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Just make sure to stay away from Personna hair shaper blades. They feel scrapy

Are the "diane" Fromm ones on Amazon any good?

As for Kismet, is the best source crp-solingen on eBay?

I recently touched up a blade after 13 shaves because it seemed like it was a bit less keen and I was curious if my ark could bring it back as I definitely find it rather slow and subtle (but also really like how that lets me tune up my coticule edges a bit while still leaving them feeling coti-ish). Definitely noticed a difference so it does something :)

But for the most part I have too many razors to get them that far. However I do wind up re-honing them when, for various reasons, they don't retain an edge. Sometimes the steel is too soft for the bevel angle so I need tape to make it a bit more obtuse and get reasonable edge retention (usually in these cases it degrades over the course of the very first shave on the edge). That could be because previous honing has taken too much off the spine or the steel is somehow compromised eg. by polishing or regrinding done carelessly allowing the razor to get too hot and affect the temper. Beyond changing the angle I also find one can get lucky and just need to take off a bit more metal, I wonder if some of those weren't necessarily heat treating but some subtle oxidation or something over time that affects just the thin layer near the very edge so even if I'm lucky enough to find an old razor without any pitting or damage to hone through I might need to take off a bit more than it looks like.

I imagine similar things (steel hardness/quality, bevel angle) can also affect the overall edge retention so even with my same face and technique some of my razors with hard steel can probably go for 20 shaves (if I ever let them) while others would not be able to hold an edge past 10.

FWIW the earlier Autostrops can use a Gem blade if you pull the spine off of it (which is easy enough if you have a vise to hold it) or, alternatively, apparently the Feather FHS-10 are compatible (and afaik widely distributed).

Thanks for the feedback. I face lather most of the time.

I mostly just rinse them out but now and then use something stronger (sal suds, roughly equivalent to a concentrated dish soap but I prefer the scent).

The fibres aren't breaking in a way I can visually see, I'm just speculating that my perception of synths getting scratchier over time is perhaps due to the very tip breaking off. I prefer smaller brushes, my 22mm Yaqi Tuxedo with a short loft was my first synth but at some point (3ish years?) became unpleasant so I upgraded to a 23mm Muhle STF which, after two years, is starting to feel a bit scratchier. I have a larger Yaqi Tuxedo that I use very rarely and it's noticeably softer so I was wondering if this is maybe just how synths are?

...or maybe I'm just imagining it on the STF, the larger brush is just a bit softer and I must have scrubbed the poor little Tuxedo to an early death by not being sufficiently gentle with it?

Does anyone find synthetic knots get worse over time? I've now had a couple go from super soft to quite soft but slightly scratchy like the very tips of the fibres break off leaving a subtly harsh contact surface. They still lather fine, just less pleasant to use.

I bet they'd be fine, it seems like it was mainly the Dovo "best quality" that's the worst. And even then it'd usually be salvageable, just more challenging to hone and not really worth the premium you'd pay over vintage. And there are vintage "mustache razors" of various makes that are shorter, TI has a "Petit Francais" (actually, they might still...) and Double Duck has the "Dwarf" for example.

Or... have you ever considered a Japanese kamisori? They're shorter blades by default and an interesting change. Japanese western razors also tend to have some shorter models available with 2.5" being not uncommon.

But you might just use the opportunity to appreciate a razor that has fallen on hard times and been irreparably damaged toward the front---that bit can be cut off with a Dremel or similar leaving a "shorty" razor. And you don't have to do it yourself, they're common enough eg: https://www.ebay.com/itm/385718663015

If you do happen to be handy with power tools (or know someone who is) I do happen to have a really nice razor that I probably won't get around to modifying for a few years yet that I might be willing to part with: https://imgur.com/a/S10sa7W

You can't really see it but the blade is cracked about half an inch in, near that blemish. So at some point someone will have to cut that off (carefully so as not to overheat the metal and lose the temper). Until then I'll endeavour to keep it safe from rust as it's otherwise a pristine blade from the famous Erik Anton Berg (also famous for tools) and the scales are some of the most beautiful I've seen in person.

pre-1850s usually straight razors with extra short tails, called monkey tails,

Pretty sure those are "stub tails", monkey tails are long like that Tedalus and, most famously, the De Pew "Perfect Razor". Some French razors were even made with no tail at all.

Ha! Well, one so far. But I started with it and it was a good one so ya, it'd have made sense for me to pick up more. However at the time I was looking for variety and figured I had that box checked, just haven't circled back yet. Almost did pick up another now that I think of it but sat on it too long and someone snagged it. My first Imperial is so very patiently waiting in purgatory for scales. I like my Puma a lot but it's my only one. Hm. Ok maybe this is a pattern... Still no Shumate nor Waterville nor Ramapo though so if I was going to make a point of shopping for an American razor I'd probably lean that way. You may have been very wise specialising your collection... And nice score on that Imperial!

Welcome, good to see you here.

I like my Geneva, I think it has the Pyramid too though it's been a while. Yours looks to be in very nice shape. Thanks, now I know what I'm shaving with today. Was actually the first one I honed and it took an edge quite readily. Congrats on the find!