I don't find GEM or AC blades to be as sharp or as smooth as DE blades. The DE razors I use support the blade fully with the baseplate and simply can't be beat by any SE, they're very rigid. Don't get me wrong, SE's are nice and I get irritation free BBS shaves from them, but my top DE's are smoother with the same results.
SE vs DE
- Thread starter rabidus
- Start date
I don't understand the meaning of
'AC is not as sharp as DE and 'DE simply can't be beat by any SE'
Any? Have you checked them all? And why exactly it can't be beat.
Sharpness can be measured objectively by taking very high resolution pictures or, even simpler, checking the specifications of blades, if available.
About smoothness, I don't know how to define it and if it only blade quality ot also soap/razor used.
You can claim that for YOUR specific combination of skin/hair you achieve better results with DE, that's it.
Lastly, I am not aware about any DE which doesn't 'fully support' the blade by the baseplate, lthey are all fully supported as well as in SE. If it moves/ not fully supported, then it is defective razor. DE blades are simply thinner then SE ( rigidness of blade in specific razor can also be measured objectively, bTW)
'AC is not as sharp as DE and 'DE simply can't be beat by any SE'
Any? Have you checked them all? And why exactly it can't be beat.
Sharpness can be measured objectively by taking very high resolution pictures or, even simpler, checking the specifications of blades, if available.
About smoothness, I don't know how to define it and if it only blade quality ot also soap/razor used.
You can claim that for YOUR specific combination of skin/hair you achieve better results with DE, that's it.
Lastly, I am not aware about any DE which doesn't 'fully support' the blade by the baseplate, lthey are all fully supported as well as in SE. If it moves/ not fully supported, then it is defective razor. DE blades are simply thinner then SE ( rigidness of blade in specific razor can also be measured objectively, bTW)
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- Thread starter
- #3
A fresh Feather pro struggles to mow down my most coarse stubble areas. While a Fresh Polsilver SI will slice through the same stubble with ease. I get 90 BBS face shaves from a Polsilver SI ,while a Feather seemed to be done on shave two.
You have two DE razor designs, one that supports the blade fully and one that locks the blade further back. I typically only use razors made like the top razor with Max rigidity.
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- #4
If I place a DE blade and a SE blade in razors with no guard and the DE blade slices through my coarse stubble better, wouldn't that be a fact that the DE blade is sharper?
OK, I understand now what how you define 'fully supported'. It's a distanse between the edge of the blade and the edge of the base plate. If this distance is below certain value, you consider it fully supported.
Couple of technical things about it. This distance, from baseplate edge to blade edge, is not the only contributing factor in blade edge ridgity. There are another three ( at least ) : distance between the cup edge and blade edge, upper support so to speak, and how bended is the blade, in some razors the blade is very bended (which I guess increase ridgidiry ) and in some it's almost flat, like SE. I am not even talking about slants, which for sure affects ridgity as well. Of course, quality of steel, thickness of DE blade itself are also factors ( I don't know if all DE blades are uniformly thick )
I am not a mechanical engineer, but I think, that cupedge to blade edge distance might be more important then baseplate edge to blade edge distance. To summarize, before some objective measurments are done, like applying force on a blade edge and gauging the movement, it's difficult to make such sweeping claims ( any DE, any SE etc ) because it's a combination of multiple factors.
Couple of technical things about it. This distance, from baseplate edge to blade edge, is not the only contributing factor in blade edge ridgity. There are another three ( at least ) : distance between the cup edge and blade edge, upper support so to speak, and how bended is the blade, in some razors the blade is very bended (which I guess increase ridgidiry ) and in some it's almost flat, like SE. I am not even talking about slants, which for sure affects ridgity as well. Of course, quality of steel, thickness of DE blade itself are also factors ( I don't know if all DE blades are uniformly thick )
I am not a mechanical engineer, but I think, that cupedge to blade edge distance might be more important then baseplate edge to blade edge distance. To summarize, before some objective measurments are done, like applying force on a blade edge and gauging the movement, it's difficult to make such sweeping claims ( any DE, any SE etc ) because it's a combination of multiple factors.
To add to my previous note. When the blade edge hit a hair, if the angle is not precisely 90 degrees, it looks like the force is applied to bend the blade towards the cup, that's why I wrote that distance between the cup and ghe edge of ghe blade may be more important. I am sure there are a lot of research done in labs of major blade manufactures, like Feather etc. Unfortunately, it might be mostly proprietory / unpublished
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- #7
I have no idea what any of this means! It's not complicated, it's actually quite simple. Rigid blade edge, sharp blade.
While the Kai Titan mild is not as wide as a Feather pro, I find it to be sharper. Still not as sharp as a DE blade though, but close.
I've been wet shaving for close to ten years. For me I have found there is no sharper DE blade than a Feather. Albeit they aren't as smooth as many others. I recently acquired a RR Hawk and am using Kai Captain Titan Mild blades in it. I have not found a smoother, less 'tuggy' blade period. Even shaving on back to back days is now possible effortlessly with no irritation. Just keep in mind that what works best for you isn't the answer for everyone. I do say that respectfully. Your findings are not without merit but there are far too many variables for one solution for everyone.
It's not complicated, it's actually quite simple. Rigid blade edge, sharp blade.
While the Kai Titan mild is not as wide as a Feather pro, I find it to be sharper. Still not as sharp as a DE blade though, but close.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
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- #9
I do find the Kai blades to be sharper than the Feather pro. But still not quite as sharp as a DE blade.
I trimmed the Kai Titan mild blade and put it in my Schick injector, I'll have to test it further, but it seemed to take more work to achieve BBS results than the Schick injector blade. Since the injector has blade stops, the width of the blade doesn't matter like it does in the General or Hawk.
The injector is mild and efficient, testing the Feather pro, and Kai Titan mild against the Schick blade will tell me how sharp they are. The one that gets me to BBS with the least amount of strokes wins.
I shave my face and head everyday, BBS everytime. No irritation. Took allot of trial and error to get to this point. I can pick up pretty much any razor, at this stage of the game, and get a BBS shave from it. It's the ones with poor rigidity that don't work as well, when it comes to mowing down my coarse stubble. Blade exposure helps but is no substitute for rigidity.
The General has more blade exposure than my goto DE razor. I get an irritation free BBS shave from either, stroke for stroke, the DE is more efficient. If I use the NEW SC in the top picture I posted above, The SE doesn't stand a chance.
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- Thread starter
- #10
The Deluxe is in the bottom picture. The SC feels exactly like the Deluxe, with more rigidity.
The SC came with a number of different caps thanks to Gillette being inconsistent.
Take the Deluxe cap and put it on a SC or postwar Tech(oblong slot) baseplate. Should feel like the Deluxe(blade exposure) minus the blade chatter/flex. Those baseplate are better.
Sorry for being Off Topic but what is the full form of NEW SC ?
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- #12
Yes. thank you.
Hi,
Just for completeness, there is also a Long Comb variant of the Gillette NEW....along with a couple British Flat Bottom ones. So one sees LC and FB and RFB (Raised Flat Bottom) with the NEWs. And, then there were Deluxe versions on top of all that. It is almost as bad as all the Type letters used with Injectors.
Stan
Just for completeness, there is also a Long Comb variant of the Gillette NEW....along with a couple British Flat Bottom ones. So one sees LC and FB and RFB (Raised Flat Bottom) with the NEWs. And, then there were Deluxe versions on top of all that. It is almost as bad as all the Type letters used with Injectors.
Stan
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- #17
If the blade does not cut my stubble as well as another blade, then it is not an opinion, it is fact! If I put both blades in straight razors and one cuts better, than one is sharper than the other. It is not a preferred blade, it is a matter of which blade is capable.
If I have steak and try to cut it with knife A and it does not cut good and I pick up knife B and it cuts through the same piece of steak like butter, then knife B is sharper, that is fact not opinion!
I can get an irritation free true BBS shave from a SE or DE. Not everything is YMMV as you may think or are lead to believe.
I put a trimmed Kia mild blade in an injector and the initial shave did not tell me this blade was sharper than a Schick injector blade.
So far I've tested these Artist club blades a couple of different ways and I'm not impressed. I'm convinced they are not as sharp as DE blades!
I too inexplicably find de blades to be sharper. Thus far my trial runs with ses have been failures. Each one has felt a little uncomfortable compared to my des which seem to slice effortlessly. Makes no sense to me. Ac blades haven't worked at all for my hair. Gonna give a sabre it's maiden voyage tonight and hope for the best. First experience with gems so well see. Also hello necro thread
What AC razors have you used so far? They are not created equal....
I doubt I have the most challenging whiskers on the planet... but I do have dense, old man, grey whiskers that are fairly coarse. I get 12 shaves with my DE razors and also with my SE AC razors....
In all these discussions, technique has to be factored in... as well, as specific razors.
In all these discussions, technique has to be factored in... as well, as specific razors.
