Thread: Are all blades the same

I was just wondering if some blades give a closer shaves than others and if they react to the strop differently.

No,,,,,,,,,,,,,

A well honed blade will have closer than a dull blade!!!

Originally Posted by Humpglide

I was just wondering if some blades give a closer shaves than others and if they react to the strop differently.

double edge, SR, SE, Which blades are you talking about?

I am going to presume that what you meant was straight razors. There are many variable, there is different eras of manufacture, different grinds of the blades, there is also different areas of manufacture. All of these change things a bit. There is also the factor of honing, if when well done most quality blades will produce a very close and comfortable shave. There are a few that stand out above the rest. There is also preferred brands which is part of personal preference, which also effects the shave. The short answer was already given. No.

Sorry....meant straight razors

when you say the same do you mean give the same kind of results in your shave? Being new myself and people will correct me if I'm wrong but I really think that as u get into this lovely art of shaving with a straight razor you start to build your own kind of preference on what you want to shave with. As long as the razor is properly honed even the cheapest razors will give a close shave ie. the gold dollar razors, there are also different kinds of grinds as in the picture... Are you picking out a new razor for yourself or something?

I think that there's only very small differences in the shave-ability of different blades and that's down to some blades having slightly better quality steel than others so it takes a slightly keener edge and holds it longer. I can remember reading about Robert Williams using vintage Puma steel as his benchmark.

In my years of straight shaving I've had a lot of blades come and go. Quite a few have stayed as well. I have seldom gotten a dud. Probably never really. I think we all mess with various grinds and sizes, styles of point and blade shape. We find some we like and some we just don't care that much for. Some may shave closer than others, but if they are honed properly, in my experience, they will all shave. Some might be better than others. Now if that didn't thoroughly confuse you ........ it did me !

I've tried SRs from different countries, different makers, different grinds, different tips, and different widths. Ultimately they all shaved close and comfortable (except for the spike point I nicknamed ear nipper that left me bleeding every time I used it). So no difference in performance between blades.

There are differences in weight and shape of the blades and tangs, but that comes down to personal preference not performance.