Thread: Razor "balance"

I have one of the very first Boker Elite's that has lined scales. It is definitely NOT balanced. Its a fantastic razor in every other way but the lack of balance makes it a little less comfortable to shave with.

I refuse to check balance on my razors. For the most part they all shave great. I shave with too many blade widths, lengths, and points to worry about balance.

Got to agree with Glen, these are maybe slightly scale heavy as the balance is closer to the pivot than the grip point

To me balance is vital. I've had too many 'high end razors" that had terrible balance to the point while you are shaving the razor wants to torque away from you which means of course you need to apply pressure. I view a straight as an instrument which should fit you hand precisely and should become part of your hand and you should be almost unaware of it's presence while shaving.

It's kind of like comparing driving an 18 wheeler with a good sports car.

All I can say is that IMO when a razor is in your hand whether horizontal, at a 90 degree angle the feel you have dictates whether you perceive it to be balanced or you can say feels more comfortable. Some may feel to light, other to heavy but when you place the blade on your face and make a stroke, the key is how it shaves. I have noticed some feel so light you get the sensation of a need for more pressure. Others feel to heavy. I also get a feeling from some razors that the are skipping. I like the Livi's because they hold my face with little pressure and I feel no need to increase the angle to get a close shave.

Balance is subjective, IMO. I have some scale-heavy razors and some, blade-heavy.
To me, as long as the pivot is nice and tight, the scales can be adjusted to get good balance (or 'feel'), regardless.
YMMV

I think balance is important. I like the razor to balance just forward of the pivot on the tang. I use my finger to check for balance when making scales for a razor. Nothing fancy as a balance point. The finger works fine. The blade is typically at 9 0'clock and the scales at 1 0'clock when holding the razor to shave. I dislike a razor that is scale heavy as the weight tends to pull the blade away from my face. I find I am very conscious of a scale heavy razor when shaving and dislike having to compensate for it. If I shaved with only a couple of razors I'm sure my muscle memory would learn to compensate and I would not notice. I shave with a different razor most everyday so a razor that is either slightly blade heavy or balances at the tang provides the best feel for me. I cannot recall handling a vintage razor that was scale heavy. As Glen said the old timers had it right.