Thread: "Singing" blade?

I have heard a few mentions of "singing" blades, however as a newbie I'm kinda puzzled by this term.

How is a "singing" blade different from a non-singing blade? Does it actually sound different when you shave with it?

I'm not the most experienced in these matters, but I believe it refers to hollow razors having a tendency to produce a tone as they are drawn across the face. This is referred to as "singing." The reason hollows do it more than wedges is the fact that they are much thinner, and therefore vibrate more easily than wedges. But don't take my word for it.

A "Singing" blade is an Extra Full Hollow Ground Razor!!!! It makes a 'Zinging' sound when stropping or shaving... It also has an extremely fine very delicate edge (seriously don't even think about tapping the faucet with one) ... Some Full Hollows will sing a tune also although not as loud ..... It seems that the theory was that the thinner the blade was ground, the sharper the edge that could be obtained, also the blade will "flex" to fit the contours of the face better, hence a closer smoother shave... there are people on both extremes here and all in the middle too so to say what is the best would be only personal preference... The standard belief is that the heavier your beard is, the heavier the grind of your razor should be....

Originally Posted by tacobus

How is a "singing" blade different from a non-singing blade? Does it actually sound different when you shave with it?

They're "double hollow ground" or whatever the term is. See the photo and imagine the grinding wheels that made the two bevels. The bigger wheel made the standard hollow grind, and you can see the second smaller wheel thins it quite a bit further.

They do sound a lot different when you strop and shave, much noisier.

I have a couple.

I love them. They sing when you strop them, and the make a lovely fun popping noise as you shave. It is very cool. But it is a personal thing.

I can see how they caught on and became very fashionable in the early 20th.

They can be a bear to learn to hone on though.