There's a tamahagane one that just listed. It's in very nice condition and considerably cheaper than all the others currently listed. I want it, but need to cut back on my buying.
Japanese Straight Razor Iwasaki Tamahagane Shave Ready | eBay
Printable View
There's a tamahagane one that just listed. It's in very nice condition and considerably cheaper than all the others currently listed. I want it, but need to cut back on my buying.
Japanese Straight Razor Iwasaki Tamahagane Shave Ready | eBay
No not at that price it won't. If it's the real deal. Tc
I agree ., I,m nit doubting authenticity. Just covering my as, cause I don't have the experience to know the different marks, if I wanted one that would have come home for that price. Tc
I geuss what i wa trying to say that from a "use" perspective these razors might be over-rated, from an "art" perspective anything goes obviously.
I know very well iwaskis reputation and i got an iwasaki myself (beased solely on that reputation), "swedish steel", and so far i find it "chippy". It chipped somewhere between entering my leather/microfiber sheath and exiting it. I was expecting quite a bit more to be honest. But I am not surprised though, or even disappointed. i still like the razor, and its very well executed.
i knew it was handmade, and i pretty much expected to either get a really good one or maybe a not so good one (according to my preferences).
What I was trying to say was that when coal/gas hardening its very easy to over or undershoot the HT. and then the steel is suboptimal. No matter how good the maker is.
I have several other handmade japanese kitchen knives. And they are pretty much all gas forged and gas HT'd and a few show brittle behaviour, too brittle for that steel at that claimed hardness. And then I have a few with "lesser regarded steel" but mass produced, and they are not brittle.
All this is of course just IMO since ones acceptable limit of brittleness/toughness is personal. But my observation is that the handmade/boutique jap stuff is more brittle than the mass produced jap stuff.
And therefore i personally don't regard them as "good" as maybe the rest of you do.
I dont think there is a better or worse, just different. And yes i will make a different razor when I get my kanthal oven. I prioritize toughness over hardness. There is no magical steel but some are better for me at least than others. And i will make my razors out of those steels. There will be no short cuts regarding the HT procedure, I can tell you that. Because this is the most important part.
I have had several Swedish steel Western Iwasaki and several Tamahagane ones, and they have been great. Now the reason for the chippiness of yours may be the steel but also could be stones. In any case @ 65-67 HRC Iwasaki will produce longer lasting edge than AEB-L @ 60-62
Question, what does the 50 means? I found a stamp with a 50 in it.