Thread: Can it be TOO sharp?

I just posted in a different thread that I recently bought a Dovo Bismark from Straight Razor Designs. I assume Lynn honed it but I gotta say that this blade feels alot sharper than my last. I mean it just slices thru. So much so that I feel like I better be damn careful. I came out with more nicks.

My other blade was professionally honed as well (not by Lynn) but it's not nearly as sharp. Makes me wonder if I'm botching up my stropping. Anyway, my question: is it possible that a blade be TOO sharp?

Too sharp is relative. One might consider your to sharp just right..got to remember that different whisker types and skin tones it is hard to say what to sharp is..unless of course you take a swipe and you can see your cheek bones..
It is all relative man

Right but even on a relative basis... Do you have your own point where it's "too sharp"? (I realize everyone might have a different point)

I have not found that yet..I have two serviceable razors right now and one is sharper than the other but personally I would like to get them just a bit sharper because I have a pretty thick and wiry beard and mustache..but both work well for me.. I have two more that I will get honed soon and sees how they compare

During my tenure here at SRP i have found that "Too Sharp" is usually one of two things.

1) Poor Technique
2) Poor Honing

I second the above. But you should call Lynn if you have any doubts. I figure it's your technique though. No offense intended.

There is too sharp for you. Feather DE blades though give me the smoothest shave, are too sharp for my sensitive skin; I frequently got some irritation from them. However, my straights have been just right. I like a happy medium between sharp and smooth. I really coarse stubble, but sensitive skin; so it's a balancing act for me. Some guys just want to get a blade as sharp as they can by hand, but if you sacrifice comfort, then what's the point ya' know. After a few different razors and styles of honing, you'll find what is comfortable for your face. Cheers!

There are many different characteristics to edges that impact performance. Sharp is kind of hard to define sometimes.

When I started shaving with a straight, I had a few blades that I thought were too sharp, and I called them "harsh". One had an edge honed on diamonds and would test out around HHT4-5 but felt like a garden rake on my face, another was honed by a professional (on synthetic water stones) and it felt a little better during the shave, but irritated my face badly (noted post-shave).

Now with a bit more perspective, I am inclined to believe that the diamond edge was truly harsh and eventually tamed a bit with stropping, and the pro edge was simply sharper than my level of shaving abilities could tolerate at the time.

NOW, I like the sharpest edge I can muster, and I have learned to back off on the pressure accordingly and keep my angles in check.

I think we all develop our own preferences over time...and some of us have evolving preferences. You just have to figure out yours...

I believe it is Glen that frequently says that you can really tweak things with the strop...I find this to be VERY true and the more you learn, the more you appreciate how you can change a blades characteristics with stropping.

This might be somewhat advanced, but it is something I am currently learning and appreciating more and more...

"Too sharp" comes up a bit. I for one find it a strange notion that something specifically designed for and dedicated to cutting whiskers could be "too sharp", but perhaps I am unique in that regard.

However, be that as it may, the stock answer to this question usually revolves around the subtle nuances of definition: "sharp" versus "smooth". "Sharp" refers to how close you can make those two sides of the edge get to each other without becoming a crumbling, fragile, unusable mess. "Smooth" refers to the gouges (or more precisely the lack thereof) present on the sides of the edge (the bevel).

Clearly both of these quantities play a role in generating a pleasant shave. A smooth-sided edge that doesn't meet at a close enough point will not cut any hairs (a classic case of an unset bevel that has been beautifully polished). A sharp edge that has a rough texture on the sides will feel rough and pully (one reason why we do not shave off a 1K stone).

So using those definitions, IMO it is impossible to have a razor that is "too sharp". One may argue that pushing the edge too far (overhoning) is "too sharp", but in fact an overhoned edge is not sharp at all since it generally folds or breaks off due to the weakened structure of the metal (this is the main reason we advocate NOT bevel-setting by creating a so-called "burr" - doing so is analogous to reverse parking your car by waiting until you feel it hit the car behind you...if you get to that point you have, by definition, already failed). However, it is quite possible that you could have an edge that is not smooth enough for your particular tastes - this is all about the finishing stones and pastes.

It is also quite possible that inexperience plays a role as well. I remember (fondly?) my early days of using straights and I recall the kinds of edges I thought were great back then. If someone had handed me the kinds of edges I use today back then I may well have thought they were "too sharp" as well. Your technique tends to develop around the edges you have, like a pearl that grows around a speck of grit in an oyster (though apparently that is not actually the case, but I digress...). What you want is to develop a beautiful, symmetric, lustrous pearl, not some misshapen, mud-coloured abomination. So again, this is one of the reasons why we always suggest getting a professionally honed edge on your first razors - if you start with the best, your technique will develop around it.

Good luck to you.

James.