Dull blades in aggressive razors VS Sharp blades in mild razors
- Thread starter naughtilus
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In a way, yeah.
Although adjusting the razor probably does change the blade angle slightly, maybe exposure a touch, with a blade that's sharp you can get a BBS shave with any setting on it. I've done it on my Fatboy with 3, then frequently used 6/7 and did use 9 a couple of times. They all work. It only really changes the feel, and therefore your enjoyment.
Edit - 1/2 may reduce the blade gap so much that the shave suffers.
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You have seen the light but they sure fooled the rest of us
Don't get me wrong, you might actually find that you prefer a smoother blade in a more aggressive razor. That's your perogative- but it's not because the sharper blades work badly. Just that the smoother ones are easier to use. For me it's not a factor I consider.
A couple of years ago I tried to grade aggressivness from 1 = no blade in razor, up to 10 = just blade on a stick. Started by placing Muhle R41 at 8 and Edwin Jagger DE89 at 5. But I found it hard to make distinctions as the pile of razors grew so gave up after placing Fatip Piccolo at 7, Merkur 45C at 6, Tech at 3 or 4 or 4- or maybe 3+. My take is that by adding a little pressure I compensated for the Tech being less aggressive than Muhle R41, only problem was going back to R41 remembering to ease off not using Tech pressure. Anyway since then moved on to straights so no plans to dig any deeper into DE aggressivness. (aggressive as in getting a close shave measured by less stubble to the touch after 12 hours)
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The Red Tip & Old Type are crazy mild compared to modern razors. A triangle slot Tech is just as aggressive as an OLD.
Sharper is always better, whether it's razors, knives, chisels, or plane irons.
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It is, and the adjustable concept was just S&M.
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Yes, you shave with the blade, if the blade can't get to your face, you can't shave.
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I can only speak for my 1912 Old Type, Red Tip & FH Tech, but the Old Type is waaaaay more aggressive/efficient than anything else I use.
I can really feel the blade exposure on the Old Type however careful I am.
I get a really close, comfortable shave with it, but 2 passes (WTG, XTG) gets me closer with the OT than 3 passes with anything else. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had to do an ATG pass with the OT.
OP
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When you ride the cap, you have smaller angle that is more efficient for cutting, does more skin scraping if you apply pressure, and takes a toll on blades harder than steep angles (perpendicular to the face). I'm guessing for someone with really coarse beard a Feather will cut well even at steep angles where Derby will pull hair. But if you adjust to a smaller angle, the Derby will cut well just as any blade.
I find razors, blade gaps, angles and any geometry in shaving more important than blade sharpness. They all pretty much cut the same to me. I've shaved with cheapest Chinese blades that I got for free in $5 razors and they worked brilliantly. My beard is medium coarse, enough that I must use beard oil after shaving or else the goatee becomes a Brillo pad. I toss blades after 3-4 uses, 4 being noticeably problematic.
I find razors, blade gaps, angles and any geometry in shaving more important than blade sharpness. They all pretty much cut the same to me. I've shaved with cheapest Chinese blades that I got for free in $5 razors and they worked brilliantly. My beard is medium coarse, enough that I must use beard oil after shaving or else the goatee becomes a Brillo pad. I toss blades after 3-4 uses, 4 being noticeably problematic.
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You have seen the light but they sure fooled the rest of us
Seriously, the adjustable changes the blade exposure which does indeed affect the shave. That said, a blade is locked into position in a razor obviously and cannot get any closer to a face unless pressure is applied. It only goes to say that different blades have different hone angles which indeed can affect a shave in relation to the exact razor used regarding its blade gap and exposure. Then you have to factor in user + and - variation on any given stroke as we are certainly not cyborgs capable of holding the razor in a perfectly positioned angle throughout each stroke. I think most of us have figured out the "sweet spot" on our favorite razor, lest they not be a favorite. (No shit?
) That said, I think the key ingredient is a blade that has a platinum and/or other alloys hardened edge that is coated with some form of PTFE and with a hone angle that suits our favorite razor. Of course, that includes proper prep & technique which if not done properly throw everything off kilter. A blade is not something "sentient" and I do believe the key factor is that many are misinterpreting smoothness as sharpness as Gillette discovered decades ago after expending tens of millions of dollars in R&D.
(Sound of stepping down from soapbox)
I think I read on Science of sharp about a Kai or maybe it was Feather blades with a coating that lasted one shave only and I would not be surprised if Science of sharp also got an article or two covering hone angles of different blades illustrated with pics from a microscope
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