Thread: n00b question about metal type of metal and straight razor shaving...

So I have two razors.

(1) Is a Dovo stainless steel Ebenholz.
(2) Is some beater, but I swear one DFS razor from WhippedDog.

What I notice is that with my dovo (honed at same time as beater by Larry at WhippedDog) seems to pull and tug way more on my beard and I get a generally more comfortable shave from my beater one.

Could the difference be the metal? I'm other wise lathering and stropping the same way for both razors.

THanks!

Hard to tell. For me if a razor is honed to best of it's potential, assuming it is made from quality steel, it should not matter what steel is used.
I would suggest to contact the vendor and discuss your problem with them, I am sure they will work with you on the issue.

+1. If each type, say stainless versus carbon steel, is heat treated to their best potential, the performance differences should be minor if honed to the best potential of each razor.

There may be some noticeable differences over time because of the steel's response to the acidity of your face, the soaps used, generalized oxidation, stropping techniques, The Second Law of Thermodynamics, etc. (all things that happen at your place), but should not be that different in a "just out of the box honed by the same folks" condition.

Is the beater more of a wedge (less hollow) than the Dovo?

I find that thicker grinds give me the feeling of less pull...because (I believe) the greater mass and reduced flex at the edge allows the razor to seemingly glide through the hair.

Interesting. I'd say it's more wedge-like because it's older and has been honed-down over the years. Perhaps that's it. My beard is kinda' thick, so perhaps less flexing on the edge helps? Hmmm.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Hard to tell. For me if a razor is honed to best of it's potential, assuming it is made from quality steel, it should not matter what steel is used.
I would suggest to contact the vendor and discuss your problem with them, I am sure they will work with you on the issue.

I agree -- give Larry another shot at it. Sometimes it just takes another try, and it helps to know that it wasn't "just right".

I'm pretty sure Larry's honing was GREAT. I will definitely send things to him again. The beater he sold me is awesome and I'm confident that the Dovo was nicely honed (I'd used it for about a month and first learned on it... so it had gotten pretty rough before Larry honed it for me).