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Smiling vs straight blade
I just purchased this vintage John Cockhill smiling razor (white scales)Attachment 246260Attachment 246261. This is the first smiling razor I tried and I love it. It came honed to perfection. First shave observation is as follows. There seems to be less resistance then on a straight blade. If you have problem areas like your neck, chin or upper lip, the smiling blade seems to get to those places easier and with less irritation. I usually do 3 passes but with the smiling blade I didn't need more then 2 passes because the blade got to the trouble areas the first time. Looking at knives, swords and saws, for the most part the blades are curved to reduce resistance and to keep the cutter from getting hung up. I know a lot of you have far more experience then I do but I wonder why modern blade manufacturers don't offer smiling blades as a part of their lines. I would really appreciate the members listing their experience using a smiling blade. Could really help Newbies and those struggling with getting a good shave. I have on the way a custom Jerry Stark smiling blade and it seems that if you do want a smiling blade it has to be made to order.