Why are some razors such smooth shavers?

I have certain razors that have an amazingly smooth feel when shaving, and I can't figure out what distinguishes them from my other razors. The smoothest I have right now is a Hart Steel that is like butter. I also have an old W&B that's pretty close. I've had many top-notch razors over the years honed by a variety of well known honemeisters, but certain razors just stand out among them. I notice that the Hart has a narrow bevel, as did my Zowada which was pretty damn good, so I'm wondering if that might be a factor. Also, thicker blades such as 1/4 or 1/2 ground seem to be more likely to fall into the supersmooth category. But I know that there are many on the forum with great old full hollow grounds that shave this way as well. Any thoughts?

To me that is one of the great mysteries of straight razors and shaving with them. There have been many different ideas put forward on that subject and none of them scientifically provable as the root cause. Most of the ideas sound plausible though. Personally I have ceased to wonder about that riddle and just settled on enjoying the ones that are that way.

Bob

I honestly think it's more to do with the honing than the razor. To experiment, try taking a razor that isn't super smooth, and tweak the edge little by little to see what it's potential really is. Though, of course, this is something that must be done with immense patience (personally, I cannot hone when I'm not in a good mood).

Don't know why but I agree about the Hart. Mine came with an edge that was not perfect but after honing is an absolute pleasure when it comes up in rotation. Revisor as well for me

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Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I honestly think it's more to do with the honing than the razor. To experiment, try taking a razor that isn't super smooth, and tweak the edge little by little to see what it's potential really is. Though, of course, this is something that must be done with immense patience (personally, I cannot hone when I'm not in a good mood).

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IMO yes, I would agree with the honing of the razor - I think it has the most significant impact on delivering the type of shave and experience you'll have with an individual razor. That and of course using a wedge vs a full hollow - the end result of the shave may be the same, but there is a definite difference in using the two style of blade.

It is most probably a combination of things, the steel, the honing, the straightness, the weight and width of the blade and you.

How a razor, the blade and or the scales fit you hand and how it all works for your skin and beard type.

What works best for you, may not for someone else.

Which is why we keep buying razors?

Recently watched a video of Don Fogg, where he said he once produced a knife with a very sharp edge and thought it was a perfect profile and edge. So he analyzed, measured and even made a casting of the edge profile and attempted to copy it.

The edges were good, until he created a better profile… with an even sharper edge.

If I've honed them, they are amazingly smooth ....... can't think of any other possible reason :w

Honing.
The harder tempered ones will need more honing to get the best of them.
Sometimes people do not put enough work

I,m sure there are a lot of factors but I think honing is the biggest equation ,, I know my razors honed by Glen are silky smooth , but when I do the touch up I get sharp , but smooth as before , no, takes a lot of leather for it to get even close ,, so I agree the honing or who,s doing it on what stone tc

OK, I am going to have to agree that honing is a major factor if the razor is in spec from the people who produced the steel and each and every production step that followed was in spec. Then it is likely down to honing.

OTH the same make and model razor from the same production batch may just never be as good as the others because one or more of the many steps in it's production was a little off spec. Question then is which ones. There is no guarantee that your brand X model A that shaves smooth as silk means mine will also.

All the stars have to align from start to finish to produce a smooth shaver that is par excellence. To me that is the magic behind an extremely smooth shaver.

Bob

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If I've honed them, they are amazingly smooth ....... can't think of any other possible reason :w

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Jim, you must have amazingly flexible shoulders and long arms; certainly useful in the honing biz.

Pretty sure this thread could go on to the end of time and eventually bring just about every other Forum topic into it.

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Originally Posted by WW243

Pretty sure this thread could go on to the end of time and eventually bring just about every other Forum topic into it.

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Yes, that is no joke.

Bob

There are just too many variable to nail it down - the steel, how it was tempered, the profile of the edge, the flex of the blade, how it's handled, the hair, the skin, the prep, the cream/soap, then... honing - which, I agree, is probably the one most influential aspect of the whole experience. I have dozens of hones but have narrowed my absolute preference down to about 7 different JNats that I rotate around. Right now I'm shaving with a vintage Henkels Inox 6/8 - for some reason I find stainless alloys to be the best for me. But I also have a few Hart's that I also love and the Dorkos, and the Filarmonicas and the... I've been through and survived RAD and HAD - now I'm enjoying the results.

-john

We have discussed this at length before.

My take has always been, it's because everything about the razor is absolute perfection. The ingot it came from was perfect, the tempering, forging, the guy doing the grinding and everything else in the fabrication is all perfection. Razors like that are rare, very rare. Many think they have one like that but they don't. if you do you will know it.

It has nothing to do with the brand or where it came from. I had two TI's from the SRP LE edition sequentially numbered. One was one of those razors and then other was far from it.

I agree with thebigspendur. Although a great honing job is a necessary condition to a supersmooth razor, honing alone is not sufficient to produce the magic razor. I think he's right, all the razor stars have to be properly aligned, as he lists in his post.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

We have discussed this at length before.

My take has always been, it's because everything about the razor is absolute perfection. The ingot it came from was perfect, the tempering, forging, the guy doing the grinding and everything else in the fabrication is all perfection. Razors like that are rare, very rare. Many think they have one like that but they don't. if you do you will know it.

It has nothing to do with the brand or where it came from. I had two TI's from the SRP LE edition sequentially numbered. One was one of those razors and then other was far from it.

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Yes - I think I remember someone wrote that one of the reason vintage razors are so popular and shave so well is that if it's still a razor after 125 years plus, it was obviously superbly made, everything about it clicked, otherwise it would have been melted down and turned into buttons or something long ago. ;)

Indeed, it is the combination of the quality of the forging, temper, grind, honing … and all the other variables we can think of that make a good shaver.

Some brands have those variables pinned down better than others.