Thread: Diamond Like Coating - why can't it be used on straight razors?

M3 razors have been DLC coated (which is somewhat of a grammatical error... diamond-like coating coated!) since they were introduced, and how's that working out for keeping those razors shaving sharp for extended periods?

As far as making your razor harder, think about it. Putting a brittle coating that is almost infinitesimally thin on top of a base metal is *not* going to make the razor appreciably (I would argue, not even measureably) stiffer. (Tooting my own horn... check out my patent entitled "System and method for performing bulge testing of films, coatings and/or layers", #6,050,138). Technically speaking, hardness is an engineering term that gets confused with structural stiffness, and also gets confused with material yield strength and ultimate tensile strength... all those terms get bandied about by folks without regard for their very specific engineering meanings.

DLC could possibly affect friction... it can definitely prevent oxidation/rust... but changing the structural properties of a razor, it really won't do. But, if your razor dulls due to oxidation and not mechanical dulling, it may have an appreciable affect on keeping a razor edge sharp... but all bets are off the first time you have to use a pasted strop or hone. Drying your razor properly and keeping it coated with mineral oil or tuf-glide will work nearly as well, plus you can strop and hone your razor when you need to with no worries.

If you're worried about the stiffness of your razor, get a ceramic razor. If you're worried about the hardness, yield or ultimate strength of your razor's metal, get one made of S30V or ZDP189.

My opinion is that if you're worried about the longetivity of your straight razor, you probably aren't prepared to give it the minimum level of TLC that has been shown again and again to give most straight razors at least 2 lifetime's worth of useable service.

<although I'd *love* to try a S30V or ZDP189 razor sometime... mmm, powdered metals! say it like Homer! aaaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhhh!!!!>

If you want to go with the newest razor blade coating then I am sure that Gillette can help you out.

DLC would be fantastic in terms of abrasion resistance (microscopic scratches and chips), but deformation (bending of the edge) is not going to noticeably affected. The integrity of the surface coating at the edge after stropping would need to be seen, but if it holds up, it may reduce the need to regularly hone, unless the reason for honing is due to fatigue failure at the edge from repeated bending (a possibility with stropping/steeling blades).

Just a thought: try and see if the replaceable blades used in e.g. a Shavette or Feather are DLC and try that 1st to see if you like it.