Thread: Straight Razors vs Double Edge Razors

Hello Gentleman,

I've read on here a few times that Double Edge Razors are sharper than Straight Razors. is this true? I started shaving with a straight Razor because it looked like the coolest thing ever. can any of you seasoned gentleman give me a definitive answer?

p.s. I'm never going back to cartridges again

all I know is that every time I go away and have to use a DE instead of a SR, I cannot wait to get back home for a good shave

I don't know myself which is sharper. I would venture to say.......it depends. What kind of steel, grind, hardness of the particular razor, and probably the most important.......skill of the person honing the blade. What it boils down to though is.....closeness of shave, comfort of shave, and I think most important.......quality of shave.

I enjoy my straight razors. Even if on a particular day my shave is not BBS, or even DFS, I thoroughly enjoy my shave......then the quality I would say is high. I am happy. I feel good and life is good!


Mike

Originally Posted by mglindo

What it boils down to though is.....closeness of shave, comfort of shave, and I think most important.......quality of shave.
Mike

I haven't got that far, I still at the I'm/we people are cooler than everyone else stage!

but back to the orginal question. Now some of us have SR that are sharpened up to 30,000 grit. Do DE razors go up that far?

Don't know, I get equally good shaves from either a DE or a straight razor.

Bob

I think comparing the physical blade alone since the DE is machine made it is probably sharper. However put it in the razor and that all changes. You will not get as good a shave with any DE as with a straight. There are some that can come extremely close like the R41 OC but close means close.

I know if I shave with a DE I can come right back with a straight and make it smoother , but the only time a DE takes hair off after a straight is if I missed a spot ... but like most I agree I still get a good shave !!

This certainly isn't scientific, just my experience, but I get a closer, smoother shave with a SR than with any of my DEs. The basis for that statement is my beard the day after. If I shave with a DE on a rushed morning, the next day, I have really noticeable tough stubble. By contrast, if I shave with a SR, by the next day it still feels pretty smooth. I have beard growth, but it is nowhere near as visible, nor does it feel as scruffy.

I would say that generally DE blades are sharper as far as the angle of the bevel is concerned. The bevel of a properly honed straight is much more refined or polished, causing less irritation. I enjoy both, but the straight gives me a closer, longer lasting shave.

Originally Posted by mafuzul1

Hello Gentleman,

I've read on here a few times that Double Edge Razors are sharper than Straight Razors. is this true? I started shaving with a straight Razor because it looked like the coolest thing ever. can any of you seasoned gentleman give me a definitive answer?

p.s. I'm never going back to cartridges again

Technically, you might say that DE blades are sharper ("sharp" defined as: "having a thin cutting edge") than straight blades since DE blades are thinner.

But as they are thinner they also flex more - which affects the shave - and therefore it does not automatically follow that a DE razor gives a closer shave than a straight.
On the contrary, I believe that a properly honed, stropped (and used) straight razor will produce a closeness that cannot be surpassed by a DE razor.

Sharpest razor blade IMO?
Probably the Feather AC blades as they are as sharp as a DE blade but as stiff as a straight razor blade.


My opinion - but I concede that others' might be different.


B.