Thread: Resting the blade.

Hi folks,

I have a question about straight razors and I want to separate myth from reality.

Is it true that you need to "rest the blade" of a razor after each shave? By this I mean, having shaved with razor A, you need to, after stropping it, leave it be for at least 24-48 hours before shaving with it again? And during that 'rest time', move to razor B instead?

Was this one of the reasons behind those seven-day razor sets (apart from also having more razors and thus less honing to do)?

I ask because about two weeks ago, I nicked myself with my straight razor. I waited a couple of days and shaved again...again I nicked myself. I waited a little longer and shaved again. Nicked myself again. I finally stopped shaving for about a week to give the nick time to heal. When it was done healing, I had another shave with that same razor (which was also freshly stropped) and the shave was horrible. I didn't hurt myself, but the shave was crap. It wasn't cutting anything. I put the razor down and picked up my OTHER straight razor (also freshly stropped) and went to town with it.

In five minutes I'd shaved off four days of stubble and my face was perfect. I hadn't used this razor in at least two weeks while during that time, I'd used the other one (with varying degrees of success) during the same time.

Does this mean I need to hone the other razor 'cause it's gone dull? Or is it just not complying with me because I've used it too frequently over the last couple of weeks and it needs to 'rest'? Because despite the stropping, it wasn't doing much good...

My feeling has always been that the "resting a razor" idea was a brilliant marketing ploy dreamed up by razor salesmen to make buyers buy lots of razors. I can think of no scientific reason why letting a razor sit unused for a length of time would improve its performance. In fact, while it is sitting around it would be slowly oxidising and getting blunter. As long as you keep it maintained there is no reason to not use the same blade each day, IMO.

Right. Then it's probably just time for another honing.

Ditto with Legion. Remember that barbers shaved multiple people a day with one or two razors, mostly just stropping in between.

Originally Posted by Shangas

I ask because about two weeks ago, I nicked myself with my straight razor. I waited a couple of days and shaved again...again I nicked myself. I waited a little longer and shaved again. Nicked myself again. I finally stopped shaving for about a week to give the nick time to heal. When it was done healing, I had another shave with that same razor (which was also freshly stropped) and the shave was horrible. I didn't hurt myself, but the shave was crap. It wasn't cutting anything. I put the razor down and picked up my OTHER straight razor (also freshly stropped) and went to town with it.

Get any blood on the blade ? It's corrosive to steel but anyway if you were nicking yourself with one razor & not the other sounds like a hone is in order. You were maybe compensating with pressure for a degraded edge.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies. I have since taken the offending razor and given it a touch up on my honing-stone followed by a good stropping. Usual excellent sharpness and shave-quality has returned. Nothing more to worry about.

I use the "Resting the blade" theory to justify my RAD to the misses.Works so far

I have also read this (I think Dovo says this in their literature) but like many aspects of wet shaving there is often no one definitive answer. The reasoning behind this is that resting a razor allows the microscopic teeth on the end of the blade to realign themselves naturally (whether or not this is true I have no idea). However I have also read the exact opposite and in my personal experience I have never felt or experienced any difference between blades that have been rested as opposed to unrested. Does that confuse you anymore?

I have looked at razors that have rested and those that have not up to 90x on a stereomicroscope and cannot see any difference in the edges. I have not noticed any difference in how they shave either. It seems to me that if the edge is that sensitive and needs time to "rest" as soon as you either strop it once or make that first shaving motion, the edge would be screwed up again. So... go figure. But, hey, I'm not a metallurgist.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Had another excellent shave with this razor this morning and it's doing very well.

Still...I might like to get a seven-piece straight-set...one day.