- Messages
- 1,241
- Location
- Almere, Netherlands
KRF1963 said:I recently bought one of the allegro sharpeners and have thus far tried it with one blade and it worked really well.
I will have to give it a go with a Derby and see it it can put a decent edge on one of those.
Henk, Any tips on the best way to use these? How often do you sharpen the blades and how many shaves can you stretch a blade to?
My current blade (in my Toggle) is a Thai Super Thin that I have been using for about six weeks now, with an average of 6 shaves a week. I use a new blade for 4 shaves, like normal, then start sharpening, right after each shave. Four strokes on each edge side (two cycles on the machine equals a single stroke on each 'edge side' (left edge top, right edge top, right edge bottom, left edge bottom...), so 8 cycles in total) on the black stone, then four strokes (8 cycles) on the green stone, then 16 strokes (32 cycles) on the leather strop.
These machines were meant for blades from the 1920s-1940s, which were much thicker and heavier and studier than the current crop of blades, and also less sharp. THat is probably why many people are commenting the Allegro machines do not work on modern day blades. However they do, only they do not restore a Super Thin or Astra to factory sharpness. They do keep them sharp however, probably about as sharp as they kept the original blades they were intended for. You get a consistent sharpness comparable to the sharpness of a Super Thin after three shaves. If you want you blades sharper than that, forget about the Allegro; if you can manage shaving for weeks on end with the equivalent of a Super Thin after three shaves, they're well worth the money.