Thread: Damascus questions

I've seen a few damascus steel blades and am in love. I would love to aquire one for my collection. So are they better shavers than other steels or are they purely asthetic? There seems to quite a price difference so I would hope they offer some sort of supeiriority to other blades. I apologize for asking a question which I'm sure has been asked before, after searching it came up with so many results, mainly pictures of others razors, I just figured I would ask.

There is no difference in shaving quality in the Damascus, or patten welded, steel and the stainless or carbon.
Good steel is good steel.

Basically it's all about aesthetics.
Pattern welded steel is more labour intense, so that tends to make 'em somewhat more expensive.

There are many beautiful ones out there, I've bought a couple of them and I'm very happy with them

they do not shave better, the core steel is what you shave with and it is pretty much the same as solid carbon steel blades.
Damascus blades are more expensive because the Damascus is more expensive to make.

Echoing what the previous posters have said, I would just add that in damascus (pattern welded steel) you get what you pay for. Don't fall into the trap of buying some junk box cutter shaped like a straight razor on ebay that is cheap and calls itself 'damascus.' Makers such as Williams, Livi, Zowada and the like make quality damascus blades. If you haven't already done so check out 'razors to avoid' in the SRP Wiki.

If you want one because you think it shaves better save your money. If you want one because you like the aesthetics then get one. It's that simple.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

If you want one because you think it shaves better save your money. If you want one because you like the aesthetics then get one. It's that simple.

Yes it is the aesthetics I am after I was just curious if they were superior performance wise in any way. It's a pretty significant chuck of change to through down in either case but regardless I think the art and beauty of them makes it worth it. I had looked at kitchen cutlery made from the pattern steel and they claimed it was the sharpest material available which I'm glad I know now is not the case.
I have been admiring Tim Zowadas work for some time however as I'm sure you know their availability is nearly non existent. Can you recommend any others and where I might find them? My searches have come up somewhat empty handed.

Check out Robert Williams here

Because of my modest and limited knowledge of straight razors I can not tell you does damascus blades give better shaving or not. From my shaving experience I can tell that trick is in the face preparation and shaving technique.
I have several straight razors and first damascus blade is on the way. I bought it only for aesthetic reasons. It will be a nice addition to my collection.

Originally Posted by bottomfeeder

I've seen a few damascus steel blades and am in love. I would love to aquire one for my collection. So are they better shavers than other steels or are they purely asthetic? There seems to quite a price difference so I would hope they offer some sort of supeiriority to other blades. I apologize for asking a question which I'm sure has been asked before, after searching it came up with so many results, mainly pictures of others razors, I just figured I would ask.

Nope.

There is absolutely no difference in performance.
Damascus in knives is made from 2 high quality tool steels. I think O1 and L6 is a popular combination.
The resulting damascus behaves identical to the separate steels.

Damascus is purely aesthetical. It is also slightly better rust resistant because of the etching which puts a patina on the steel.
The reason it is so expensive is that making it is labor intensive.

There is plenty of cheap damascus around. You'll find lots of it on ebay or on the internet in general.
The cheap stuff is not tool steel quality, and pretty much sucks for making things that need to stay sharp, like razors.
A quality piece of damascus the size of a razor blank will cost in the range of 200$. It can go higher depending on the complexity of the pattern.

If you do decide to buy just do some research. I know many of the knives they sell as Damascus are just cheapo metal and they paint some solution over the blade and dip it in acid and it looks like Damascus but isn't. I guess many of the razors like the Livi's for instance use Damasteel and they just cut the blank from the ingot and finish which the acid bath which brings out the pattern.