Thread: Sheffield steel superiority

Originally Posted by Johntoad57

So John - Is this you if I disagree or when you need to eat a snickers bar? Sometimes you get cranky when you get hungry?

Oh I think he agree's, and then there is Wolfpack, who lives in both worlds, first the Sheffield goes on the Coti, then onto the Escher, and the result is sublime Sheffield steel.....makes my darn knobby knees knock together thinking about it....

I bought a rusty old W&B near wedge once & I used the scales off of it. A few months later, I thought I would clean the rust off to see how bad it was. It was pitted some but so what. I found some more scales & put it in them. My friend who is into straights came by & asked if he could hone it so I handed it to him. About an hour later he sent me a text with a video clip of the razor popping hairs, thick, wiry hairs. I got it back & shaved with it & it was one of the best shaves I had ever had.

I do believe that the Brits figured out quality steel first, but I have an awful hard time believing that 1800's Sheffield steel can compete with todays 1st world quality steel.

I don't think there is a secret they took to their grave, but rather that it was of decent quality and that today it's still decent quality. Todays requirements of cutting steels has put us into the powdered sintered steel era, because there is a need for it. Straight razor makers often attempt (much like knife smiths) to use modern tool steels, but these steels were never designed to be used for shaving... they are designed to cut a variety of materials in the machine shop. Perhaps the Swedish steel used in making DE blades is formulated for such, but I suspect they've just figured out that what they make may be suitable for razor blades.

I just don't see that shaving, and in particular straight razor shaving, justifies the amount of work and formulation, to produce the optimum steel for such use. *I* think (and this is JUST me) that razor manufacturers today simply try to adapt what they can source, to making razors or razor blades. Perhaps Gillette makes enough blades and consumes enough steel to warrant a custom blend of steel.... but I'm thinking nope..... not enough.

Feel free to disagree, because I don't think ANYONE has the true answer....

Regards

Kaptain "What do I know?" Zero