The Best Straight Razor Honing Service On the Internet

What makes an excellent honing service? Our honemeisters offer timely turn arounds and decades of expertise!

Special Skills & Experience

A good razor honing service begins with the basics: can the honemeister (the person honing your razor) produce a shave-ready edge while protecting the razor’s lifespan? Using the appropriate tools--traditional water stones up to 8000-grit or higher--and removing the minimum amount of material to produce an edge that maximizes the razor’s performance is best. Basic competency in straight razor sharpening is necessary, yes, but working on others’ razors adds a layer of unknown variability and complexity. An experienced honemeister will know how to evaluate the blade’s shape, geometry, grind, temper, shoulder, and existing wear; and adjust their technique accordingly.

“Thanks for doing such a good job sharpening the blades. Honestly I have finally enjoyed a straight razor shave due to these.” -Brennan

Straight razors are fundamentally different from other knives. They cannot be sharpened using the same methods as your kitchen knives, for example. Grinders are second only to rust in their unique ability to destroy a straight razor. They are also the most common tool employed by knife sharpeners. For this reason, seek out a specialist and do not trust your usual knife sharpener with your shaving razors. 

As craftsmen, we have over 20 years of honing experience. Scott and I started collecting and honing straight razors in 2009 and began honing professionally under the Portland Razor Co. name in 2014. Additionally, measured by the number of units sold, the honing service was our top seller in 2019!

Cleanliness

Maintaining clean and sanitary practices during honing services is essential. We want to protect the razor from damage, ourselves from infection, and our clients’ health as well as their personal property. 

We believe that razors should always leave our shop in better condition than when they arrived. Every honing service begins with a thorough cleaning and inspection. During sharpening, we use running water to keep the razor and hones clear of any abrasive slurry. We also lap our hones between each service to keep them perfectly flat, clean, and cutting efficiently. Finally, each razor is sanitized with an EPA-approved disinfectant and dried with a clean towel before return shipping.

► Watch our full honing service from unboxing to shave-ready edge!  

Timeliness

For many of our clients, their straight razor is their primary shaving implement, so they might forego shaving while waiting for servicing. We understand shaving to be an important ritual for many and a professional necessity for some. For this reason, we work to minimize turnaround time and ship USPS Priority, tracked and insured.

Additional Services

“Your honing service is of inestimable value to me.” -Kevin

Offering the best honing service on the internet often requires more than honing. Some razors arrive with excessive rust, cracked blades, broken scales, or worse! Our experience making custom straight razors has made us uniquely qualified to offer additional services. Refinishing, modification, repairs, and the manufacture of replacement scales are among the restoration services we provide.

Order now to take advantage of FREE USPS Priority shipping on orders over $25--including honing services--and enjoy the best straight razor honing service on the internet!

The 5 Questions you Need Answered Before You Start Straight Shaving At Home

No. 1 Why did you want to start?

We recognize that there are a lot of reasons one might get into straight razor shaving. Some of us enjoy it as a practice, as something we can always improve in. Others enjoy it as a zero-waste shaving method and a way to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Straight razors have an undeniable aesthetic, so many of us simply enjoy it for the cool-factor! Whatever your reasons for starting, remembering your own “why” will help you persevere during the initial learning curve.

No. 2 Do you have time for this?

Shaving with a straight razor isn’t something you’d want to rush, and that’s a good thing! Many of us live fast-paced digital lifestyles driven by instant gratification and tight deadlines, and a traditional straight shave is a welcome counterpoint to that. Shaving is an opportunity to relax and take time for yourself, to slow down, be present in your body, be mindful, and enjoy developing a new skill. And if you don’t have time, don’t sweat it; your new razor will always be there for you when you’ve found the time.

No. 3 Do you have everything you need?

All you need to get started wet shaving is a razor you love, a strop to keep it sharp, a quality shave soap, and a brush to lather it with. Starting with quality tools and supplies will ease the learning process and make your shave more enjoyable to begin with. If you need help choosing your first razor, check out our “No Such Thing as a Beginner Razor” article. As your technique improves, it may be worthwhile to start adding other products to elevate the experience. Pre-shave conditioners and aftershave treatments all help protect your skin and make the shaving process more enjoyable,  but they aren’t necessary at the get-go.

No. 4 How do you keep your razor sharp?

Strop your razor before every shave, and have it honed once or twice a year and when it gets damaged. This will keep your razor shaving comfortably and increase its useful life! Since the blade is non-disposable, extra care should be taken not to damage it: close it before setting it down or handing it to someone, only use it for shaving hair, and keep it in its own case separate from other items.

No. 5 Where can you get more information?

We appreciate that there’s always something more to learn or explore when it comes to straight shaving. We address our most frequently asked questions on our company blog and tutorials, but don’t hesitate to reach out if you can’t find the answers you seek!

If you are a seasoned straight shaver reading this, please leave some words of encouragement for the recent adopters below. At Portland Razor Co. we believe “what one person can do, another person can do.”

Straight Razor Care and Maintenance Tips for Barbers and Stylists

Our Pro Line consists of products we recommend for performing top-notch services in barber shops and salons. We received a question this week regarding our Pro Line which we feel might be helpful to other barbers and stylists using our straight razors. With Sydney’s permission, we have included her original email below:

“I am a barber and I recently purchased a straight razor from you guys. I am absolutely in love with it, however, I couldn’t find definitive after care instructions on your site. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Best,
Sydney ”

First, we love this question and what it says about Sydney’s professionalism. Not only has she invested in quality, sustainable tools for the trade, she's taking the initiative in learning to care for those tools and protect her investment! For those seeking a competent barber near Simi Valley, look no further. You can book an appointment here: @syd.scissorhands

Straight Razor Care, Between Services

Fortunately, caring for your Cascade Steel straight razor between shaves is super easy and can be broken down into the three S’s:

Strop! — Sanitize! — Store!

Strop

Stropping keeps your razor keen, clean, and ready to shave effortlessly. After sanitation and skin prep, having a sharp blade is the most important factor in providing a quality shave service, so don’t skip it! The more often you strop, the less time it takes each stropping to restore the edge to shaving sharp. At a minimum, strop your razor at the beginning and end of every shift, but ideally before every service. While this may seem like a cumbersome chore--especially at first while you’re getting the technique down--just remember how much time is wasted changing blades in your shavette. It also gets a lot faster the more you practice. Skipping the strop or doing so improperly will result in lost time waiting for the razor to be sharpened down the road. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our in-depth stropping tutorial.

Sanitize

Between services, rinse the entire razor and immerse in an approved disinfectant. This isn’t just because it’s required by health authorities (which we’ve written about extensively in a previous post); keeping your razor clean will keep it looking and performing its absolute best. Since you’re using our Cascade Steel razors, the entire razor is safe to immerse in water and high-level disinfectants for worry-free sanitation and compliance.

Store

Once your razor is properly stropped and sanitized, close and store it somewhere safe. Ideally, your razor should have its own sheath or box; don’t just toss it in your kit, since other tools can slide between the razor’s scales and damage the edge inadvertently. A toothbrush travel holder is an easy-to-clean and widely available storage solution for your cutthroat razor!

We hope you found this helpful! If you have any other questions, please send them to us!

The Best (and Worst) Straight Razor Oils to Prevent Rust

A straight razor demands respect; take care of your tools, and they will take care of you! With proper maintenance, a quality straight razor can last several lifetimes. The more you use your razor, the more important routine maintenance becomes. Besides stropping and honing, oiling your razor is an important step to consider in protecting your razor’s longevity.

When developing our Cascade Steel straight razors, we reached for modern materials with superior edge retention and stainless properties, which means frequent oiling would be redundant. Unfortunately, for 200 years the best razors were made with high-carbon steels. High carbon steels get incredibly hard and sharp, but can rust if water even enters the room! Since wet shaving is inherently--well, wet, rust prevention is an important step for a majority of straight razor users. This includes those using vintage straight razors and razors by Portland Razor Co. made with O1 high-carbon tool steel. In this article, we review some of the best and worst oils for straight razor rust-prevention.

A good razor oil:

• Displaces water effectively

• Is skin safe

• Is safe for common scales materials and finishes

• Does not resinify

• Won’t spoil or go rancid

Recommended Straight Razor oils

Camellia Oil - Great

Refined camellia oil (also known as tea seed oil) is a fantastic all-around razor oil. It is a light, skin safe, colorless oil with low viscosity which does a good job of displacing water and is easy to apply. Provided it is well refined, it shouldn’t resinify or spoil.

Mineral Oil - Great

Mineral oil is a widely available and very effective razor oil. Low to medium viscosity, skin safe, safe for scales materials, does not resinify, won’t spoil, petroleum product.

Ballistol - GREAT

Ballistol is marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum products like mineral oil and WD-40. It is skin safe, biodegradable, low viscosity, aerosol. In general, Ballistol will not resinify, however we have encountered a few instances where it reacted negatively with other oils and became sticky.

We don’t recommend…

WD-40 - Not Recommended

WD-40 works, but keep it off your skin and scales. We like it because there’s a good chance you already have some at home! The “WD” literally stands for “Water Displacement,” and it does that job really well. It also contains solvents which help break up old grease and rust but can be harmful to scales. It is not listed as a known carcinogen but is irritating to some when in contact with the skin or if fumes are inhaled. For these reasons, we wouldn’t recommend it as your go-to razor oil, but it works in a pinch or if performing a restoration of a razor with lots of build-up on it.

Olive Oil - Not Recommended

Yes, you can prevent rust with olive oil! But, should you? It has medium viscosity, it displaces water, you probably have some in your kitchen, and it is obviously skin and food safe... It can also resinify fairly quickly and will go rancid over time. You should avoid any culinary misadventures in the bathroom by using olive oil (or any other cooking oil) to prevent rust only in emergencies.

Petroleum Jelly - Not recommended (Worst option)

You can do a lot of things with petroleum jelly. Sure, you can slather it all over your straight razor and successfully keep it from rusting… but please don’t. The goopy stuff sticks well to your straight razor to displace water, but it attracts and holds everything else it might come into contact with such as dirt or hair. It’s very much a bummer to clean off as well, requiring soapy water or solvents in all the razor’s nooks and crannies (which is exactly where you don’t want water and solvents!). Cleanup is an important consideration since removal of oils is a necessary step prior to honing to keep contaminants out of your expensive water stones.

We hope you found this review of razor oils helpful! Did you learn something new? Do you have a question about razor oils? Leave it in the comments below! If you are ready to take the next step in learning to care for your razor, consider signing up for an upcoming honing and maintenance class. There you will have the benefit of hands-on instruction with a Portland Razor Co razorsmith for more specific and nuanced guidance.