Thread: Sheffield or Solingen the honing difference?

I'm by no stretch a honemeister, but the Sheffields in my rotation range from 8/8 W&B's to 5/8 Joseph Rodgers (my new favorite shaver) ,wedges ,full hollows, half, thru the gamut and every one is a joy to sharpen with little effort. Maybe I've just been lucky in my acquisitions but I really am using them over some fine german razors that I still appreciate. Ain't this a great hobby/obsession

The Monkey Wrench


Many of the German razors were/are made with Sheffield steel

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The Monkey Wrench


Many of the German razors were/are made with Sheffield steel

Hmmmm, I would need to see some historical writings on that. If anything it would be the other way around. England doesn't have all the materials to produce a quality steel, they do have coal tho. During both wars, England depended on steel from her allies to sustain manufacturing of war needs.

Originally Posted by guitstik

Hmmmm, I would need to see some historical writings on that. If anything it would be the other way around. England doesn't have all the materials to produce a quality steel, they do have coal tho. During both wars, England depended on steel from her allies to sustain manufacturing of war needs.

Here is just one really fast example..

Vintage Straight Razors : Klass : German Hollow Ground : Sheffield Steel : Faux Horn


Just Google "German Ground Sheffield Steel" and some variations of that theme you will find hundreds if not thousnads of German Razors stamped "Sheffield Steel" and multiple variations of it.. to really make it confusing is that much of the German and English steels were actually made from Swedish ore.

Which goes back to what Jimmy posted about most of the difference in feel coming from Grind, Hardening, and Temper rather than type of steel


You might also look at some of the New Production razors Dovo, Wacker, Revisor, Aust, IIRC some of them did a few razors with Sheffield Steel. I want to say even TI outta France did some but I don't stay on top of new production razors quite as much as Vintage so I might be mistaken there..

I just recently noticed (Sheffield steel) stamped on German hollow ground razors on the bay. I am using some Sheffields right now and they do feel smoother. I think a lot of this is due to the weight of the blade and the grind puts that smooth blade face against your skin more. My habit is DDs and with very light pressure I get a nice smooth feel out of them too. As for staying sharp I could not compare the 2 as I don't use Sheffeilds that much but when it comes to honing Yikes. The hone wear on a wedge or near too it will add some time to the process without a doubt. To sum it up , your going to have to add more factors than steel to come up with an answer to your questions.

This may be why > " I don't think I do anything different with how I use or maintain them. "

I did a little digging and it seems that I need to brush up on my history a little more. From the 17th to the 19th century, England imported the majority of her steel from Sweden and Russia but the development of better more efficient iron and steel manufacturing cause the numbers to swing the other way in the later 19th century.

Keep in mind that technically speaking

Swedish ore is not the same as Swedish steel

So the Swedish or Russian iron ore coming into Sheffield can still be considered Sheffield "steel" after processing when it leaves..

But yes you will find English, German and even Japanese razors stamped "Made with Finest Swedish Steel" too