Thread: Sharp versus smooth

Originally Posted by Whizbang

Is there a point after a blade is honed where the blade is almost too sharp?

No but it is possible to hone past an optimal edge & turn it into something nasty

Of course, some razors just shave nicer than others due to the steel & how they were made.

I Will gave my opinion on this but i consider myself a Newbie myself(almost 2 years of straight shaving). To me sharpness of a straight = smoothness. When a straight loose is sharpness your more more prone to cut or Nick yourself, we put more pressure to shave to composate cause The blade doesn't cut good anymore. Since that i started to hone my Straights i see The difference, it's true that you can still cut or Nick yourself on a freshly hone razor but Whe you straight shave you are just suppose to scrape The lather(just enough pressure)to gave you a shave. When a straight become dull if you still use The same pressure to shave The Blade started to drag in The whiskers and it also feel a bit pain. So to me a real sharp Blade Will gave you a smooth shave, it works for me but like i said i'm still a newbie myself.

I had the exact thought. I got my razors extremely sharp but not smooth. My barber friend said you can make a blade to sharp and it will irritate your skin. He took one of my razors I sharpened and did 10-12 laps on my Naniwa 12k, then 10 to 12 laps on my 20 k Suehiro and said shave with it and let him know. It was very sharp, cut great but was still irritating. He then did 15 laps on my escher under running water, again I shaved with it and the blade didn't feel as sharp but much smoother. He then did 10 laps on my Mastro Livi chromium oxide linen and 25 laps on the skin. The next day I palm stropped then shaved. Smooth as glass, no irritation and great shave. He said barbers call it refining the edge. He also checked the edge to see if I sharpened it so much I had flashing on the edge. Trial and error and great advice.

Originally Posted by jkatzman

I had the exact thought. I got my razors extremely sharp but not smooth. My barber friend said you can make a blade to sharp and it will irritate your skin. He took one of my razors I sharpened and did 10-12 laps on my Naniwa 12k, then 10 to 12 laps on my 20 k Suehiro and said shave with it and let him know. It was very sharp, cut great but was still irritating. He then did 15 laps on my escher under running water, again I shaved with it and the blade didn't feel as sharp but much smoother. He then did 10 laps on my Mastro Livi chromium oxide linen and 25 laps on the skin. The next day I palm stropped then shaved. Smooth as glass, no irritation and great shave. He said barbers call it refining the edge. He also checked the edge to see if I sharpened it so much I had flashing on the edge. Trial and error and great advice.

It's great when you find that happy medium.

An edge to me can mellow out after a few shaves but still remains in the realm of comfortable close shaves and plenty sharp.

The problem here is the misnomer that it is Sharp vs Smooth

The actual statement is Sharp AND Smooth sharp and smooth is good honing

"Too Sharp" is also a misnomer, again that is just a result of bad honing and not knowing when to stop honing that steel..