Thread: Which is sharper: Good disposable blad or well-honed straight?

You've really got to learn a lot about sharpening a blade and work really hard to get a straight as sharp as a DE. Then you have to have the discipline not to bang your head into the wall for losing that wicked smooth and easy to shave with edge. It takes a lot of Alum to develop the resistance not to chase sharpness.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

It takes a lot of Alum to develop the resistance not to chase sharpness.

I don;t have the money to chase sharpness like some of these guys. My honed straights get touched up on my carborundum and thuringian on a fairly regular basis. Good enough for me.

If I need them to touch up my neck every once in a while, great, otherwise, I much prefer the straight. I started wet shaving with a DE, but quickly found the marvels of straight razors greatly outweighed the allure of the DE. The whole dynamic is just so different. I love them both, but straight razors, even if not as sharp have given me a reason to wake up an hour early in the morning.

Well using my own hair I have had commercial razor blades consistently fail the vaunted HHT which using the same hair strand my straights cleave with great abandon. For some reason though I seem to cut myself and cause bleeders more often with the commercial DE variety. I chalk it up to my undeveloped technique. It doesn't seem rational one could better the machine made item with human hand guided technique.

I would say that most disposable blades are going to be sharper than a straight, but it's an unfair comparison. The straight can be kept sharper over a longer period of time, and will give a more comfortable shave between sharpenings. It's something that has to be "felt."

Great thread, guys! Could it be the case that for a good shaving blade the "texture" of the edge is also important in addition to a minimum-radius edge? Hence the use of coatings in factory blades for smoothness or stropping on canvas or felt with diamond on straights for "tooth?" Maybe not important but I find it kind of fun to puzzle over.

I used the Exact setup you are talking about,for many years,I have an old Weck made of stainless so it had a decent heft and an aluminum one also,the steel is better,as for the blades I found the Personna blades to be my favorite, although I do find a regular straight to be a much smoother shave,though the Personna and weck is a good good setup for traveling,as they can be put in your suitcase with out worrying about losing your favorite blade.JMHO.

Originally Posted by geauxtig3rs

I don;t have the money to chase sharpness like some of these guys. My honed straights get touched up on my carborundum and thuringian on a fairly regular basis. Good enough for me.

That is all you need. I have used more expensive hones but no longer since I have a piece of balsa painted with CBN spray. This is a forum of aficionados. Reading all the posts will make you believe that only the very wealthy can expect to achieve supersharpness but that is a load of BS. My mother's uncle who was very wealthy and a lifetime straight shaver never owned more than 2 Heljestrands and a loomstrop. A barber honed his blades. Most Dutch barbers used a coticule or Swaty. A Thuringian is considered by many to be even slightly finer than a coticule. Everything else you think you need is no more than satisfying your AD.