How often

[Mikeyzo]

For those of you who do not hone your own razors, often do you find yourself having them professionally sharpened?

 

[Luecke2326]

It depends on how often you are shaving and and your razor care process. If you are using a strop pasted with CrOx, it may be much longer between shaves. I hone my own and seem to get around 30-40 shaves out of a razor before I touch it up on the stones that's with using a pasted strop once in a while. A lot depends on you...

 

[Steve56]

I do hone my own, but in testing edges from different razors, I got 65 shaves each from a Japanese Cape 1000 Swedish Steel and 65 from a Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple. I’m currently on shave #83 with a Filly 14 Sub Cero (ice hardened steel) and that edge is still going, I’ve been using it about 10 times a month, it was honed on May 24th, 2019.

Hope this helps.

 

[Njguy1977]

Its kinda difficult to say for me, I have 21 blades and rotate using all of them every weekend. If I feel that one needs a touch up its not that big of a deal to give it a few swipes on a small coticule under running water and get it ready for next time. All of my blades are shave ready all the time..I haven't come across one that was in desperate need of a re-hone.

 

[Biglo13]

I do hone my own, but in testing edges from different razors, I got 65 shaves each from a Japanese Cape 1000 Swedish Steel and 65 from a Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple. I’m currently on shave #83 with a Filly 14 Sub Cero (ice hardened steel) and that edge is still going, I’ve been using it about 10 times a month, it was honed on May 24th, 2019.

Hope this helps.

What is your stropping routine?

 

[Steve56]

Kanoyama strop with suede and canvas. Post honing, about 20 palm strops, strops 20 canvas, 35 suede, 65 cordovan. Alfredo @Doc226 does not use the canvas I think. Post shave, a 6-8 light palm strops just to clean off rhe bevel, then 35 suede 65 cordovan. Once that I’m past shave 30-35, I add 10-20 canvas or flax linen about once a week.

There’s a thread elsewhere about maintenance stropping, and folks are using very similar routines to this.

 

[FXDX]

The problem with not having the skills to hone your own razors is that you probably don't have the skills to strop them either. You will therefore be sending them out more often. Learn to hone. Not rocket science and a honing kit can be had for under $40. If you are not willing to spend $40 and the time to learn you should simply get a Shavette and call it a day.

 

[Doc226]

How Many Shaves

With the premature dulling threads recently I have wondered "how many shaves to the center of a straight razor"- Not really, I just want to know how many shaves before I have to touch up on the stones. I plan on using the same razor with every shave and no pastes, sprays-nada. I will shave...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[rbscebu]

I have two SRs in my rotation. I have given both The Method edge. Before each shave, an edge gets about 60 laps on a clean leather strop. After each shave the edge gets 50 laps on a hanging 0.1u pasted balsa strop.

Each blade has about 40 shaves on it since it last felt lapping film/whetstone and each edge still feels better with each shave. I'm expecting that my maintenance should keep the edge pleasantly shaveable for a hundred or much more shaves.

 

[macintoshBR]

My Koraat was purchased a year ago and has not been honed yet. Overall, that really depends on the edge you have (I find Coticule edges do not last as long as lapping film edges) and steel hardness (Koraat and Wacker for example use harder steels than Dovo, Boker, Ralf Aust)

Last weekend I touched up 4 of my razors that were still shaving pretty well and doing very well on the HHT, but boy they feel great now. I guess one could extend the life of an edge quite a lot if needed, but I find it unnecessary since it is very easy these days to quickly refresh a razor yourself with a 12K Naniwa or lapping film or diamond pastes without removing barely any metal

 

[Biglo13]

I have a test razor that has not touched a stone in approx 40 shaves, it has been maintained on .1 micron balsa strop, and plain leather. With this technique and razor I do not see razor needing any stone or film time, possibly for the duration. I enjoy honing, most of my other razors in my stable get recreational honing/touch ups.

 

[ajduplessis]

Once, maybe twice a year if you are picky (2 razors in rotation). I believe you cant over-strop a razor with good technique and should last 60-80 shaves.