Thread: Question? Can one side of the razor be sharper than the other?

Originally Posted by Phrank

I shave using both hands, but I'll give it a try and go left first.

What's interesting in what you say though is "proper bevel and shave ready", what if he bevel is good, but not perfect or perfect enough, but still shaves well, could one side in fact be "different" than the other?

The answer is yes IMO. I may be wrong, but logically...If the bevel was not a 'perfect' (understanding that absolute perfection is almost impossible to attain for a host of potential reasons pertaining to the blade...i.e. warping, hone wear, etc. etc. etc.) triangle, then the shaving angle of attack would be different from one side to the other. I THINK...!!!

It's a real 'brain twister'...but I would guess that probably everyone has experienced this situation when shaving???



P.S. You're a funny guy Pups!

funny you should mention it, on the razor i recently honed (as mentioned in your other thread) i realised there was a chip in one side of the blade, i must have caught it with my dremel, so i subsequently started rehoning it, and have worked on the damaged side more than the other, so now the bevel is different depths on each side of the razor (only slightly) and i was wondering if it would affect anything, the only thing i could think of is the angle of attack, the actual overall angle of the edge of the razor should still be the same, just ofset to one side (i think, maybe)

Think about a Kamisori

That is an way more extreme example of an "Asymmetrical" bevel then any Western style Bi-Bevel should be able to achieve with a solid bevel set, and with care you can shave both sides of it...

Just a thought

No,,,,,,,,,I don't think it is physically possible.
The sharpness is determined by the edge,,,,,,
The edge requires two surfaces to meet,,,,,,
How can one surface have it's own edge?

Maybe your face is different on both sides.

There are many variables at play really and I'm sure there are slight differences in the sides of the razor.

It's more complicated with a kamisori. if you use both sides you need to use a different angle from one side to the other because the razor is so different from side to side.