Thread: devil in the details -- X-pattern angle

I just got a new TI, 1/2 hollow, "super gnome". It passed the HHT out of the box, so I just stopped it and shaved. I'll be damned if it didn't give a better shave than my razors I've spent so much time honing! Not that it was any closer, but just much more comfortable, and with less effort. I looked at the blade edge with a 10x, and it looks as smooth as my blades after 8K Norton with a couple passes on the 15K Shapton. The difference is in the angle of the striations. They were much more angled on the new razor that shaved so well, like the X-pattern was done so the striations were at a 45 degree angle to the blade edge.

Maybe this makes a big difference. What do you all think?

E

Gee, what a surprise. Hey guys what do you think?

The diference is in the big yellow stone on the TI's honing bench... Please dont start the stirations thingie again. The barber's manual also advices in putting ~45 angle scratch pattern on the bevel. I hone my razors aproximately like that...

Nenad

edit: Grrr, Alan beat me by a split second

LOL,

I have to admit though, especially at 10x, but even at the 60x that I use, how do you know its not sharper? I mean what are you looking at besides the striations, which are obvious?

I wonder if TI is hand sharpening more of its blades now.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I wonder if TI is hand sharpening more of its blades now.

?? I saw the movie about the TI factory, they established the bevel on the horizontal grinding wheels, but both in the TI and DOVO, the final sharpening is done on a Yellow Belgian Coticule...

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

LOL,

I have to admit though, especially at 10x, but even at the 60x that I use, how do you know its not sharper? I mean what are you looking at besides the striations, which are obvious?

I wonder if TI is hand sharpening more of its blades now.

Actually, I don't know if it's not just sharper. It does mean I'm not doing a good enough job on my other razors! :-(

Of the three straights I own, only this one came sharp enough to shave. My other TI was not shavable when it arrived.

E

Well then, time to attack the other razors and test your theory. :-)

Those are my weekend plans!
E

Wow. Honing at that steep angle with the X-pattern really made a huge difference. I honed up my other TI at this angle and now it's also shaving much more comfortably. The angle is more than 45 degrees, I'm guessing it's around 60 degrees.

This is awesome!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

E

Congrats! Really cool isn't it. Its like unlocking the power in the razor huh.