Slightly warped razor

[kayaker]

I've had my straight razor for about 2 months now and used it 9-10 times. I've just noticed that the shaving edge is ever so slightly warped. Sighting down the edge, from the tip to the shank, the blade bends to the left then back again.

Is this a major issue? Minor? No issue at all? I've found the blade pretty useable, but since I'm brand new to SR shaving, I have nothing to compare it to. I've sent a message to the vendor asking the same question and await a reply.

 

[Thebigspendur]

If it's a new blade I assume you paid full price for a perfect product so my advice is send it back.

Depending on the warp it may be a minor issue in use and honing will require a modified stroke or a narrow hone.

 

[shavewithbigelow]

Many vintage razors are warped and you'll have to adjust your honing accordingly. However if I pay my money for a new razor I expect it to be without any defects. Thebigspendur is spot-on. Send it back for another one if it's new.

 

[kayaker]

I received a reply from the vendor. he stated that if my razor is a Dovo (it is), then it was seen to by a professional hone-master and that any defects would have been noted.

As I stated above, I am new to straight razors. Is it possible to measure the straightness of the blade to determine if I'm "seeing things". What I can see if ever so slight, but I'm sure that it's there. I keep sizing it up from both directions and the bend is always the same (relative to the razor). Also, the bevel from honing is different on each side. Heavier bevel on the convex side and lighter on the concave side.

I'm going to try a couple of pictures and see if that can show what I'm talking about.

One final question, is it possible that I could have warped the edge myself through incorrect stropping?

Thanks for your help and insight.

 

[mainaman]

this razor would not warp on its own from the time the honemeister saw it to the time you noticed the issue.
Tell them that they should not BS their customers with false statements and replace the razor. Of course it can be that the razor hones just fine, so if you can post some pics that show the problem it will be most helpful.

 

[kayaker]

Here's what I've been able to get in pics. It shows the difference in bevel size on each side of the blade.

 

[holli4pirating]

A difference in bevel size does not mean that a razor is warped. There are other possibilities. Perhaps whoever honed in has an uneven stroke, so more pressure was applied to one side of the razor or a certain spot. Those light scratches that extend from the bevel partway up the razor are often (but not always) indicitive of pressure being used on a 1k (or thereabouts) hone.

 

[Thebigspendur]

I don't know who did the honing but it doesn't look like it was done by a true honemeister. Somewhat hamhanded.

 

[Seraphim]

Hard to see exactly what's going on there....but one side definitely does not match up to the other.

 

[Chimensch]

A warped razor is difficult to detect and I often don't notice it until I shave with it and something doesn't feel right. Then I am able to go back to a narrower hone and compensate for it.

That said, I feel very conflicted about this situation. On the one hand, I feel that the vendor should have to replace it and get a replacement from Dovo. From what I have read, Dovo's reaction is likely to be "If you can shave with it, it's not a problem". Even if you insisted that the vendor take it back, it won't be replaced until Dovo has had a chance to look at it and that will take some time, with the likely outcome that they will refuse to do anything. In the end, a lot of wasted time and aggravation for you.

My personal opinion is that, if the razor can be correctly honed and it gives good shaves, you will probably be more happy just keeping it, which is not to say that it is right, only more practical.

But I'm not totally happy with my own answer, which is why I'm conflicted.

 

[kayaker]

A warped razor is difficult to detect and I often don't notice it until I shave with it and something doesn't feel right. Then I am able to go back to a narrower hone and compensate for it.

That said, I feel very conflicted about this situation. On the one hand, I feel that the vendor should have to replace it and get a replacement from Dovo. From what I have read, Dovo's reaction is likely to be "If you can shave with it, it's not a problem". Even if you insisted that the vendor take it back, it won't be replaced until Dovo has had a chance to look at it and that will take some time, with the likely outcome that they will refuse to do anything. In the end, a lot of wasted time and aggravation for you.

My personal opinion is that, if the razor can be correctly honed and it gives good shaves, you will probably be more happy just keeping it, which is not to say that it is right, only more practical.

But I'm not totally happy with my own answer, which is why I'm conflicted.

Thanks for the info.

So far I've been pretty happy with the shaves I've been getting. I'm new to SRs but it's been working and I've even shaved my head with it.

I don't plan on honing it myself anytime soon, so will likely send it back to the same vendor to get the work done.

What I can see as a warp is very slight and barely detectable, but I'm convinced I do see something. I don't have anyone experienced nearby that I can show the razor, however, at the end of the month I am going to Vancouver and know of a Dovo vendor there that i could visit and get an expert opinion.

 

[waxwing23]

My personal opinion is that, if the razor can be correctly honed and it gives good shaves, you will probably be more happy just keeping it, which is not to say that it is right, only more practical.

But I'm not totally happy with my own answer, which is why I'm conflicted.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I just snaged on the BS&T,what I thought was going to be my dream razor a B&B LE Grelot 6/8 1/4 Grind only to find it was warped, and starting to develope a frown. I think I will be able to keep it tuned up so I will keep it.I think the search for the greater fool should stop here. Any more tips on dealing with warps would be welcome.

 

[Chimensch]

What I can see as a warp is very slight and barely detectable, but I'm convinced I do see something. I don't have anyone experienced nearby that I can show the razor, however, at the end of the month I am going to Vancouver and know of a Dovo vendor there that i could visit and get an expert opinion.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were warped. It's quite common.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I just snaged on the BS&T,what I thought was going to be my dream razor a B&B LE Grelot 6/8 1/4 Grind only to find it was warped, and starting to develope a frown. I think I will be able to keep it tuned up so I will keep it.I think the search for the greater fool should stop here. Any more tips on dealing with warps would be welcome.

I can help you out here. First, the frown was created by a clumsy attempt to overcome the warp. If the warp is facing upwards, the center of the blade is in contact with the hone and the toe and heel are not. The honer tried to get the toe and heel to touch the hone with pressure. Thus wearing away the middle and creating a frown.

You can hone correctly by using a rolling X or by getting a narrow hone. My 7-day set has two warped blades so, to make life easier, I had all my hones cut in half to make them 1½" wide. On a narrow hone, you naturally have to do a rolling X and you won't even notice that the blade is warped.

As regards the search for the "greater fool". Once you fix the frown and hone the razor correctly, you can sell it if you want, so long as you explain to the buyer what you did.

 

[holli4pirating]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were warped. It's quite common.

Can you clarify what you mean by this, because I don't understand. Are you saying it is common for razors in general to be warped, or common for new Dovo's to be warped?

I have found that a rolling X does not help me in honing a warped razor. I can hone up the "bowed out" side with a rolling X with no problem, but, a rolling X will not get me contact on the "bowed in" side. It just isn't possible (as far as I can tell) to get the inner most part of a concave surface to contact a flat surface by rolling it. Narrow hones really shine here, though, because the narrowness can allow the hone to get into the concavity.

 

[Chimensch]

Can you clarify what you mean by this, because I don't understand. Are you saying it is common for razors in general to be warped, or common for new Dovo's to be warped?

I have found that a rolling X does not help me in honing a warped razor. I can hone up the "bowed out" side with a rolling X with no problem, but, a rolling X will not get me contact on the "bowed in" side. It just isn't possible (as far as I can tell) to get the inner most part of a concave surface to contact a flat surface by rolling it. Narrow hones really shine here, though, because the narrowness can allow the hone to get into the concavity.

Yes, I meant it is quite common for razors in general to be warped. I didn't intend to single out Dovo.

As for the rolling X and the concave side, you are quite right and it didn't register with me intellectually because, when the rolling X on a wide hone didn't work, I went directly to a narrow hone. When that worked, I had my other hones cut in half and never really thought about it. That's probably one of the differences between an English Lit. major and a Physics major.

 

[holli4pirating]

Hm, I haven't noticed too many warped razors, new or vintage. I can only think of one that has ever passed through my hands that had a noticable warp. Luck of the draw, I guess.

 

[matt321]

I have one out of a couple dozen that is clearly warped. The concave side has bigger bevels at each end. The convex side has a bigger bevel at mid-blade. I don't see that pattern in your photo.

 

[Chimensch]

Hm, I haven't noticed too many warped razors, new or vintage. I can only think of one that has ever passed through my hands that had a noticable warp. Luck of the draw, I guess.

I'm talking about very slightly warped such as you might not even notice. What happened to me is that, last May, I took delivery of a custom 7-day set from TI. Thursday and Saturday are slightly warped but I would never have noticed if they were single razors. They shave well, but not quite as good as the other 5. It was while I was trying to discover why I couldn't get all 7 shaving exactly the same that I formed the hypothesis that, maybe, they were warped. To test the hypothesis, I took them to the narrow hone and I solved the problem. They are not visibly warped, but taking them to a narrow hone made a noticeable difference. That was why I had my stones cut, to automatically remove possible warpage from the equation.

 

[holli4pirating]

I'm talking about very slightly warped such as you might not even notice. What happened to me is that, last May, I took delivery of a custom 7-day set from TI. Thursday and Saturday are slightly warped but I would never have noticed if they were single razors. They shave well, but not quite as good as the other 5. It was while I was trying to discover why I couldn't get all 7 shaving exactly the same that I formed the hypothesis that, maybe, they were warped. To test the hypothesis, I took them to the narrow hone and I solved the problem. They are not visibly warped, but taking them to a narrow hone made a noticeable difference. That was why I had my stones cut, to automatically remove possible warpage from the equation.

You'll have to forgive me for being pedantic... you said so slight that you might not notice. But you did notice... In much the same way, don't you think I would notice if mine were too? I mean, I do hone and shave with every razor that I get... with very few exceptions.

 

[kayaker]

I have one out of a couple dozen that is clearly warped. The concave side has bigger bevels at each end. The convex side has a bigger bevel at mid-blade. I don't see that pattern in your photo.

As I keep stating, this is from the eyes of a noob. The heel and head of the concave side have a wider bevel than the middle. On the convex side the bevel looks to be of uniform width, except that the heel and head were touched up separately.

Even with the macro modes on my camera, I have not been able to get a picture that shows what I can see.

I will bring it to the vendor in Vancouver to see what someone else thinks.

Next time I think I will only buy a razor that I have held and examined in person.