Thread: quality of the steel

I'm fairly new to this art - I have a question concerning the differences of the blade metallurgy. First you should know that I do my own honing and don't consider myself an expert by any means. I have a J.A Henckles 6/8 Friodur, a Boker 6/8 Silversteel and a Marke Birko 5/8 stainless Solingen. The Henckles and the Boker reward me with comfortable and
pleasant shaves. The Birko isn't bad but there is a noticeable difference in the feel and it isn't as comfortable. I have lavished it with as much honing attention as the other two.
Am I right in thinking the difference in shave quality is due to the metallurgy difference. By that I mean some razors will not shave as well as others. Learner

I think you're onto something. Some of my razors take amazing edges with seemingly little effort, while others are a PITA. With all the well respected brands though, I have found I need to alter my honing efforts to accommodate some of them. Sometimes a geometry problem, or a blade is harder than another, Some steel it seems easier to blow by a quality edge because I wasn't paying attention. OTOH there may be a real problem with it, like it got too hot when someone was trying to buff it, etc... and destroyed the temper.

There are a few guys around here that know much about metallurgy that I'm sure will chime in. I'm of the opinion that you may need to switch things up a bit with your honing in order to achieve edge you desire.

The steel is most likely the last part of the equation to look at

There are so many other variables that come into play that are the more probable culprits

That being said, Yes some razors are just better then others but in my experience there are mostly good razors, very very few Great razors, and a few simply bad ones...

Yeah as gssixgun already said, the metallurgy comes at the end of the row. First thing is a proper honing. Nearly all "standard" quality blades can be good shavers, if the honing is good. As beginner you may let the honing be done from an expert first, just to see and have a comparison, what the honing can do.
My recommendation is to learn honing and come into this step by step. Honing is - or can at least be - a main and very intersting part of straigth razor shaving.
To the razors you mentioned - I have two Birko razors and in general they are very good quality razors, made by Oto Birkhofen, Solingen, who was in business somehow between 1930 and 1950.
So apart from maybe a bad spike in quality the Birkos should not stand too far behind a Henckels or a Boker.

Makes you wonder if honing is not a lot like marriage. You give your partner what they need/want and it is smooth sailing in the marriage. Hone a blade the way it needs/wants to be honed and smooth shaving is yours. Trick is to find out what the needs/wants are.

Bob

As a student of steel in razors, I can see Glen's perspective that it's how things are done and what is done to the inanimate blade to make it work. It should be possible for Glen, et. al. the honmeisters, to take a piece of unhardened mild steel and hone it well enough to shave with it.

But, I suppose this is the point where I can safely say (as BobH has...) that "The steel will talk to you and tell you what it wants." That makes the steel (the object of the exercise) more important than the other variables, if we are going to allude to it being like a relationship.

The study of razors (and relationships) is becoming more like modern physics where the boundaries of mysticism and magic are becoming blurred with the science. Makes me think of the nine blind fellows trying to describe an elephant.

So, what is being said is that I still have a good bit of learning to grasp regarding the subtle nuances oh honing. I won't argue about that. But I still maintain
that some razors are of better quality than others which is why some of us go a little nuts in collecting razors.

Originally Posted by Learner

So, what is being said is that I still have a good bit of learning to grasp regarding the subtle nuances oh honing. I won't argue about that. But I still maintain
that some razors are of better quality than others which is why some of us go a little nuts in collecting razors.

I am learning as I go too and also have a good bit more to learn.

Out of a small, by the standards of this board, 40 odd SR rotation from mixed nations and mixed makers all seem to shave well if I can do my part in putting an edge on them. I think that they were all built to a pretty good quality standard with pretty good steel. It may be that there are some exceptionally good shavers out where every step in the manufacturing of the blade was not just within spec quality wise but was spot on spec. I don't think that when that happens it is confined to a certain maker or from a certain nation for an extended period of time. I think it is more like a lucky fluke of production and you are lucky if it wound up in your hands. By the same token you can get a poor quality razor from any production run too. The old saying of never buy a Monday or Friday made car is an example of that.

Bob

I'll keep working on the Marke Birco to see if I can make it give a more comfortable shave. If I fail I will send it to Lynn as I probably should have already done. Thanks
to all who have taken time to pass on their thoughts on the subject.

I am no expert. I do have a well rounded collection. I do my own honing. I have gotten compliments from others on my edges. I am certain that you need to hone and shave for some time before you can tell the difference between which razors are the very few very good ones from the very common good ones. The most common issue with a blade that does not shave really well is with the bevel. It is the base of everything and nothing will be great unless the bevel is great. Careful inspection with a loupe is how I get there these days.