Can't get this one sharp...
- Thread starter lagaffe
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No Nic, but I have heard a lot of good things about the Chosera range.
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Now that Gareth started this on sharpness, I'll fire a question for those of you who may be comfortable answering.
If I ask Neil or Andy or whoever else to hone my straight not ultra sharp (i.e. with what we would describe as a normal or medium edge sharpness), would that mean that the shaving life of the blade would be less that if it had been honed lethally sharp?
Would it in other words need a refresh hone sooner in that case?
Thanks for him or those who may be able to answer.
If I ask Neil or Andy or whoever else to hone my straight not ultra sharp (i.e. with what we would describe as a normal or medium edge sharpness), would that mean that the shaving life of the blade would be less that if it had been honed lethally sharp?
Would it in other words need a refresh hone sooner in that case?
Thanks for him or those who may be able to answer.
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- 3,266
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- West Yorkshire
That's a tricky question in my opinion Konstantinos, which once again depends on what you mean by "sharpness". The objective of honing is always the same: to make the two bevels meet and to polish those bevels. Whether you want a sweet edge or a crisp one, that's what I'm setting out to do.
The character of the edge depends on several factors mostly to do with the stone used: grit size, hardness of surface, hardness of the abrasive particles and so forth; furthermore there's the matter of stropping done afterwards, by the honer and by yourself. A blade finished on a soft coticule with some slurry will be somewhat rounded at the edge (I think) and will seem very smooth on the face, compared to the same blade finished on a hard hone like say a Charnley and stropped minimally. With user stropping the former will probably seem to become "sharper", whilst the latter will become more tame.
Assuming that the bevel is truly set in either case, my instinctive reaction is that the longevity of the edge will be much of a muchness, and will depend for the most part on a) how tough your beard is, and b) how skilled you are at renewing the edge on a strop.
I'll be interested to hear what Neil, Lee and Spartacus have to say on this one, because the honing / stropping theory rabbit hole goes very deep indeed. From a practical point of view though, I don't see much point in using a blade which is either uncomfortable or scares you in pursuit of enhanced edge life.
The character of the edge depends on several factors mostly to do with the stone used: grit size, hardness of surface, hardness of the abrasive particles and so forth; furthermore there's the matter of stropping done afterwards, by the honer and by yourself. A blade finished on a soft coticule with some slurry will be somewhat rounded at the edge (I think) and will seem very smooth on the face, compared to the same blade finished on a hard hone like say a Charnley and stropped minimally. With user stropping the former will probably seem to become "sharper", whilst the latter will become more tame.
Assuming that the bevel is truly set in either case, my instinctive reaction is that the longevity of the edge will be much of a muchness, and will depend for the most part on a) how tough your beard is, and b) how skilled you are at renewing the edge on a strop.
I'll be interested to hear what Neil, Lee and Spartacus have to say on this one, because the honing / stropping theory rabbit hole goes very deep indeed. From a practical point of view though, I don't see much point in using a blade which is either uncomfortable or scares you in pursuit of enhanced edge life.