Thread: Smooth Vs. Sharp

If somebody is trading off smooth vs. sharp in my book they don't know what they are doing.
Any given razor has a limit of the edge it can take. Beyond that the edge breaks down and it is not smooth at all. The goal of honing is to get as close to that limit as possible without crossing it.

An example would be a feather blade (the ones that go into the feather razors, not the DE ones which I have no experience with). These blades are as smooth and sharp as it goes. They also need nice and light touch, otherwise you'll be cutting the skin instead of the hairs.