Quote Originally Posted by Hirlau View Post
My 2 cents,,,,
I understand this statement, but I see one very important thing left out here,,,the "Human Element" and the term that you have chosen to use,,,that of a "smooth shave". Without the human element, the face, there is no smooth shave. There is only a well honed edge, either by the mechanics that you have stated above or the simple application of a barber hone in the hands of a skilled shaver. You may have achieved the most scientifically uniformed cutting edge, but that edge will perform differently on a group of shavers,,,,, lets not overlook the all the other elements that produce a "smooth shave" , other than an exceptional edge. Just my thoughts.
Well stated. I could not agree more that the definition of a "smooth shave" comes from the test shave and not the observation under the microscope. Once that "smooth shave" has been defined, the edge that produced said "smooth shave" can be evaluated and repeated on a given razor with the use of visual inspection. And, as Hirlau implies, what is smooth will vary with skin type, whisker type and technique.

Aa1192's original quest was to use a microscope to observe the edges that were smooth versus harsh to his skin. My argument is that his quest is achievable. And Hirlau correctly emphasizes that the "test shave" is the determinant of success. and the microscope simply provides a visual representation of that edge that we attempt to repeat.

Originally Posted by aa1192
I would love to get a microscope and see what visually looks harsh or smooth to my skin. I wonder if there is a very clear visible difference you can see.