Straight Razor Honing/Sharpening Service (Standard) Classic Edge Shaving

The regular charge for our Standard Straight Razor Sharpening Service is $25 plus shipping and tax, and is meant exclusively for razors without damage. 

PLEASE NOTE: In regards to all of our honing services, we presently only accept straight razors purchased at The Classic Edge. In order to get razors out to customers within a reasonable time, and ensure that our returning clients remain a priority, we can unfortunately no longer accept razors bought from other stores. This difficult decision is one nearly 15 years in the making; it devastates us to do so, but continuing to accept razors not purchased from The Classic Edge, and extending the honing service turnaround time, is unfair to our own customers.  We hope to re-open this service to the masses whenever able.  If you’re not sure where to get this service, try contacting the store you purchased it from.  Hopefully if these vendors get enough request, they will make an effort to offer this basic and much needed service.  We feel that if you sell a product, you should stand behind it and not push off the responsibility to another vendor.  We should all work together to help the Classic Shaving Community. 

Currently, the turnaround time is 3-4 weeks. We apologize greatly for the inconvenience! Ideally, professional honing services would be offered anywhere straight razors are sold; as this is yet to be the case, we do our best to keep up!

But trust us when we say, this wait is by no means a bad thing! Proper honing is something that simply cannot be rushed, as much as we wish there was a machine that could it for us! However, due to their unique nature, different razors often require an equally different level of treatment. We consider every straight razor to have its own spirit and disposition and, because of this, give each the careful, considerate, and personal attention it deserves. 

Our experienced Honemeister, Phil, is nothing short of extreme when it comes to quality, and insists every razor he touches be made nothing shy of absolutely perfect. 

Note from Phil:   I talk to clients daily, to give advice and guidance.  So if you find that you cannot find a quality honing service, but are willing to learn, give me a call and I can teach you how to hone a straight razor.  I offer this because youtube is not the place to learn to hone correctly. Many clients have come to me, after they have purchased products based on youtube personalities recommending garbage to them. Then finding out they cannot produce a sharp edge.  The internet is a great place for information, yet at the same time like a minefield of dishonesty or just someone trying to teach without having the proper knowledge or experience.  I am not here to get hits on Youtube, but I am here to help you on your journey to learning this wonderful Art.  Why do I not make honing video’s?  I just do not have the knowledge to edit a video, and make it look professional.  So I do what I can to teach one person at a time correctly.  It’s important to me that people not get the wrong idea about us turning away people in need, as we are not razor snobs, we are just not able to keep up. One person honing 7 days a week with no back up, it’s hard to show you how difficult it can be at times, and not being one to rush a job… Well there just isn’t enough time in the day.

That being said, if you only have one razor, and simply cannot wait for the perfect, shave-ready straight razor you are guaranteed with our service, please do not hesitate to call us at 416-574-1592 and let us know to speed up your order if there is a rush!

About Our Service and Shipping Procedure:

Hands-down, the most important part of any straight razor, when it comes to achieving that completely clean, close, and comfortable shave, is a blade that has been sharpened to its maximum potential. We firmly believe that the key to truly enjoying the coveted art of traditional straight razor shaving, is a blade worthy of the practice. 

We understand that, while incredibly worthwhile, personally learning to sharpen your razors can be quite the investment of time and money. Instead, we have made our world-class honing service not only available, but as easy as possible; in order to ensure all of our customers are able to maintain perfectly sharpened razors, without the hassle!

Or, for those interested in learning to hone themselves, the use of our service is a great way to understand exactly what a professional-quality hone should look and feel like. In fact, we encourage all new honers to send their razors in a few times, as it provides a perfect example of a straight razor that has been made completely “Shave Ready.” 

Either way, if you entrust to us this special privilege, like all other straight razors leaving the Classic Edge, we will take great care to ensure this edge is perfect in every way. As always, a final polishing will be done after honing, to give this razor the remarkable shine it had the day it came out of the factory, as long as there is now damage or deep scratches of course. We also tighten the pivot pin for proper movement, guaranteeing a smooth and freely moving blade. 

Please Ship to the following address:

The Classic Edge Shaving Store
23 College Avenue, Box 462
Port Rowan, Ontario
N0E 1M0, Canada

For razors coming from the U.S.A and all other International Countries: On the customs and declaration, please mark a low value of $10-$25.00 and state that this purchase is a “Repair Service.” Otherwise, we will be charged with customs and duties fee. Please do not state the cost of your razor!  Thanks so much.

For all customers, we do not accept cheques; please only purchase on the Classic Edge website, thank you! Keep in mind, whether in a bubble envelope or a small box, it is best to pack your razor with cardboard on each side (ideally in a coffin box), and place it in a waterproof plastic bag in order to fully protect it.  Please make sure you clean the razor and oil it before shipping.

Shipping Insurance:

We know that mailing out a prized straight razor can sometimes be daunting; so, to ensure all of our customers are completely comfortable and confident when it comes to sending their razors out for sharpening, we offer a few additional shipping insurance options! The following options cover the specified amount, for their own individual fee:

Coverage up to $250 (+11 CAD)

Coverage up to $350 (+$14 CAD)

Coverage up to $450 (+$16 CAD)

Coverage up to $550 (+$18 CAD)

Coverage up to $750 (+$21 CAD)

Coverage up to $1000 (+$25 CAD)

Coverage up to $1500 (+$31 CAD)

Coverage up to $2500 (+$45 CAD)

If you don’t wish to purchase any additional insurance, the regular sharpening price is also available! Without additional insurance, the regular cost will cover up to $100.

Note: We will no longer be accepting Thiers Issard razors for honing, with the exception of those purchased from us while they were part of our product line. The quality of Thiers Issard razors has now dropped to the point where we do not wish to sell them or work on them for the foreseeable future; however, we will still be standing behind all of our past purchases.

As many of you already know, Thiers Issard has dropped in quality over the years, and we simply cannot knowingly sell a razor that is not up to the high standard set by us here at the Classic Edge. Unfortunately, there are many low-quality straight razor brands that my competitors sell that we do not, and it hurts the bottom line that we are missing out on these sales.

Many of these competitors do not even take the razor out of the box before shipping, but at Classic Edge we inspect and hone every razor that we sell to make sure that it is shave ready and meets our quality standard.

I (Phil) can sleep at night knowing I have not, and will not take advantage of a person new to the wet shaving world and may not know that they could be buying a product that will not perform well, or will not keep an edge with regular stropping.

Many brands have issues like uneven bevels, distorted blades, flimsy warped scales, etchings that are not straight or, worst of all, steel that that does not have the appropriate hardness for a straight razor.

Thiers states that their hardness is 62 Rockwell; a rating that is simply too hard for any proper straight razor, making it difficult to hone. Don’t just take my word for it, ask the experts like Boker or Dovo who, in both the past and present, aim for 54 to 58 Rockwell. The ability to hone your razor easily is an essential part of this timeless tool, and the honing of a Thiers has become a long and tedious process with no real advantage when it is finished.

If you are coming to our site looking to get your Thiers honed, and you purchased it from another vendor, please accept my apology. In the past 15 years I have spent my weekends only honing Thiers Issard razors, because they are too time consuming to hone during my regular work day. I have missed my family and my daughter growing up, and have sometimes delayed the razors of my regular clients to a point that they are understandably upset. I cannot allow this to continue.

This has been a difficult decision for me to make, but I stand by it as being the right one for my family and all of our important Classic Edge customers.

Phil