Sharpness

Bechet

Bechet

Messages
10,159
Location
Southampton
Is sharpness of blade to some wet shavers what vindaloo is to a drunk on Friday night?

I find very sharp blades, vindaloos and drunks to be very irritating, preferring a smooth blade such as 7 O'clock green, Madras and sobriety.
 
Not for me, my beard is quite thick and fast growing so i need that sharpness to allow me to get closer, easier so I don't look like a scruff by 5 o'clock!

Vindaloo? You want to try my mums cooking, Vindaloo will be shaking in its pants. Lol!
 
although i have very very sensitive skin, and coarse hair, i don't find that the sharpest blade is the best idea. I toyed with feathers for a while but found they irritated me. I ended up on personnas. Which offer a great blend of sharpness and smoothness that suits me perfectly.

that said, its a complicated balance. in my gillette tech, the personnas and even gilette superthins are far far too mild, so the likes of a feather comes back into use.
 
I've been Honing my own for the past few months. I starting to think the this open razor thing, needs to be incorporated into a rotation with my DE's and SE's real soon. While a learning experience, I'm starting to miss the 'sharps'!
 
Sharp and smooth are not mutually exclusive terms.

Some blades seem very sharp but I don't find them to be smooth for me the classic example is feather DE blades, very sharp but my face doesn't get along with them. On the other hand I find Gillette super thins very sharp and very smooth.

I used metal polish on a strop the other day as an experiment and found that the blade became very sharp but the shave wasn't smooth, returning to a decent hone left the blade just as sharp but quite smooth. Belgian Coticule hones have a reputation for giving a mellow edge and while I like that I prefer a slightly more crisp edge.

Its all horses for courses but IME the sharpest DE blades do tend to give me more irritation if used long term. Its interesting you use the analogy of the vindaloo as they (or even a phall) seem to have an element of masochistic machismo involved and you are probably right that there is a similarity with those who are constantly seeking the ultimate BBS with the most aggressive razor and sharpest blade.
 
That's what I was fishing for, Jeltz. I had expected a lot more machismo in a shaving forum and have been very pleasantly surprised.

What do men talk about amongst themselves? All sorts. What do they show about themselves whilst talking? All sorts of things that I value very highly - generousity and gentleness being high on that list.
 
I have quite sensitive skin, and a very wiry dense beard. I used Feathers for a while as they seemed to be the only blade that would give me a good shave, but they did irritate.
I have now gone back to Gillette 7 o'clock yellows and am finding them both sharp and comfortable. I have also gone back to the Merkur Futur, my first DE razor, which I am getting great shaves with now that my technique has improved. Now, why did I buy all them other DEs?
 
DE users tend to up the BS machismo quotient, straight users just roll their eyes.

If it's cutting without pulling or tugging then it's sharp enough, I'm already holding an edge to my throat pussy.
 
I'm now favouring the Gillette Super Thins now thanks to Shrink (cheers again for the PIF, VERY generous), still like 7 o'clocks and Astra's but for the first time I managed to get 4 comfortable shaves from the Gillettes, only usually get 2. Smooth and sharp for my mush!!
 
I suspect that there is a certain amount of "mine is bigger than yours" going on in the shaving world, but not from me.

As far as DE blades go, I have found that the sharper end of the scale works well for me. Feathers, Swedes, Iridium, 7 OC Sharp edge and Shark SC. Of that list, the Shark SC is about the least sharp (in my opinion), but still useable. Feathers I can use but not for any length of time.

If I put something like a "Red" Personna in a DE razor, it feels like I could let go of the handle, mid stroke, and it would just hang there, especially around the chin area. Similarly with traditional straights, although, well, let's not go there for the moment.

ian
 
IanM said:
I suspect that there is a certain amount of "mine is bigger than yours" going on in the shaving world, but not from me.

As far as DE blades go, I have found that the sharper end of the scale works well for me. Feathers, Swedes, Iridium, 7 OC Sharp edge and Shark SC. Of that list, the Shark SC is about the least sharp (in my opinion), but still useable. Feathers I can use but not for any length of time.

If I put something like a "Red" Personna in a DE razor, it feels like I could let go of the handle, mid stroke, and it would just hang there, especially around the chin area. Similarly with traditional straights, although, well, let's not go there for the moment.

ian
Click to expand...

I know how you feel Ian, esp with a traditional straight.
 
Ok, I'll add a pinch of that machismo to the mix, seeing as you asked! I like blades to be really Sharp, surely that's the point no? If a blade is less sharp, surely it's not efficient?
I like the yellows, really super blade. I like the sharpness of feathers but I don't like the price, or the red rash. I also like green 7 oclocks, people say they're less sharp than yellows but if there's a difference its marginal, they're still sharp.

So not machismo really, I'd just rather not struggle with a blade that drags.
 
I have found I can only use Feathers and Bolzano blades in my "mildest" of razors. Astra SP's are about my favorite blade now. I use them in my Webers. I did try a Feather this morning in my ARC long handle Weber to good effect. It was smooth and sharp in that razor. In other razors, it really hurts and gives me razor burn.

I also find all Personnas and Wilkinson Sword blades to be smooth and just sharp enough to get the job done.
 
Personally, I rate smoothness above sharpness. I often use Wilkinson Saloons which are not the sharpest but give a very smooth shave in my razors and on my skin/stubble - I just need to take a little more care around my chin to get a good finish. My other favs at the moment are Tigers and (just started using them) Personna Med Preps - both smooth for me and sharper than the Wilkinsons so it makes it easier to finish my shave. By contrast, I've previously found 7OC Yellows to be sharp by not smooth for me so I rarely use them...
 
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