It means the seller has judged the blade to be honed and sharpened to a level that a shave is comfortable. I.e. it ain't dull no more.
Because some new razor makers (i.e. Dovo and TI) apparently don't sharpen the edge to a really good shaving condition. The just put a bevel on it, as I understand it.
Yeah, be careful with the phrase "shave ready." Most new blades aren't, unless the seller is offering to have it honed (Classic Shaving, for example, will have it honed for you for an additional fee). There is a difference between just setting a bevel and putting an edge on a blade, and what most folks would consider "shave ready."
If I may: Sharp or pre-sharpened = the bevels meet the razor is sharp, not shave ready needs some work on a Barber's hone or polishing hone and strops... Shave Ready = might need stropping or a fine finish to adjust to your face... True Shave Ready = You will find a note with the razor that basically says "I am that good, please don't even touch the edge I put on this razor before you try shaving with it" "I am putting my reputation on the line saying that the razor is truly shave ready"...
When the bevel has been properly set, the edge has been honed to the limit of the steel the blade has been created of, and this honed edge has been polished out to smooth shaving perfection.......it's Shave Ready. Yes, some honemeisters are that good at bringing out the best and smoothest of edges on a piece of steel your skin has ever felt. It is well worth the cost to have the experience of a True Shave Ready blade. This will be the mark to aim for with your stropping and edge touch ups.
Shave ready means you can shave right out of the box. If it doesn't say, you may have to hone and prepare your Straight Razor before your first shave. From factory all razors doesn't come with an edge that is perfect for shaving, it's a factory default edge. Shave ready means that the edge has been prepared for a great shave! Remember to strop!
Unfortunately - Shave Ready is a concept - I have found some Shave Ready blades are far better than others
Too true, Trout, too true! I do not want to get into too much technical detail, but really "shave ready" is point estimate. How good that estimate is depends on the process (person) that generates it. Ideally, shave-ready razors will shave you beautifully straight from the box. But, when you think about it, we all vary. Our whiskers are different, our face geometries are different, our skin types are different, our stubble grows in different directions. Whenever someone hones a blade for someone else, the only thing they have to go on is their own face (any honemeister worth their salt will shave-test before judging a blade "ready"). So, it is unsurprising that sometimes a "shave-ready" declared blade may not be as "shave ready" as you might, individually, like. However, when you are new to straights it is more likely that other things impact on whether a razor feels shave ready or not. These are mainly down to the user's shaving and stropping technique - which is why some honemeisters will often tell you not to strop before using it for the first time. The best-honed razor from a honemeister God can sometimes feel like a cheese grater in the hands of an inexperienced user. Anyway, a good honemeister (and they are easy to find - they are the guys that other guys talk about in respectful tones) will hit the "mark" consistently for the majority of users. That is not to say all users, but, say, 99% of them will end up with a shave-ready razor. There is a way to work out an "interval estimate" for shave readiness..... you know: "this razor is shave ready +/- 10%", but it requires each honemeister to collect data in a certain way and is probably not feasible. Would be interesting though... James.
I have to say that a couple of years back that would have been the truth but my recent experience in dealing with both Dovo and TI on a dealer level is that they have both (particularly TI) improved vastly in the shave-ready stakes. I still don't find too many Dovos I would like to shave with straight from the box but at least now it's a case of the 8k and 10k+ hones rather than 're-do from start' as it used to be. TI are now almost amazingly good with the new tooling and sharpening regime they have (don't forget there's still a lot of old stock out there!) and I can honestly say that most need little work before they are ready for use. I check each one before it leaves and yes i do put the bit of paper in saying it's shave-ready. Obviously I do not shave with them but I reckon I know by now if the edge is good or not! I do agree that beards differ - and so does ability and levels of expertise (it's not always the fault of the razor!). I have lost count of the new guys who have purchased razors then email me saying 'it's not as sharp as i thought' only to say again when their skill level increases a bit 'it's getting a lot better'. In any event I always stand behind my razors and their edges - I think that given the number of vendors out there anyone who use me deserves the best I can do for them, and a close comfy shave is not too much to ask!
To me, shave ready means that the person who is selling it actually shaved with it and knows that it is. Degrees of sharpness aside, if it has actually shaved a face its close enough for me.
Shave ready means ready to shave a properly lathered and prepared man's face. There may or may not be much room for improvement in the razor's edge depending on many factors, but the razor is good to go as-is Not every shave ready razor is equal. Some folks get spoiled with razors that have been professionally sharpened or custom sharpened to their preferred comfort level. Just any old shave ready razor may not be acceptable to their standards of comfort, although it will certainly shave them
The unfortunate truth is that shave ready for one person may or may not be shave ready for the next guy. By that I mean a well honed razor may shave one mans face like the proverbial "Holy Grail" of razors. If another person had used it it may be a rough shave and of one of two reasons. It may be too sharp or it may be too dull. It really depends on your beard hair diameter. Some men would be better off putting milk on their face and getting the family cat to lick off their beard along with the milk. There are others who must strop once or even twice during a shave because their beard is as tough as the hairs on an elephants back. It is really imperative that you at least get a finishing hone like a Belgian Coticule or a German Thuringen razor stone - or at least an old Swaty barbers hone, (or even one of the Chinese 12,000 grit stones that are out there for not much money), so that you can fine tune the edge for your own beard. I know that a razor that is too sharp for your particular beard type can be just as uncomfortable as one that is too dull.
I agree that's the best way but impractical if like myself you sell several razors per day.................one's face gets a bit pink!
Well, being as I only sell them occasionally that definition is what I use. If I was buying something from the invisible edge, I'd accept it without the shave test qual
My personal "Shave Ready" test is my Hybrid ATG/XTG pass on the stache area. If it is not quite there it will pull and their will be blood
