What makes razors different from one another?

Hello

I am new to this community and new to straight razor shaving. After a year of DE shaving (merkur + feather) I decided to try straights. I bought a Dovo "Best Quality" which had been made shave ready by the vendor as this seemed like a sensible starting razor. Much to my surprise (and despite a few nicks) I am getting a good shave without too much difficulty after a week of daily use (except for the chin which is more challenging).

I am now thinking about getting another razor. My question is what makes one razor different (or better) than another. I come to "sharp edges" from an interest in japanese kitchen knives and with these there is endless discussion about different steel types, different hardness (HRC), different geometry, etc. From what I have been reading so far these don't seem to feature quite so much with razors, with the exception of geometry (size and grind), but even this seem to be quite generic (does Dovo make a better 6/8 half hollow than Wacker or anyone else, or is one 6/8 half hollow the same as all the others?). What about steel? For almost all razors other than customs, there appears to be only reference to carbon steel or stainless. Is it relevant to the quality of the razor which type of carbon steel is used or? It certainly is for knives.

I suppose in the end I am trying to separate out the superficial differences between razors (scales used, etching, even collectability) versus the functional differences (what is going to give you a better shave).

Thanks in advance for any input.

Claude

trial and error my man.. trial and error.

Different razor sizes, different grinds, its all a matter of taste. The smaller razors, people feel, will do a better job of getting in the nooks and crannies of your face and they are used for keeping things looking neat. The larger heavier blades, people feel, are best used to "whack away" heavy growth. It is all a matter of taste. What do you prefer, a sports car (smaller blade, hollow grind) or a tank (larger blade, wedge). Try them both and see what feels more comfortable to you. :)

Its really personal preference.

The more wedge like razors are stiffer and heavier to handle, and are more silent when you use them. Larger blades need rinsing less often as they have the space to take more lather on them. Smaller blades are lighter and more manouverable though. More hollow ground razors arguably take a finer edge as the metal is thinner right at the very edge of the blade, but IME as long as they are well honed theres not that much difference.

TBH, in terms of actual shave quality, I get just as good a shave from a little 4/8 hollow ground as a I from a 7/8 W&B wedge. They all give me BBS shaves, and all are a delight to use. As long as they are honed right, they will shave you well.

Theres no real difference in the shave between stainless and carbon steel, except some people find there is a slightly different honing technique. One of the razor makers will be able to tell you more about the specific steel used for razors, though it will be a very high quality and hard steel.

The question to ask yourself is do you feel like you want a bigger or smaller blade? Or a thicker or thinner blade? And then make a choice from there. Or find someone near you who has a few razors that you can try and then see what you like..!

Hello, Claude:

Stubear's comments are right on the spot and I concur.

Regards,
Obie

Thanks everyone for your replies. As suggested I guess it will be a matter or experimentation and trying out different options.

Time to get the credit card warmed up.

Claude

I find variety to be great. Sometimes I feel like a thinly ground German or American blade. On the other hand today I greatly enjoyed my 1/4 hollow and heavy Sheffield. Get some of each if you can and experiment.

I suspect that the reason we don't go on about steel so much in the razor community as the knife fanciers do, is that the best material for a razor has a comparatively simple analysis. What we're looking for is a fine grain and an absence of large carbides, whereas for a knife to hold an edge well and have an aggressive cutting edge, smoothness isn't necessarily desirable - hence the popularity of steels with a lot of improvers in the composition. At any rate, quality of grind, heat treatment and sharpening are the most important factors in determining how well a razor will perform rather than edge retention.

As regards the different styles, that's where the fun comes in, and the expense. You can shave in blissful silence one day with a Sheffield wedge, and disturb your wife in the next room with a German singing razor the next.

Pretty, fancy, plain, and unusual ones. Fat ones, and skinny ones. Blonds, Brunettes, Redheads, backsides or front. You really only know once you spend time with them.

Whatever you are in the mood for at the moment, whatever holds your passion.
Although often when one pleases you, shortly you are charmed by another.
C'est la vie.

Yikes, osmosis! Although it has never nicked me, I think this week, French steel has bled into me via another way.

WADE! BUTCHER! We Got Some Shaving to Do!

Arrowhead said it well. Its all about the carbides. If you have a blade that is homogeneous & the carbon is dispersed evenly with the metal particles. It will take a finer edge. Puma used to claim their steel was "like powdered diamond after tempering" Most razors can be honed to shave close but comfort & durability depend on the steel & heat treat & if forged, the skill of the smith.

the thing abought razors is that razors tend to be razors.i have yet to try a vintage razor that didnt give me a great shave . from my 3/8ths sweed to my 9/8 brit there is not much difference in the end result, smooth.some were a bit easyer to hone but thats abought it.as other have said its up to you to find the "best" but that dovo will shave you and your grandkids for the rest of your lifes.

Well, steel composition isn't much advertised on razors, but they're different for sure.

The talk about steels you're referring to is a fairly new thing. think about the time when straight razors were as popular as knives and there wasn't much steel talking for knives either. Of course, you see stuff like 'silver steel', 'cast steel', 'blue steel', 'swedish steel', 'kayser ellison steel', stamped on some razors, but that's pretty much the extent of it.
Puma razors are usually marked with 'best pumaster-steel', but remember puma was a big knife company and they could probably order their steel to spec (Boker and Rodgers could probably too, but most others are too small).

Nowadays the razor production is tiny, so the inexpensive razors are made of whatever steel is cheap and easy to get. You should read the Thiers-Issard's blurb about their c135 steel, they explicitly state they were able to switch steel only because somebody else is ordering large quantities of it on a regular basis. Plus nowadays they are a side business of Sabatier, so they get a big advantage from the knives production, which I suspect, was the driving force for the switch.

Of course, if you're willing to pay hundreds and thousands for a razor you can have it made by all kinds of fancy steels (and more importantly it has to be heat treated properly which could be tricky). It makes a difference - I've shaved with very similar grind razors made by the same maker, just different steel. But for the most part on an inexpensive razor you get very little info about the steel composition.

It appears that the previous posts have answered your technical questions about differences in straight razor blade qiality and shaveability.

I am not an expert in that area. However, if you want to expand your horizons somewhat, purchase a 6/8 hollow ground razor that is either vintage or new. See if you prefer the larger size.

I initially stayed away from larger blades, preferring the 5/8, but as I progressed and improved my shaving technique I found that I like larger blades--6/8 and larger now for variety's sake. My fazorite razors in my rotation are:

5/8 Dovo "BLack Star"

5/8 Gotta 120 "Superfine"

5/8 Boker "Red Injun"

6/8 dubl duck Goldedge

6/8 Bengall

6/8 Otto Busch World-Master

I also come from a Japanese Kitchen knife background. When I think of what steel seems best for razors I think white steel, just plain jane steel. Remember MOST razors out there are vintage stock and the alloy that worked has been the one used for a long time.

Now once you get to custom razors all bets are off and you can get just about any small grain steel out there :) As for stainless, vintage stainless steels can be a bugger and are aproached on a one to one basis. Again custom builders use modern stainless steels that are far better than vintage in my opinion, but thats with a grain of salt as I really (Strongly) dislike stainless steels :p

LOL... Chef, you make me think of my fave US swordsmith :D

"I am an old fashioned rustable carbon steel and hammer kind of guy though, so all stainless is suspect for me at some level." Howard Clark