Thread: Finding the perfect edge. Yeah right.

The holy grail edge. I have a couple of naturals that get me edges so sharp that you hardly feel the whiskers being cut. Shaving feels absolutely great but within half an hour of shaving I get terrible razor burn below the jawline. No matter how carefully I shave, how littele pressure I use. So I am now going back to the humble coticule.

Think of the humble strop. Highly underrated, I think!

Having a 20k to use along with Arkansas, Guangxi, and a vintage Hohenzollern Thuringian stone I can tell you my preference is the Thuringian and Arkansas stones. The 20k is both keen and smooth but it is not the same. The Hohenzollern and Arkansas stones give a feeling of shaving with the “back of a spoon” smooth and perfect BBS results with absolutely no irritation. “Science of sharp” had suggested the possibility of some stones like the coticule creating a micro convexed edge that possibly contributed to this feeling. I am not sure but I know what my face prefers.

That said, I am not giving up on the 20k edge yet either.

I’ve been using a Cerium Oxide board strop after the stones regardless of finisher. Works well to smooth out the edge followed by a good strop session. My feel and technique on the strops seems to have improved greatly this year, especially after fully committing to the X-stroke.

Yesterday evening I had the perfect shave but everything fell into place.

T.I 5/8 a special blade this one always delivers.
Honed on a Ozuku full progression finished on water only.
Xpec cream lathered up perfectly, thick n creamy.

Crisp n sharp yet very smooth, no weepers or sting.

This morning my face is super smooth.

I think it went so well because I was telling myself it was gonna be a bad shave.
Self reverse psychology

Coticule for me as well, good shaving and smooth edge. Skin feel is still the best for me on a Coticule, nothing compares.

I'd rather shave daily with a Coticule edge than any other edge.

The perfect edge is one that the shaver finds perfect for their face. A comfortable close shave on a consistent basis! You don't need all these high end stones to achieve a perfect edge. However, to each his own. You get to choose your own satisfaction. Got to love it!

Originally Posted by Johntoad57

The perfect edge is one that the shaver finds perfect for their face. A comfortable close shave on a consistent basis! You don't need all these high end stones to achieve a perfect edge. However, to each his own. You get to choose your own satisfaction. Got to love it!

Yup, so true. I'd bet few would like to shave with the edge I like to use.

Bob

A good edge on a good razor off a 20k or a good natural is hard to pick. Both will shave close with little sensation & much comfort.
Using one stone to compensate for the other sometimes does the trick. I've done it many a time with success. Sometimes 3-5 strokes on a dry hard Jnat can fix an edge that's causing weepers. Lighter shaving pressure can do the same tho
With all stones it's a matter of knowing when to stop but if you're getting good shaves with no dramas I'd leave well enough alone

This is basically the eternal struggle for an even smoother/sharper/better edge.
Many of us has chased that with countless hours on different stones with different techniques and approaches of combinations.

It has been what I have enjoyed the most in recent years
Be it a razor, a kitchen knife or a folding knife.

I have bought most any stone out there including the Suehiro Gokumyo 10-15 and 20K.
I guess the OP's question can be answered in many ways, but with most my finishing stones, both natural or synthetic, I find they will all do the job and provide a wonderful shave, if I take the time to learn how to properly utilize them

That said, I do love my edges off of the 20K, and have yet to improve much on smoothness or sharpness on any other stone after that.

And as someone stated earlier in the thread, don't underestimate the good old stropping.