If you’re fairly new to straight razor shaving and you’re active in the online communities, chances are the term “shave ready” straight razor may have come up a few times. Most experienced straight razor shavers recommend purchasing a “Shave Ready” straight right off the bat, and many will offer their services to hone or provide you with a razor if you mention it.
There are many self-proclaimed, “Honemesters” or people who proclaim they are masters at the art of honing a straight razor, but to date there are no certifications other than word of mouth by other wet shavers. So how do you actually know if you’re truly getting a “Shave Ready” straight razor? By the end of this article you will be able to ask the right questions, know how to check if your razor is shave ready, understand all the factors that may or may not affect the sharpness of a razor and know what to avoid when choosing a honing service.
What Exactly Does Shave Ready Mean?
A “Shave Ready” straight razor is a razor that is deemed sharp enough to shave comfortably out of the box and requires no further modification, stropping, or honing out of the box.
This means that when you receive the razor, you can shave with it and have no worries or questions regarding its sharpness. It sounds pretty straight forward, but determining a shave ready razor does take time and experience. As a newcomer to the world of straight razors, you are at the mercy of the person providing you with the razor.
What Alters a Straight Razor Shave Readiness?
There are several factors that may affect the shave ability of a razor. Some of these factors can be avoided when starting out.
-Storage: Storing a razor wet or damp can have a huge impact on its ability to shave. When carbon steel gets wet, oxidation can occur which can cause corrosion and form metal oxide on the blade affecting its sharpness. Drying the blade after each use can prevent premature corrosion.
-Stropping Technique: Stropping technique is one of the most important parts of the straight razor shave. This keeps your blade sharp and can prolong its sharpness, thus requiring longer intervals in having the razor honed. Improperly stropping your razor can remove the microscopic fin that is realigned after every stropping session. Losing this fin will cause the razor to lose its keenness and it will not shave properly.
Check out this stropping video for proper stropping technique.
Shaving Prep: Although this factor does not actually affect the sharpness of the blade, improper prep can affect the overall shave quality. Make sure to purchase a good soap/cream and brush and really take the time to get a good lather before you shave. Shave right after a shower and really get your face nice and lathered before shaving.
It’s important to note that your prep for straight razor shaving, must be more involved than for that with safety razor shaving. Straight razors require more glide and your whiskers to be standing straight up for it to get a nice cut. Failure to do so will lead to an uncomfortable experience, which may feel like the razor is dull.
Take your time when lathering. You should spend at least 2 minutes lathering your brush on the soap or in the bowl prior to shaving. Make sure your lather is th, creamy and lacks any air bubbles. Remember when it comes to prep, more is better.
Shaving Technique: Technique plays an important role with a straight razor shave. Improper shaving will result in less hair removal, thus the feeling that the razor is not cutting or sharp. Search the forums and you’ll see that many new straight razor shavers have the same complaint when starting out.
The saying “Practice makes Perfect” couldn’t be more true when it comes to straight razor shaving. Trust the razor and make sure to take your time and practice to perfect your technique. Remember to stretch your skin just enough to have your whiskers upright and don’t use alot of pressure on your shave pass.
How Can I Know I’m Getting a Shave Ready Razor?
The Most Important question when it comes to a new and experienced straight razor shaver. I use three factors when checking to see if a razor is shave ready. You too can do these tests at home with a few items to ensure your razor is sharp. The “HHT or Hanging Hair Test”, “Inspecting your blade under magnification”and the most important “Shave Test”.
HHT (Hanging Hair Test) :
What you’ll Need:
-Several Strains of natural hair
The HHT is performed by taking a single strain of hair and gently bringing it to the blade to see if it cuts it with ease. The easier it is to cut the blade the sharper the blade is.
What you’re looking for here is how clean the razor cysts the hair with just the weight of the hair being pressed on the cutting edge. The following short video shows how the test is performed with a shave ready razor.
Although this test is not completely inclusive to a razor’s “Shave readiness” it’s a good start. If your razor does not pass this test then it’s certainly not shave ready.
I like to think of the following when considering the HHT on a straight razor:
“I have never had a razor shave well that did not pass the HHT….but I have had razors that passed the HHT that did not shave well”
Visually Inspect the Edge of a Blade Under Magnification:
Checking the blade under magnification is one of the best ways to see if your blade is truly shave ready. I personally use a small microscope that I bought several years ago but have since seen several great examples come up recently. This particular microscope (Editors Note: Amazon links are affiliate.) will set you back $20 and has a phone adapter on it so you can take pictures with your phone.
What You’ll Need:
-Microscope or Jewelers Loupe 100x minimum
When looking at the blade under magnification, you’re basically booking to see if the cutting edge is straight: See below picture.
The picture above is under about 80x magnification and is actually of two safety razor blades, but is an excellent example of dull vs sharp. What you’re looking for is a clean straight cutting edge (right side) which indicates your blade is sharp.
Now, if you decide to get (or already own) a serious microscope check out these before and after pictures at about 24.3k.
Before
After
Images courtesy of Joel Calton
Again, you’re looking for a clean bevel (concaving part that leads to the cutting edge) and a straight edge.
Shave Test:
The Shave Test is the best way to find if a razor is shave ready or not and this is the only foolproof test out there. Test shaving (or trying a razor to see if it is shave ready) should be performed by any honemeister before sending out the razor.
If you’re brand new and your technique is not perfected yet, it’s recommended to have a more experienced friend test shave the razor for you. If that’s not an option then try the following:
Shave Over your Upper Lip Under Nose Area:
This is the most sensitive area of your face and the best indicator if your razor is shave ready. Whenever I know one of my razors needs to be honed, it’s because they struggle in my mustache area. If you feel tugging, or resistance in this area (like it makes your eyes water or your face cringe when shaving) then your razor is not shave ready. If it shaves with ease here then chances are your razor is good.
What to Avoid:
Now that you know what to look for in a “shave ready” razor, let’s go over some tips in avoiding a bad experience all together. Please remember to do as much research as possible to make sure your straight razor experience is enjoyable.
People Offering to Help with No Credentials:
The wet shaving community is full of people willing to help and pay it forward. Most have the best intentions, but may lack the experience in honing a razor for other people. If you post in any wet shaving forum you’re looking for honing services you’ll see lots of replies offering to hone your razor for free or for the cost of shipping etc.
It’s best to avoid these offers as these members are looking to hone your razor for practice, or credibility in the associate forum. They may lack the right tools and could potentially damage your razor or worse, send you one that isn’t shave ready, giving you a horrible experience. Again, most members have the best intentions, just lack the experience when it comes to honing all types of razors.
People Who Self-Proclaim They Have Honed Many Razors:
If you happen to post looking for honing services, and have responses such as “I have honed 100’s of razors and so and so can vouch for me” avoid them. Anyone who has to openly call out references in a forum is putting themselves and the person that will apparently vouch for them in a bad situation. Credibility is earned by others “vouching” for them and not calling them out.
Although the person may have the ability to hone a razor, avoid this as again there is no guarantee for services, and you may get someone whose skill is not refined enough to give you a good experience.
Ebay/Etsy Honing Services:
If you search on popular secondary sales sites such as Ebay or Etsy, you notice there are many listings for straight razor honing. These listings may be significantly less than professional services, and may look professional.
Avoid these sites as Ebay/Etsy does not guarantee services. In fact they are technically not allowed. If something happens it’s on you and you’re only guaranteed the price of the honing service and shipping. Plus, many of these services are guys just starting out, or trying to make it as a honemeister without investing in a website/business license/insurance.
What You Can Do:
Hire a Professional Service:
The best bet! Hire someone to hone your razor that has a guarantee, and insurance on your razor just in case. If they have a professional website and business license, then chances are they have invested knowledge in honing straight razors and you will truly get a shave-ready razor.
Prices do vary for services which depend on the grind, condition of the blade and model.
Expect to pay about $50 for the average honing service and more if the blade is a wedge or damaged. Make sure to use the best shipping service provided to guarantee your razor will come back to you.
Many professionals offer different methods, stone progression (such as synthetic or natural) and different stropping techniques, so this is a great way to try different items if you plan on investing in honing equipment yourself.
(A list of well known services are at the end of this article)
Reference from Another Wet Shaver:
Not to be confused with the self-proclaimed honemiester who calls out potential references, but If a well-known straight razor enthusiast recommends someone to hone, and you see several other recommendations from others, then it’s safe to say you’re in good hands. Utilize caution, and insurance when shipping if you have a valuable razor.
Again, I cannot emphasize this enough, please make sure to do your research when receiving a reference from another shaver. It’s your face!
Hone it Yourself:
No one knows your face better than you do. Why not try honing the razor yourself? Not recommended for the newbies just starting off, but eventually give honing a try. There are tons of resources online and in print to help you.
Honing the razor yourself does take practice and initial investment for the tools to get started (expect to invest about $300 to start) Although this process is very rewarding it’s highly recommended to start with a pro-honed razor.
There are many honing resources online, and although we won’t go into detail in this article please feel free to click here for help with honing.
Conclusion:
Hopefully, you feel a little more confident when choosing a “Shave Ready” straight razor. Whether you are brand new or a well experienced shaver, it’s never fun to have a bad experience with a dull razor.
Follow these steps and always make sure to do your research. Although they’re many people willing to help with the best intentions, remember it’s your face and your experience. Although in wet shaving, there are many ways to save money and time, make sure to invest the proper amount of time and money on making sure your razor is truly shave ready.
Popular Honing Services
*Note: These companies have a proven track record of providing a good straight razor edge you can trust. Most have been around for several years and stand behind their work.
Maggards: Brad Maggard is one of the best in the game. Honing literally 1000s or straight razors and the owner of one of the largest online and brick and mortar wet shaving stores in the world.
The Superior Shave: Jarrod has been honing razors for well over a decade and has lots of online content.
Gem Star Customs: Gssixgun aka Glenn has been restoring razors for over 15 years. He has many videos and is very active in the forums.
Whipped Dog Straight Razors: Larry Andro has been honing razors for over a decade. He’s the guy that made a business of helping new straight razor users get a shave ready razor for a true bargain. His honing is great and he’s a very nice guy to work with.
Max Sprecher: He knows his stuff and makes/restores razors as well. Very active in the communities.
Razor Emporium: A company that specializes in vintage razor repair, they offer complete honing services and a guarantee.
Honorable Mentions:
Lynn Abrams: Although retired, I don’t think there is anyone else in this world that has honed as many razors as Lynn. Truly a gentleman and a pioneer in the wet shaving industry.
Honing resources:
The Guide To Straight Razor Honing Part 1
The Guide to Straight Razor Honing Part 2
The Modern Guide to Straight Razor Shaving (Affiliate Link)
