Thread: Razor vs. DE blade

Guys, since i didnt managed to hone my razor at shaving sharpness, (even with all the help from Kelly, Randy an others), but i shave with shavette with no problem, i have to ask you this:

Can straight razor blade be sharper than the factory honed DE blade?


I will pause a couple of days and rethink my process, than, back to hone...

All I can say is that I have many many straight razors that shave every bit if not more close than any DE I own and the shave is always a comfort. Getting honing down will come to you with practice and then watch out. The addiction is terrible. :lol:

Lynn has the experience to back up his opinion.

All I could offer in addition would be “theory”. On that note I would say that both straight razors and DE’s can technically be equally sharp. It all depends on what or who is doing the sharpening.

The fault lies in the fact that a straight razor is honed by a human being, and thus subject to the faults of the person doing the honing.
Where as the store bought blade was most certainly “sharpened” by a laser. They are actually cut by the laser on a bias (angle) and then “polished” to a slight degree (all done by automation). This automation cuts down on time and labor and offers a “super sharp” edge. The draw back is that super sharp edge is super thin, and weak and wont last very long.

now for the disclaimer... there may be some factories producing hand cut and hand honed DE blades today, but the vast majority of blades, the one's from the "big" companies are cut and "ground" (if you can call it that) by computer controlled automation at the least. So I hope no one takes offence or feel their favorite brand of DE blades is being bashed up on here :lol:

i dont know what it is, but say i have a lynn-honed razor that i shaved with for two months or so. i can get a better shave on my cheeks with that then with a new DE blade. now, i might over strop or do something to get a micro ding in the straight razor, but i beleive that the ability to get blade on face and differ the angle of attack has as much to do with it as the edge. and my cheeks are smoother longer with a straight then with a DE. in fact, the next morning, u can really see a difference. dont know why, but it is

sam

I think one can get a straight sharper than a factory-sharpened DE blade.

I just tonight honed-up a nice PUMA I picked-up from eBay. Ran it through a meduim barber hone (EDGEMAKER), 4K Norton, 8K Norton, 13K Chinese Waterstone, then stropped on a TI .5 micron diamond-pasted linen strop, and DOVO plain leather strop.

The shave I got was unbelievable! Compared to my DE Merkur (Which I might sell) the straight gave me a MUCH closer shave, much quicker. And the DE kincks the hell out of my face (corners of the blades, I think).

In my opinion, a WELL honed straight with a high-quality blade can easily be as sharp, or sharper than a DE.

Originally Posted by Chaaaz

....the DE kincks the hell out of my face (corners of the blades, I think).

Hey Chaaaz,
You think it's the corners? I get a great shave from a str8, but I do use a DE a few times a month; and I'm pretty light handed with it. But that's my experience, too. I get a reasonable shave from the DE, but I end up with several blood spots at the end of the shave; unlike the str8 shave.
No tellin'.
Parry

I think it is difficult if not impossible to prove which blade has a better edge between a DE or a Str8. But logic dictates that a str8 is capable of a better edge, all things being equal, just based on the quality of the steel used. I doubt due to cost factors that DE blade manufacture will use the same quality of steel used by the better manufacturers of Str8 razors. So, if we were able to impart the same quality control in edge creation, the str8 should have the better edge based on steel type. And while DE razors are a marvel at providing a quick shave and ease of use in hard to reach areas, I think I give them too much credit in the close shave department. Due to time factors, i finished a shave with a DE for the first time in months, and was very disappointed with the results. The very very short stubble I had left with my 1st pass with the str8, the DE didn't get either....with repeated attempts. Guess I'm spoiled now for life.

Bob

[quote="newdovo"]

Originally Posted by Chaaaz

....the DE kincks the hell out of my face (corners of the blades, I think).

Hey Chaaaz,
You think it's the corners? I get a great shave from a str8, but I do use a DE a few times a month; and I'm pretty light handed with it. But that's my experience, too.

******>> Yep .....at least that's what it seems to be for me, anyway. The exposed corner - no matter how lightly I tread - leave no room for any "unbalanced" strokes. Whereas the straight allows me to control the pressure along the length of the blade a lot better. More control = less knicks, if any. Haven't shaved with the DE since switching over to the straight. No need to.

Might just offer-up the DE here for anyone who desires one.....it's a Merkur "Futur" in gold. Even have the gold stand that holds it and a brush!

As someone who is going from a DE to a straight, with some bumps in the road, thankfully not on the face though. I always assumed a saftey razor would be cutting because a machine can sharpen a blade better than human (I assumed). Let me tel you though, an open blade just mows down hair, litterly taking the razor down my cheeks it seems like the hair melts off. So why would an open blade that is sharpened by the human hand which is subject to error be sharper than anything a machine can sharpen?

Originally Posted by Sinatra

As someone who is going from a DE to a straight, with some bumps in the road, thankfully not on the face though. I always assumed a saftey razor would be cutting because a machine can sharpen a blade better than human (I assumed). Let me tel you though, an open blade just mows down hair, litterly taking the razor down my cheeks it seems like the hair melts off. So why would an open blade that is sharpened by the human hand which is subject to error be sharper than anything a machine can sharpen?

I think it's physics .... Think about cutting up a chicken (no pun intended) with a light, but very sharp sandwich slicer (DE). You're OK until you get to the ribs, wishbone, back, and so on. Then you need to grab a heavier knife or cleaver (SR), also very sharp but perhaps not so sharp as the slicer. The weight of that bigger blade puts more pressure (force) on the edge than the slicer can muster, and the bones become easy pickings. The DE razor is so thin, it tends to torque about around the edge, I think, thereby losing its advantage when meeting stiffer resistance, also.

So, to summarize, I dunno' either.