Thread: low end vs high end razors

I guess we need to clear some basics up.... First off, a straight is only as sharp as the honer has honed it. I have a $10 well used flea market purchased razor that shaves just as well as any other razor I have if I hone it properly and use it properly. Modern steels are harder and tougher than vintage steels... both shave equally well when honed properly. The higher priced modern steel razors will typically be a bit harder to hone to get them to their ultimate best but they will reward you with a longer lasting edge (but not necessarily a better shaving edge).

A fresh modern cartridge razor such as the Mach 3 with all it's coating etc. will always tug less than a traditional straight razor no matter how well it's been honed.

A single pass with a multi bladed cartridge will normally be closer than a straights single pass due to the principle of hysteresis.

A modern cartridge razor can only shave as well as the designer designed it to do.

A vintage style straight can only shave as well as the shaver can manipulate it.

Modern cartridge razors and vintage DE safety razors have very thin blades which for some gents results in a harsh and irritating shave.

Straight razors and some of the older style hollow ground bladed safety razors such as the Rolls etc. have stiffer blades that resist deformation during the shave and give those who find the modern thin bladed razors uncomfortable a smooth, clean shave.

The increased tugging most experience when using traditional straights is not irritating, which is unlike the tugging sometimes felt with the thin bladed cartridge and safety razors where the blade actually deforms during the tugging and irritates the skin.

If you are asking "Can I buy my way to a better straight razor shave?" I would have to answer no. When it comes to the quality of a straight shave, it's 98% user and 2% hardware. While it is impossible for us to know if there is something wrong with your razor, most of the time there isn't a problem with the razor but rather with the technique and the expectation of the new user. I get a closer shave that is more comfortable for me than what I got from a DE but I do experience significantly more tugging during the shave. That said, the tugging is NOT uncomfortable... it's just there. The slight tugging I felt, in particular going ATG with a DE was downright painful in some areas on my neck! Some of us can go for weeks or even months without honing a blade... I can't get more than a weeks worth of shaves without having to tweak my edges.... not by much mind you, just a few strokes on a pasted strop does it for me most times.

When gents purchase a $100 strop from Tony, it's not because it's going to give a far superior shave over a $50 strop, it's because it's going to be more enjoyable when doing the stropping. Shaving with a Maestro Livi original brings great pride and joy to the owner but it doesn't have any magical powers over that $50 vintage blade off Ebay. It might be slightly sharper and longer lasting but we're talking nuances.... not major differences. It's the same with shaving brushes... I have a $65 badger brush.. it's a terrific brush and the lather it creates is as good for shaving as the lather made by my $300 brush. I just don't enjoy using the cheap brush as much as my expensive one. I knew that the higher priced brush was not going to improve the technical part of my shave but it sure would improve my enjoyment of said shave if I bought it!

So, in the end... if you're not able to get your Dovo to work for you, for whatever reason, don't think that a high end razor or for that matter a custom razor is going to solve your problems. There are differences between razors but it's not a day and night thing... it's very subtle and for me, an 1850's vintage straight shaves just as well as any of my modern razors. I'm waiting to receive a custom razor from Joe Chandler... I'm very excited about it and I'm hoping the modern steel in the blade will prove to be more durable than all my old vintage razors but to be honest, I don't think it will shave me any better than the shaves I get now from my current collection. I WILL enjoy shaving with it though, after all, I had a hand in deciding on just how it was going to look!


Regards

Christian