Thread: Shaving with a ceramic knife

I was just wondering, at this point in tech. history, are we going to see ceramic Str8 razors any time soon??
What kind of honing regimine would a blade like that require??
Would it ultimitaly be TO sharp to be practical for face shaving??
What sort of price in euro's / peso's / US Dollars would some thing like that run??
It's 01:44Hrs [Est] time, should I be in bed with SWMBO's before I start getting those looks?

I'm tired now, 'Night to all.

tinkersd

WOW that dude is good.

Ceramic blades have been around for quite awhile. They really shine in static installations like say a roll splitter for plastic film. I have tried them in the kitchen with disappointing results as the edge quickly degrades and there is something in me that recoils at the thought I am eating ceramic chips no matter how small.

I read somewhere that the sharpest blades are made from obsidian for micro biology and only hold their sharpness on soft tissue for a few inches of cut.

My speculation says the edge wouldn't be tough enough to make the best shaver. Toughness as in plasticity.

I might be wrong but I don't think so. Once I thought I made a mistake but I was mistaken.

A better mousetrap ? ... Maybe, but I'll shave with my razors & cut food with my knives

And the point of the shave was?

Originally Posted by Mvcrash

And the point of the shave was?

I would have to agree.

On a dare I shaved my face with the knife I carry daily. It can be done, but its is basically silliness to prove something (usually how stupid a guy is for taking a silly bet).

I can also split wood with the knife...but it is not the best tool for the job

From what I gather ceramic is rather difficult to sharpen and the video shows that with Ken's fairly new cbn compounds combined with Tom's sharpening skills ceramic can be sharpened by hand to a pretty high level.

Shaving with knives seems to be more a test of sharpness than a quest to dethrone the traditional straight razor.

jaswarb: I think that particular brand of ceramic knife was key in getting a good edge, it's not just any old ceramic blade.

Originally Posted by unit

On a dare I shaved my face with the knife I carry daily. It can be done......

There's no shortage of people shaving with knives, swords, spoons, obsidian etc. Until Tom uploaded this a few days ago the general consensus from those that had tried was that it couldn't be done.

Originally Posted by Proinsias

There's no shortage of people shaving with knives, swords, spoons, obsidian etc. Until Tom uploaded this a few days ago the general consensus from those that had tried was that it couldn't be done.

Really? I have a few friends that are quite skilled at sharpening ceramics and their edges would accomplish the task admirably (at least as well as any steel knife I have shaved with)

Originally Posted by Proinsias

it's not just any old ceramic blade.

I applaud their sharpening efforts and the method they chose to demonstrate the sharpening media and technique.
Nonetheless it is a ceramic blade. They don't have any bend in them. When the edge gets to the stress point of failure it breaks or chips even if only at a microscopic level. Kitchen knives get that kind of abuse routinely. There is at least one TV chef who shills ceramic knives from Kyocera and if you watch him carefully he is frequently reduced to sawing his way through a task. The camera does its best to hide this but it is quite evident. There is a reason ceramics haven't replaced metal in many applications.

Having said that until our numbers(straight shavers) grow much larger it is unlikely any company will take on the challenge of manufacturing a ceramic straight razor. Even if they were available, the fact that ceramics preclude stropping and all the other fussing about which I so enjoy concerning straights prevents me from having much more than curiosity.

YMMV

Originally Posted by jaswarb

Even if they were available, the fact that ceramics preclude stropping and all the other fussing about which I so enjoy concerning straights prevents me from having much more than curiosity.

YMMV

Bingo!

Plus, a straight is supposed to look a certain way. I suppose I am admitting the nostalgia aspect of my interest in this, but a straight razor is supposed to be metallic silver (and in some cases blued, or gold) and should not have electronic gizmos such as vibratory mechanisms, or laser guidance systems...just a very basic tool, honed to a level that is FAR from basic, performing a trivial task in a manner that is far from mundane.

Nothing against any of the modern marvels, I just like the basic high alloy steels...