Thread: Edge durability how about expert opinions?

As a beginner I have shaved with less than a dozen different straights. Even with my limited experience it is obvious the steel in some razors is special. I have a little swayback Genco which takes an edge very easily and seems to endure without much more than stropping. It is easily my best shaver. I have a Filarmonica DT #13 which takes an incredible edge very easily and holds it nearly as well. There are other I have which will get as fine an edge but can't seem to maintain sharpness through more than a couple of shaves. I am referring to very sharp as they all remain shavable but the best maintain that "fresh from the stones" keeness through repeated shaves and stropping while the worst is notably degraded after one shave.

My experience with knives indicates edge durability is a quality which is found on individual examples or rarely some models which have undergone careful manufacture or QC as in individual or custom made.

It seems there are fads and passing fancies to favor certain razors but it appears to be more a matter of fashion than function.

If you have shaved many razors which ones stand out as have especially durable edges with the kind of shave ability which requires only rare visits to the stones?

Well the one that pops to mind is my Dovo bismark. I must have used it for 3 months straight before I had to have her rehoned. quite the opposite is my TI, stunning razor and sharp as hell for the first 12 shaves but then she starts falling off...odd

Just based on my experience(though by no means are these to be considered set in stone rules), I've found that American and Swedish steels seem to have more edge durability as does stainless. Sheffield steel seems to need honed more often with German blades somewhere in the middle. As with anything, there are probably more than a few exceptions. Another thing that effects durability is the heat treat. Like I said these are just gereral observations made by me and should not be construed as any hard and fast rule.

I suspect within the respective countries of origin the razor makers bought the steel from just a few outfits and the steel is basically the same (considering carbon and stainless). Depending on how the blanks were processed meaning tempering and such, is one big difference which could account for differences from razor to razor and don't forget most vintage blades are at least 50 years old or more and we really have no clue as to what has happened to them over the years. Unless we have a razor in it's original sealed wrappings we can only guess. Even a NOS could have been stored in a hostile environment. I don't know if we realize how the steel can be altered depending on how kind the years have been to it.

I have a Friodur that has been honed twice in 6 years. It is possibly one of the best shavers I have and I would use it, on average, once every two weeks I guess.

I don't know what makes some steel better than others for our purposes but I do know that when you find one like my Friodur you thank the heavens that someone out there knows their job.

James.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

...... Depending on how the blanks were processed meaning tempering and such, .........Even a NOS could have been stored in a hostile environment. I don't know if we realize how the steel can be altered depending on how kind the years have been to it.

As far as temper changes are concerned there isn't a lot of worry about storage since it would take something in the neighborhood of 350-400 degrees F to begin to affect the temper. Those kind of changes can be induced from buffing or grinding if done carelessly.

I am particularly interested in discovering a consistency with regard to brand or type or manufacturing era. This might not exist. It could be one just finds a particular example which had all the variables land on the sevens and jackpot a great razor.

With knives there are some well know heat treat firms and individuals who consistently extract the best performance. With knives there are certain manufacturers (like pre 60's Imperials) which turn up repeatedly as very good steel. By very good in this case I mean able to take and hold a really sharp edge noticeably superior. Reading here on the forums some of the upper state NY makers seem to fit the bill.

Bigspendur I suspect you have more razors and shaves behind you than I have to look forward to so have you got a razor or two that just seems to stay sharp?

One W&B and one Hellberg are the most honing prone in my collection.

There are a lot of crucial factors but don't forget the honing.
A razor that is over honed or has a poor bevel will not have a durable edge.

There is something special about carbon steel. I have several stainless SR's as well as carbon. The stainless is wonderful. There is a reason why all surgeries are performed with stainless. Superb sharpness, durability, and sterility. However, carbon steel just seems tougher and more easily maintained for daily shaving than stainless. There is a balance between hardness and toughness, and carbon blades just seem tougher to me. My stainless steel models chip early and require honing much sooner than my carbon models. While carbon is sometimes as hard as stainless it just seems tougher to me in routine shaving. Both are excellent shavers for the first 10 or 20 shaves then carbon shines by actually getting better after several weeks of stropping. If I was forced to choose, then I would have to favor carbon steel for SR shaving and routine maintenance. But give me my stainless for travel and rust resistance. Perhaps that is why I have both.

Over the last forty plus years the razors I have honed the least per number of shaves are JA Henckels and Boker KK's. These are razors from the 40's 50's and 60's. Very Best, John