Thread: Sheffield or Solingen the honing difference?

For the last twenty years or so I have shaved with only one razor, a Boker Red Injun 101 that was my great grandfathers. I maintained it with a Swaty barbers hone and a 2" Illinois strop nothing else. Then I started browsing this site a few years ago and RAD hit me along with the restoration bug etc. I started accumulating a rather large rotation and learning the basics of honing (thanks Lynn you opened a new dimension in sharpness for me, you are truly the Yoda of straights) I thought German razors were it; until I discovered Sheffields. Cutting to the chase , does anyone out there think that the honing is easier , the edge lasts longer and the shaves are smoother with English blades? Maybe it's my imagination but I don't have anything German in my collection ( DD's,Bokers, Henckels,) that compares. Is the steel composition any different, the forging process? I don't think I do anything different with how I use or maintain them. They are pretty much all the same blade widths and types. Just one of those things that make you go hmmm. Interested to hear if anyone else has had the same experience.

Actually, there can be a huge difference not only in country of origin but in the time of manufacture. I have several razors of the same manufacturer that span at least 100-150 years and in some cases I can tell the difference in how long those edges last. At least that is how I perceive it, it could all be just my imagination once again running away with me.

I find my Sheffield razors come out smoother than my Solingen's
The germans seam harsher on the face even with the same honing and finishing process
Might be in my mind also but when asked a long term str8 user a similar question about my honing skills if I was doing something wrong as some blades felt harsher he also claimed that the Sheffield's usually kept a smoother feel

I've read quite a few posts proclaiming the Sheffield edges were smoother than Solingen razors. I wonder if it doesn't have more to do with the grind ? A wedge is generally a Sheffield product and since around 1850 (according to Robert Doyle) the Germans perfected full hollow grinding and began to dominate the market. Some of the razors I've honed, be they Sheffield, Solingen, Swedish, were easy jobs that came good fairly quickly , while others were frustrating so and so's that gave me a rough time. I think it depended more on the condition of the edge to begin with.

Some guys that I know won't even shave with a full hollow anymore while others can't understand how anyone would prefer a wedge. Anyway, if it is full hollow I tend to pass nowadays, preferring 1/2 hollows, 1/4 hollows or wedges. I guess they do feel smoother to me, wherever they originate from. Different strokes for different folks.

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