Thread: fork: some razors just seem better than others?

this is sort of a sidetrack from this thread:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post367285
so i forked it.

do you notice that some of your razors just seem to shave better than others, for whatever reason? as my razor collection grows, i have noticed this more and more, and have been thinking about why. assuming that blade metallurgy is not to blame, i have found that all my best shavers tend to have very similar blade geometry.

the way i see it, there are 2 explanations:
1. my shaving technique is more compatible with certain blade geometries, leading to a better shave
2. my double-bevel honing technique is more compatible with certain blade geometries, leading to a sharper razor

right now i suspect #2, but further testing is needed before i have a rock solid answer for you guys.

i have found that for reason 1 or 2 i tend to not do well with anything bigger than 6/8 or less than 4/8. this might be a function of 1 or 2, not sure, but again i suspect 2 because i have sent razors outside of that size range to others for honing and they seemed to shave better than when i had sharpened them.

does anyone have any thoughts on this? do your best shavers seem to share any characteristics?

I voted metallurgy, but maybe your poll should have had the option of multiple answers.

Some blades take better edges than others.

I think the manufacturer needs to hit a sweet spot that's a combination of alloy, forging, hardening, and tempering methods.
I also think, even for manufacturers with decades of experience, part of that process remains elusive.
But some brands have a higher success rate than others.
The old Manganese Bartmanns, the NOS 7/8 Friodurs that are currently released on the market, the Ice Hardened Dovo Stainless Steel razors, The F. Herder razors, just to name a few.

Bart.

There is one thing I have learned from the testimony in this forum:

If it isn't good steel, you won't be able to get it to shave.

"I now call the victims of Mr. Zeepk to the witness stand. . . victims of Mr. Zeepk!"

Originally Posted by mrbhagwan

There is one thing I have learned from the testimony in this forum:

If it isn't good steel, you won't be able to get it to shave.

"I now call the victims of Mr. Zeepk to the witness stand. . . victims of Mr. Zeepk!"

Could not agree more! I may have prefrences to sizes and styles but there useless without the edge. Perhaps just one of the reason why we all are trying to find the ONE.

There is a significant amount of personal preference to be taken into account here. Type of grind, blade shape, handle shape and feel as well as a decent steel and adequate honing are all factors. This does not account for beard type, lather and face shape and on and on.

Personally I see no advantage to double bevels as the routine and have never intentionally used them. I do tape Damascus razors to protect the pattern, but that would be the only double bevel that I would do. Again, personal preference, experience and success from honing thousands of razors. If it works, I'm all for trying it too.

I will agree though that I have my favorites.............

Lynn

I didn't vote but the way I see it there are a combination of factors that make one razor shave better than another including metal, grind, honing, stropping QC at the factory, heat treatment and the way you use your razors.

I find for me there are just certain razors I say are exceptional razors and they cut across all brands and types. No matter what I do to them I can't improve a razor to make it exceptional. It either has it in it or it doesn't.

Here are some things I can tell you, these are my opinion but a well tested opinion...

I only like one type of razor and I own over 50 of them and have owned well over 200 of them myself, this does not include all that I have restored and honed for all of you guys here....

My style of razor is a 5/8-6/8 extra hollow grind spike point razor, almost every razor I own / have owned, falls in this category, so the differences are in brands not in styles... There are for sure differences in the brands, some are way better, then other's, some are smoother, some are sharper... You have to trust me when I say the difference is in the razor, not in I had a good hone day or bad hone day...

Ps: I voted Brand because I feel that encompasses the entire razor, like in the metallurgy, I just felt that the best steel in the world didn't matter if it was ground wrong, know what I mean there?????

I will have to abstain because I think it mostly comes down to personal preference combined with a multitude of factors.

Country. So far, my best shavers have been Sheffield Steel (i.e Rodgers, Wostenholm, Elliot and Reynolds)

Mark

I wish I knew enough about razors to know...but, I am slowly learning.

As stated in the thread that inspired this one, I have one razor which, apparently, is head and shoulders above others with the same/similar grind, but different origins. However, I have other razors which share similar orogins to those...so brand could very well be it. Brand does pretty much encompass quality of steel, quality of workmanship, and other factors...right? And there are good Solingens/Bad Solingens, good Sheffields/Bad Sheffields, etc., right?

So, yeah, maybe brand...