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  1. #1
    Senior Member blabbermouth ChrisL's Avatar
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    Default How important is prep in extending edge integrity?

    Mark aka JMS started a great thread asking for opinion on how important linen is to extending the life of razor edges vs. using a plain leather strop.

    That got me thinking about edge integrity, how long edges last between honings, touch ups, etc.

    Here's my question I'm hoping to get feedback on from experienced shavers:

    How important is "proper" shave prep (whisker softening) to the integrity and duration of a razor's edge?

    I ask this question because there are a few things that have been on my mind, I'd say eating at me, after Mark's thread:

    For those that can shave for months and months and months on a honed edge stropping only on plain leather, would those razors still shave that long if you either didn't prep sufficiently, or even, didn't prep at all (quick face wash, lather immediately and boom, start shaving with dry hard whiskers)? Regardless of prep or lack thereof, do your razors still whisk off unsoftened whiskers month in month out without skipping a beat?

    I know from experience, proper shave prep makes for a closer and more comfortable shave for me. That's a given in my experience. With this post, I'm not concerned with the benefits prep gives for a shave, I'm wondering about the importance of prep in regard to an edge.

    I'll give you my answer right now but I'm curious how others will weigh in.

    I believe that the lack of proper prep does diminish the duration of the integrity of an edge. I believe shaving without prepping can dull an edge much quicker than if every shave with a razor includes proper shave prep (proper shave prep being any method/s that result in whiskers being significantly softened and easier for the razor to cut).

    I've said before that I pay little attention to shave prep for the following reasons: Time, very hard water and dry air in the home. At best, my prep consists of washing my face with soap and rinsing with 20 handfuls of hot water before lathering. Total time: 1-2 minutes.

    Thanks for weighing in here.

    Chris L
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  2. #2
    Electric Razor Aficionado
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    It's fairly important over the long haul - *if* you've got everything else right. I think corrosion is the big edge killer but once the edge goes beyond 30 or 40 shaves then the accumulated mechanical stress starts to take its toll and you start seeing chipping of the edge. Softening the beard helps reduce this stress, as does a lower angle (less lateral stress on the edge), as does fewer more efficient passes, as does a steeper grind, etc. But this only becomes important if the edge is also surviving the corrosive effects of the water, lather, blood and sebum. And assuming the user is past the newbie phase...

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    ChrisL (10-22-2009)

  4. #3
    At this point in time... gssixgun's Avatar
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    I would just repeat what I said in Mark's thread, Prep, Angle, Stroke, Stropping, are all important and as all these skills are developed then the edge lasts longer...

    This is one of the reasons I get a giggle everytime I see the same question in the newbie forum "How long should a razor last between honing"

    The truth really is 'We have no clue" but what ever you get your first 3 months you should double that for the next six months then double it again for the next six months...

    All your attained skills are going to help extend that edge....

  5. #4
    Senior Member blabbermouth JimmyHAD's Avatar
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    I know that if I cut rope with a knife blade it will dull more quickly than if I cut silken cord. To me it is a given that a softer well hydrated whisker will be easier on a razor's edge than a dry whisker. mparker762's point about corrosion being an edge killer is well taken and one that he has pointed out many times before. IIRC linen was the most effective at removing the potential corrosion ?
    Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.

  6. #5
    Senior Member blabbermouth ChrisL's Avatar
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    I share your opinions, guys. Rather than ask that you guys ditch your preps in the spirit of experimentation and knowing that Glen has had his fill of experimentation for awhile, I know it would be easiest for me to buckle down and prep to determine then how much longer my edges would go; and I know they would. I just have to change my routine and make a bit more time for it.

    Chris L
    "Blues fallin' down like hail." Robert Johnson
    "Aw, Pretty Boy, can't you show me nuthin but surrender?" Patti Smith

  7. #6
    Never a dull moment hoglahoo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JimmyHAD View Post
    I know that if I cut rope with a knife blade it will dull more quickly than if I cut silken cord. To me it is a given that a softer well hydrated whisker will be easier on a razor's edge than a dry whisker.
    I guess a question then is whether the damage done to the edge by cutting a dry whisker as opposed to a wet whisker is negligible compared to the damage done to the edge by corrosion as the razor continues to be used
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  8. #7
    Senior Member blabbermouth ChrisL's Avatar
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    In my instance, I'm going to rule out corrosion as a significant factor in edge degradation. I would not rule it out entirely since I would assume oxidation on some level would be inherent in most any environment. Any razor I use for shaving is brought into my bathroom only just prior to the strop and shave. After the shave the blade is dried very well then stropped at least 50 times on plain buffed horsehide and brought to a very dry area of the home.

    I recall seeing somewhere that a dry whisker has a similar tensile strength to copper wire of the same diameter. I don't shave dry, but, guilty as charged on being lax on proper prep.

    Chris L
    "Blues fallin' down like hail." Robert Johnson
    "Aw, Pretty Boy, can't you show me nuthin but surrender?" Patti Smith

  9. #8
    Senior Member blabbermouth JimmyHAD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hoglahoo View Post
    I guess a question then is whether the damage done to the edge by cutting a dry whisker as opposed to a wet whisker is negligible compared to the damage done to the edge by corrosion as the razor continues to be used
    Once IIRC Utopian pointed out that if you are honing a razor and let it sit for a very short time surface rust would begin to appear in spots on the bevel. I've seen this happen. I know with tattoo needles when we used to reuse needles ( after sterilizing, now we only use them once) if you let the needle sit a few minutes before putting it into the ultrasonic the blood/skin residue would literally eat into the carbon steel. That is one reason I make sure to give the razor a good hot water rinse, dry and stropping following the shave and wipe it with the silicone gun cloth with the rust preventative.
    Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.

  10. #9
    I Dull Sheffields
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    Quote Originally Posted by hoglahoo View Post
    I guess a question then is whether the damage done to the edge by cutting a dry whisker as opposed to a wet whisker is negligible compared to the damage done to the edge by corrosion as the razor continues to be used
    This is a good point. I also get Jimmy's point, but I don't think the differences between an "improperly prepped" whisker is THAT different from one that is. I think, for me, and YMMV, the more important thing is shaving a clean face. I'm a fairly greasy guy and if I shave after work, I know that I have a high oil content on my face (since I showered in the morning).

    So, notwithstanding the existing benefits of prep (essentially soaking whiskers to soften), to me, the obvious result is that you can't get all the benefits of a good lather if you have an oily face, because as we all know, oil and water do not mix.

    So if I'm shaving without a shower, I just wash my mug and then I consider myself prepped. I haven't noticed any other differences along the lines of ease of passes, comfort, or edge durability. This is in my 3+ months or so of shaving at which I consider a "more experienced" level.

    Also, another important fact that's going overlooked in my opinion is beard thickness/texture. Some guys have baby faces. I'd bet the house that two guys of the same skill, with the same razor, and the same honing progression would experience different edge durabilities.
    Last edited by Oglethorpe; 10-22-2009 at 07:33 PM.

  11. #10
    Never a dull moment hoglahoo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oglethorpe View Post
    beard thickness/texture
    Are you referring to how densely together the hair grows or the individual thickness and texture of each hair?
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