i start myself first.
PUMA Gold
TI 1/4 hallow grind heavy blade.
Printable View
i start myself first.
PUMA Gold
TI 1/4 hallow grind heavy blade.
HMMM!! Tough question. Probably 6/8 full hollow C-Mon Blackie
2nd-- 6/8 Dubl Duck Satinedge
Mine, when I do my part :p is the Northfiels Rattler. Even before I started using the coti this was shaving smooth.
My big Sheffield, 7/8 John Wragg & Son "The Gentlemens Full Hollow" with my Engles Leader coming in a very close second. I've got a 133 Red Imp and a SatinWedge that are in the middle of restoration that I'm holding high hopes for, mainly the Imp. My full hollows seem to be some of my best shavers all in all.
The John Wragg, little oil heavy on both :D.
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/v...o/DSCN0799.jpg
The Leader
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/v...o/DSCN0791.jpg
Mine is a 6/8 full hollow W&B - I liked it so much I bought another!
Definitely my Puma #69, rescaled by Gabor!
Smoothest by far is a 1/4 grind Le Grelot.
I now have a few new ones, though (Filly #13 Doble Temple, Filly #14 Especial, Palmera, J. Breidhor Les +++ Croix) and they are not yet quite dialed in. Although I've used the Filly #13 twice now and it was pretty good, the Le Grelot is still smoother.
s.
This one is easy (so far), for me: Filarmonica #14 Doble Temple.
The Filarmonica #14 takes a fine edge, but I have other razors I seem to get sharper still (LeGrelot, Friodur, Kinfolks). But two immediate things I noticed about the Filarmonicas:
1. Very smooth, and forgiving of less-than-perfect technique
2. Loses it's edge more gently than any razor I've tried.
Most straights (or even DE blades), as they lose their ideal edge, become increasingly harsh. The Filarmonicas just get...duller. They cut less effectively, but stay smooth and don't chew up your skin if you push them too far by getting a bit aggressive. And they bounce back to a perfect edge with a good stropping about as easily as a Friodur, but smoother.
I've noticed that Sheffield steel razors like W&B's have a similar smoothness/gentleness trait, but the Filarmonicas just seem to have it in spades. Something special in that Spanish steel, sweet.
Mine is that Rongin you honed for me, Sham, but I'm working on getting a couple of mine up there!
I have a DD Dwarf spike point that gives such smooth and comfortable shaves while being able to be honed extremely sharp.
Neck and neck with that is a Hoffritz 5/8 round point 3 pin razor with no frills blade and no frills white plastic scales. That Solingen blade is so comfortable. It's been in my primary rotation ever since I bought it from Lynn in days before SRD asking him for a great shaving no frills razor that I could use for life. He sold me the Hoffritz. He gave me exactly what I wanted and I will always remember that. I've shaved with it so often in the past few years that I've rehoned it several times (for fun rather than true necessity). Thanks Lynn!!:beer1:
Chris L
I'd say that my smoothest is probably... hm, you know, I'm really not sure. I want to say my 8/8 Savage, but I've got to refinish all my blades before I can put in my official word.
Mine would definitely be my custom straight by Joe Chandler, which is also my sharpest razor. It surpasses my 1/4 Grelot in both smoothness and sharpness. Blade is 5/8+" and about 1/4 ground.
My smoothest shaver is the Mastro Livi custom 8/8.
Honed to perfection by Lynn.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...ory-scales.jpg
Mastro Livi 8/8 Bergam Damascus in Mammoth Ivory Scales
Yesterday I had a fantastic shave with my SumExtre. Extremely sharp, yet very smooth.
The worked back is just the icing on the cake!
Puma Special #89.
Hmmmm...
The one at the top of the heap for smooth right now is a 7/8 Friodur with a Le Grelot a very close second. Third probably would be the new Hart Steel, but that is a bit harsher shave, albeit very close, than with the other 2; why this is so I haven't figured out yet. Maybe it needs an mparker newsprint strop. :thinking:
Smoothest? Hmmm of the ones I honed myself, either a very old greaves c 1835 9/8 wedge or perhaps my 8/8 Chandler Damascus (which I can also get the sharpest) 1/2 hollow.
Mine is a Bengall 5/8 square point.
Friodur 70 1/2
1. Puma Gold 5/8 & Puma 89 6/8
2. TI 7/8 Silver Steel
3. Henckels Friodur 6/8
My best one is a Friodur 8/8th with a Spanish point. Very smooth shaver and easy to hone.
my smoothest shaver so far is a C.F.Schwartz High Class honed by Gunner777 who did a great job :D many thanks to him i would highly recommend him to anybody needing to be honed.
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...g?t=1253928268
Overall, I really like old sheffield steel. This Wade and Butcher 8/8+ chopper always delivers a great shave.http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../XMASWB005.jpg
a Simmons Hardware wedge
this question is a TRAP!
Still, I have to say my no-name "Faultless" wedge or one of my misc Sta-Sharps, or my Joseph Rodgers & Sons, or my...:o
Realistically, I bet most guys couldn't tell the difference between "expertly" honed razors in a blinded test.
Joe's Torrey!:rofl2:
Joseph Rodgers 13/16th's in Bloodwood is def is my smoothest, my Wade & Butcher Full Hollow Ground in grey bone.
FWE 7/8th's Special in Bocote Wood is just as smooth as the both of these blades, if not smother.
cheers
D
A C-Mon wedge. 3 or 4 others are very close...
There's a fair number of Friodurs on this list. Vely intelesting.
I noticed that also. This is my first one and believe me it won't be the last. I'm very impressed with them. Not only the workmanship but the blend of steel as well. As I said they are very easy to hone and get a wonderful smooth edge.
4/8s 1/4 hollow Friedr. Baurmann & Sohne
My Wade & Butcher Celebrated Fine India Steel Razor is my smoothest.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...2-wb-india.jpg
The friodur is my second best. Much more time to get it sharp though.
What I do is sharpen all my razors except for the Wacker wedge (which I have dulled and sharpened repeatedly so it's not a fluke) and test them against each other. The friodur is consistentyl the best shaver and even when I have it blazingly sharp and smooth, and I think it just can't get any better, I'll pull out the wedge on the same shave, and it's just a different level. I like it even better than my more expensive 1/4 hollow.
I'd have to go with any of my Sheffield steel razors (W&B or Wostenholm) when given a final touchup on cromium oxide.
What surprises me is the absence of lots of Heljestrands in this thread. I'm not particularly partial to this anglo-saxon preoccupation with superlatives, but I'd say all the Heljes with which I've shaven (around a dozen in number; about half a dozen different models) perform rather above par as far as smoothness is concerned.
The old old friodurs (like the 11/16s 70 1/2 models) are incredibly easy to hone, and smooth as all get out. Those tend to be 11/16s or so in size, not monsters.
I think it's the newly ground from old blank monster 7/8 and 8/8 friodurs that some say are hard to hone. Which makes me wonder if they are really the same old friodur metal. I guess I'll just have to buy one of the monsters some day to see for myself. : )
It's got to be the Fila PBD. I'm thinning the herd to find more shavers like this one.