Minimum for upkeep...

[mparker762]

if a person got a norton 4k/8k, a chinese 12k, and a strop would they be pretty much set and self-sufficient as far as maintaining their razors go, assuming they purchase only shave-ready, and they learn how to use their equipment?

The norton will set a bevel just fine, lots of us used it for this purpose back a few years ago. The coarser stones are faster but not necessary, unless you're setting the bevel on a *lot* of razors. Or are just really impatient. Or really want an excuse for that new hone.

For that matter you can shave comfortably off the 8k side once you learn the hone, again this was common practice just a few years ago before chromeox became popular and the high-grit shaptons became affordable.

 

[blubbergovernor]

Since I'm unsure I should just start a new topic elsewhere I'll just keep with this one unless otherwise notified. In keeping with the "minimum" are both Linen AND Leather strops needed. If not which is preferable? I found ruprazor after researching, which has the "Filly Strop" for a $20 but it's leather only. On top of that I found that there's a leather shop not too far away from me that sells latigo for an affordable price and from what I've read if I get some bottom weight cotton or linen I'd be ready to go on that as well. Perhaps to make a paddle strop. But please... feel free to smack me down and dash my hopes

 

[mparker762]

This really gets to the question of how "minimum" you really want to go. With care you will never need to reset the bevel on your razor, so a bevel-setter is reasonably not "necessary". But you will need something for daily maintenance. If you use the linen then you won't need to touch up the edge as much as if you just use leather, but even with the linen you will need that touch up stone eventually, even if only once a quarter or year. So I'd say no you don't "need" the linen, you can just use the leather and touch up on your finishing hone more often, say once a week instead of once a quarter. For that matter you don't "need" the leather either, you can just touch up the razor on the finishing hone every day. Years ago there was a guy on SRP that did just this, he was going on a months-long trip and just took a razor and barber hone with him, and did just fine. Your razor will wear out sooner, but it is probably not a big deal if it wears out in 10 years instead of 100.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Isn't the "no kidding", "bare bones" minimum required for upkeep simply:

1) A Barber's Hone

or

2) A finisher (Nani or equivalent)

and a strop?

I only ask because thats the general impression I got from here

 

[mparker762]

Isn't the "no kidding", "bare bones" minimum required for upkeep simply:

1) A Barber's Hone

or

2) A finisher (Nani or equivalent)

and a strop?

I only ask because thats the general impression I got from here

Pretty much, yes. But one man's minimum is another's impossibly inadequate. It all depends on your tolerance for the various little aggravations and compromises that comes from running light.

 

[Lowkeyberserk]

OK then... if not the minimum, what might a person end up with if they wanted a buttery-smooth blade/shave every time and wanted to maintain their own blades, but had no interest in restoring blades, and only purchased 'shave-ready'.

 

[mparker762]

OK then... if not the minimum, what might a person end up with if they wanted a buttery-smooth blade/shave every time and wanted to maintain their own blades, but had no interest in restoring blades, and only purchased 'shave-ready'.

Once you get away from "minimum" there's a few hundred thousand perfectly good combinations that meet your requirements, it all depends on your personal preferences which you unfortunately don't know yet

If you're willing to send your blades out if you chip them, then pick an unpasted strop from (leather-only hanger, linen/leather hanger, leather/wood paddle, leather/linen paddle, smooth leather/suede leather paddle, loom, bench) and a touch up hone (there are several flavors of pasted paddle, hundreds of barber hones, and a good dozen finishing hones) and you're set. There's only a few hundred thousand combinations, which provides a great deal of the grist for the discussions around here. If you aren't willing to pay somebody else to fix your dings, then you'll need a coarse (4k) and intermediate (8k) hone in your kit, all of them will work just fine.

If I sound a bit cavalier about which hones you should actually choose, that's because it really doesn't matter much. Just pick one and learn how to use it. Eventually you'll figure out which type of honing method and stone you prefer, but there's no sense worrying about it now. A lot of the preference issue isn't really about functionality but other things like esthetics (coticules are gorgeous) or mystique/cultural affection (japanese naturals). The important thing is to learn how to use your chosen hone to its fullest.

 

[BEAR DEN]

For the bare minimum I would have a strop which included linen or cotton and finishing stone or Barber hone.
The other day while I was stropping my razor I "could tell" that I had gone off course a bit. The razor was able to pass HHT but I could tell instantly when I started to shave that the edge was off. Would have been painful if I continued. Couple of passes on Barber hone and all was fixed.
I have bumped my razors on the sink...dropped accidentally and other things that make str8 razor shavers cuss like crazy....it seems that eventually we all do...so maybe we need to take out loans to buy different hones for minimal upkeep!!

 

[blubbergovernor]

You're just not careful enough you need to buy a Razor Insurance policy.