Thread: general numbers...xshaves before a hone session

gerenally, if anyone keeps track, how many times can you get a good shave for a st8 before you have to hone. obviously the better you are at honing the longer your edge will keep. but any numbers would be appreceiated

You really can't generalize here. It depends on the razor, your honing and stropping, your shave techniques and your beard and prep routines and your beard type. Some can go a year without having to touch the blade and some get 10 shaves.

Yup, that's it. The better you get at maintaining an edge, the longer it'll last. The more reckless and careless you are with prep and clean up, the more often you'll have to go at it. Stropping and oiling the blade after every shave will give it its longest potential life. Abrasive stropping pastes can hold you back from the stones for considerably longer as well.

I use what I would call regular care by drying, cleaning and stropping my razors after shaving and I get about 15-20 shaves before I need a touch up. I'm having fun with my Honemaster barber hone finally so I don't mind using it to touch up my edges as frequently as they need it.

X

and I will add - some have too many razors to have to rehone....

Originally Posted by DeathMetalDremel

gerenally, if anyone keeps track, how many times can you get a good shave for a st8 before you have to hone. obviously the better you are at honing the longer your edge will keep. but any numbers would be appreceiated

Unfortunately this is something that varies so widely as to be meaningless. Some guys have to rehone every few shaves, some guys regularly go a year or more on a single razor between honings. It all depends on how well you maintain your razor. See the thread "Stropping is King" in the strop section for a very good discussion of razor maintenance, focussing on the proper utilization of the strop.