Thread: Difference between new Dovo, Boker and TI as regards the steel

Having had to send my razor to be honed, I am now in the market for another razor. This shopping has prompted a question:

Over at Rasage Poulin, they seem to be taking every opportunity to mention that some TI razors are made from "Carbonsong C135" steel. I can find no mention of what steel is used for Dovo's blades other than "high carbon" or "stainless", whereas over at SRD, Boker razors are said to be made from a "special alloy".

Is the steel in the new TIs really that much better than that found in other razors? How special is the alloy in the new Boker razors? Also, how much does the quality of the steel affect the shave?


I currently own a Prima Klang.

Thanks,
Adrian.

well, the steel composition is pretty important, but so is the heat treatment, the grinding and the honing.

as you've noticed there is a lot of 'modern advertisement techniques'. i know of at least one person who prefers the old steel thiers-issard used. but that is hard to get anymore.

rumor has it that some of the very the best razors from TI are the ones from the over 100 year old blanks.

I prefer the older TI's. My favorite TI's are my TIPTLE and barber-point worked back 6/8, both of which are made from extremely old blanks. I'm not a huge fan of the new carbonsong steel, but it does appear that they are getting their heat treatment dialed in over time. The newer standard model carbonsong TI's seem to be nicer shavers than the original limited edition Silverwings. However, the biggest advantage to the carbonsong razors is that they are made on new equipment and are much better made than the older ones. I was always hesitant to recommend their older razors because of the risk of getting a warped one, but even with my reservations about the steel in the newer TI's I would recommend them more highly than the older ones because of this.

I've got some of the older TIs and the newer and I like both. I have vintage Dovo and Boker razors and they are as good IME. I guess I would rate Boker slightly higher but that is just a personal feeling and not based on any technical knowledge. Speaking of the vintage blades on the Dovo and the Boker.