Tom

Thanks for your earlier reply, I have an extra set of WE strops so I will go ahead and get the 1micron spray, would you recommend the .5 or .25 for the other side of the paddle?
Don`t worry about me trying to shave with the kershaw. I have had a beard for over forty years and have no plans to remove it. I do like a sharp knife though. My current sharpened knives will shave arms hairs very easily. I am not sure when someones says hair popping sharp what that really means. I would think whittle means to try and remove arm hair but have to saw a little bit. I havent been able to get one to cut newspaper like the crazy swede did on his first video. I also heard somebody say that they cut toilet paper cleanly.?

Thanks again
Lucky

A "hair popping" edge is one that when you shave the hair off your arm, it not only cuts it off, but instead of the hairs laying flat on the blade after they're cut, they actually jump (or 'pop') away from the edge.

At least, that's how I've always defined it.

That's good to know, Lucky. I showed the chisel video to a woodworker friend, and he's seriously thinking of shaving his long-time beard with one now...

The minimum accepted refinement level for a comfortable shave is 8K, or 2 microns. This leaves the edge of the edge thin enough for passing through hairs with ease. Further refinement leads to easier hair severing, but opens the doors for arguments about the edge getting more fragile, much like a pencil point that is super sharp not lasting as long. But that argument is related to straights and not so much for EDCs.

So to answer, .5 or .25 on the other side of the paddle is going to give you a better chance of a successful shave. Dn't forget to keep one side of a paddle with a clean leather strop for the final passes. You will want to strop with clean leather no matter what your finishing grit is.

I hope this helps!

Tom

Thanks for the info on using a clean strop, I never have read that before. Maybe I will use the 1 micron spray and leave the other side clean.

Thanks again
Lucky

No problem - That clean leather strop is essential!! Even at .125 micron finishes, the shave was much improved with plain leather stropping.