Thread: Comparing brands and Metals.

All the stainless steel German made razors that I have are all "ice harden" just like the Friodurs. The only one I have that does not say "ice hardened" is a Firth Stainless Sheffie blade. I can't really tell any difference in the shave between the Stainless and carbon steel razors that I have.

Bob

It takes properly made steel in a decent hardness range to make a good razor, but it doesn't take anything special (so if you're coming from the knife community, you can drop - in my opinion - concerns for really hard really highly alloyed metals at the door and keep them for knives only). The best razors I have used have been some kind of non-stainless carbon steel and ground by a known cutler.

To me, a thinly ground razor that is *perfectly* pin straight so that it squeegees water from heel to toe on both sides with no additional pressure is a work of art and the easiest razor you will find to hone and strop, which means that it's likely to be the easiest to have at the sharpest all the time.

In my opinion, the friodurs are a bit softer than carbon steel razors of the same era to make them sharpenable on natural stones (anyone who has ever honed stainless that's full hardness will know what I mean by that), but it's not at a level of softness that causes an issue.

In my experience, the known cutlers working from, lets say, 1920-1960 or so made razors that are the most elegantly ground, polished and most straight. I've only been through about 5 dozen razors, though, which in reality isn't a very large sample. I've also not had anything from the best current cutlers like ralph aust.

I never question what the steel is if the razor is precisely ground, I've not had such a razor that failed to perform, and the wear on the steel is minimal from shaving (compared to knife or tool use) so wear resistance doesn't really enter the equation. the wear is probably more like chisel wear (impact to the edge) and less like knife and plane wear (abrasion and adhesion removing a lot of material).

Anyway, I find favor in the most skillfully ground razors, and would rather have a razor that was skillfully ground very hollow and weight left in the spine (if more weight is desired) than a razor that is plain with a fat grind left on it. And straight...straight straight straight. I don't find that the razors that are that straight are the majority, and when you look at the process between tempering and final polishing, it's easy to see why. Someone is tapping the razors straight, and there is bound to be people who are better at that than others as it's a skill of craftsmen, and not a trivial thing.

Is stainless significantly more rust resistant than carbon?

Originally Posted by RedGladiator

Is stainless significantly more rust resistant than carbon?

Absolutely, but they still need care and cleaning. The edge is also just as fragile.

Originally Posted by RedGladiator

Is stainless significantly more rust resistant than carbon?

Yes, by far. It can still corrode, but it shouldn't really happen in a bathroom (the corrosion) where the razor touches only soap, face, strop and water.

It may be a broad assumption, but I'd assume most razors that are stainless are made of something similar to 440C, and the thing that makes them OK for razor use is the treatment of the steel (I believe the friodur blanks are cryogenically treated, which spreads out the carbides that cause stainless steels to have a bad reputation for old timers who are used to low quality stainless in knives. Low quality or poorly done stainless can develop large carbides that separate from an edge easily and make for a dull feeling edge).

Originally Posted by Donboblo

2'questions. I want to get your guys opinions. First. Does a stainless steel blade give a better shave then a carbon ? What are some pros and cons to each.

I think that there is no difference. Razor blade need quality and high-quality sharpening. The only difference is the care of a razor. Sorry for my english.

I have carbon blades that require much more time on the hones than any stainless.

I think stainless require a few more trips on the hone to make them smooth shavers. Many of the stainless I have, have a harshness to them and all it took was a few more passes on the finisher to take that harshness away.