone it after 30-ish shaves.
But it will not does not 'need' to be honed in an absolute sense. It's just that I like the way a fresh edge feels.
I could keep that blade going on leather alone for way longer. I just don't need to. I have stretched several Solingens to 90-100 shaves on an edge, just to see what's what.
I would venture a guess that somewhere between 90 and 180 shaves is where the max edge lifespan for a typical hollow ground razor lies, but it's just a guess. I also think a large numbers of people in these threads are probably going to hone that edge long before 90 shaves.

Thank you for taking the time and responding. Although I’m sure it’s how you say that it depends on many factors your answer helps me out a lot. I wasn’t sure if I needed to rehone every 10 shaves or how many but at least now I get a number that I can compare with. Thank you for replying!

 

[Goofy_Bee]

I fully agree @Gamma
It’s up to you preference.
I rehoned my first SR after around 150 shaves (full hollow Böker). But with more experience (in honing and shaving) my demand for a „fresh from a stone“ edge have risen. So nowadays I rehone (touch up) after 10-20 shaves.

 

[Stapelfeld]

I was surprised when I started shaving that I could go as long as I could on cotton and leather alone. I thought I’d need to hone weekly, keeping a double edge around for backup. I remember going a month or more and thinking “surely I’ll have to hone any day”.

I’m not saying my edges were any good, but they could tree top arm hair, shaved pretty close and didn’t cut me. In the beginning that was exciting.

And I’m totally ok with that long cycle. When I learned I could do that, and got a couple more razors, my honing pattern changed. Now I’ll often try to spend some time, max out one stone per day, relaxed, and have a razor redone in about a week. Makes it more fun and gives me patience for the nit picky steps like stone flattening.

I think I went off topic there. “About 20-30 shaves.”

Thank you very much, that extra information always comes in handy. Especially for a newbie like me.

 

[silverlifter]

I keep shaving until I detect a change in the edge; if it doesn't feel as good, particularly under the nose. It tends to happen around a dozen shaves in for me.

 

[captaincaed]

Thank you very much, that extra information always comes in handy. Especially for a newbie like me.

I’m honestly pretty new as well. Only about a year in.
I’m also doing neck and cheeks mostly. If I were doing my chin I might have a different take.

 

[Stapelfeld]

I keep shaving until I detect a change in the edge; if it doesn't feel as good, particularly under the nose. It tends to happen around a dozen shaves in for me.

I just recently learned how to hone my cheap gold dollar so I will count how many shaves it takes to feel a difference. This is a good way to check.

 

[lightfoot]

Usually honing more often early in one’s experience is common.

One thing that can help prolong an edge is using a light stroke while stropping making sure the strop doesn’t get slack.

Get the strop nice and straight without pulling the anchor out of the wall…

 

[captaincaed]

I just recently learned how to hone my cheap gold dollar so I will count how many shaves it takes to feel a difference. This is a good way to check.

From what I’ve heard of gold dollars they may not hold an edge as long as some other with harder steel. If you hone more often.

 

[Lightcs1776]

I can go a very long time without a full re-hone if the razor was properly honed from the start. I have a pasted balsm strop and a leather strop. The pasted balsam might be considered honing, but it refreshes the edge quite nicely. The leather strop keeps the edge between the times I use the pasted balsam.

 

[duke762]

As my honing and stropping continues to get better, the number of shaves is going up. Stropping has been my biggest bugaboo keeping the shave numbers down. I've gone from twosies or foursies, to mid teens, since changing strops and stropping more aggressively.

 

[sexy beast]

As mentioned above. I alternate between 14 razors and use 5 razors more than other due to shaving qualities those exceptional blades. I could probably go without a honing session for a about a year or much longer on any of my razors. Just stropping will do to maintain the edge. I normally would change my edge out of boredom or experimentation. It really gives me an excuse to purchase a new straight razor just to do a full honing session if I was going to be honest. I really need to probably sell a few since I neglect some really nice blades I own.

 

[gpjoe]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but once a razor reaches a point that leather alone isn't enough to get it shaving, how far back do you need to go to bring the edge back?

I'm assuming that the bevel is still set and a high-grit stone will suffice?...or do you need to go back further?

 

[Njguy1977]

Since I use my straights on weekends and when time allows I can’t keep count of how many shaves let alone keep track of close to 40 blades. I basically use feel, if a blade doesn’t feel right what I do is face it in the opposite direction of the rest in my multi-case that I store them in. That way I know which one is a pass/fail and only hone the ones that are need to be and only use the ones that are keen enough for shaving.

Larry

 

[Njguy1977]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but once a razor reaches a point that leather alone isn't enough to get it shaving, how far back do you need to go to bring the edge back?

I'm assuming that the bevel is still set and a high-grit stone will suffice?...or do you need to go back further?

It all depends to be honest, most touch ups you start at 8k stone and go to 12k, I like to get to either 0 coticule slurry to finish, thuringen to finish or surgical black/trans ark depending on blade types. If you accidentally chip or nick or anything else damaging to the edge well then that’s usually a do over. What I tend to do is inspect the edge before I perform any work with a 10k loupe and then decide what course to take. It’s really about attention to detail, know how, and experience but it’s a quick learning curve.

Larry

 

[gpjoe]

It all depends to be honest, most touch ups you start at 8k stone and go to 12k, I like to get to either 0 coticule slurry to finish, thuringen to finish or surgical black/white ark depending on blade types. If you accidentally chip or nick or anything else damaging to the edge well then that’s usually a do over. What I tend to do is inspect the edge before I perform any work with a 10k loupe and then decide what course to take. It’s really about attention to detail, know how, and experience but it’s a quick learning curve.

Larry

Thank you.

In my example I'm assuming there is no damage, just a drop in shaving performance due to normal use.

 

[Empire straights]

1 for me but how OCD are you? I always touch up my edge, this is the exception not the rule. I'm kinda busted as a human being sometimes. I get compulsive about stuff. I love newly honed edges, even when they're bad for shaving and i shave with them. i like to learn stones. I wouldn't straight shave if I didn't have a rock obsession probably. But I like to see the personality of different naturals.. real weird.

 

[Jud]

Question that has not been brought up or I just missed it. Thought of it while shaving. Do we keep count by when you put on aftershave? Or does WTG count as 1 and XTG count as 2? Just saying both are shaves.

Does stropping on pasted balsa or diamond pasted strops count as honing prior?

I normally shave WTG. Strop on canvas with .5 micron 20 times, 20 on Ultranano .5, 20 ultranano .25 micron, & 40 on horsehide. Then shave XTG and repeat before putting up.