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More likely to be cut with a sharp or dull razor?

Do you folks find that you're more likely to experience unanticipated cuts with a freshly honed, super-sharp razor, or a razor that's starting to dull up a bit?
 
for me,, its the sharp. because i get careless and go to fast. its always when i put the edge to my face.
 
Most often, it's when the blade is nice and sharp for me too. Generally it's because I'm rushing or I'm just not paying attention to what I'm doing, then my razor gives me a not so gentle reminder!
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Sharp. Once in a while, a freshly honed razor will surprise me. An edge that has worn a bit never cuts me. However, shaving with a not so sharp razor will spoil me and make me careless, setting me up for a gotcha from a really sharp one.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Sharp. Once in a while, a freshly honed razor will surprise me. An edge that has worn a bit never cuts me. However, shaving with a not so sharp razor will spoil me and make me careless, setting me up for a gotcha from a really sharp one.

+1. As all the razors' edgrs in my rotation start to dull, my technique gets sloppy in direct relation to the dullness. The first shave on a fresh edge usually surprises me too. As does a fresh blade in the feather. (all weepers)
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I got a scary edge on a Gold Dollar recently, finishing on an old hard Arky covered with 1u diamond and stropped on .25 diamond on a paddle. I really just touched it to my neck under the right corner of my jaw and got a cut. Finished the shave with no other cuts, but that first touch of the razor and resulting cut was a wakeup call and I tightened up my form.
 
This reminds me of a thread on StraightRazorPlace.com some time back whether a straight razor could be too sharp. I voted for yes, as I prefer a straight razor several shaves after honing. While this might not be sharpness, but smoothness affecting my preference, in other ways I know I prefer a blade not quite scary sharp.

As an aside, on that thread, some seemed to almost ridicule the idea that you can have too sharp an edge. I think the responses above say otherwise.

It takes some practice to get good shaves with a slightly less than optimally sharp edge. But, the shave feels so good!
 
A super-sharp razor will never cut you, because you can really use zero pressure. And zero pressure doesn't cut you, it only cuts your beard.
It's when you start to use pressure the cuts & nicks shows up IMO. And with dullness comes pressure..
 

Legion

Staff member
A super-sharp razor will never cut you, because you can really use zero pressure. And zero pressure doesn't cut you, it only cuts your beard.
It's when you start to use pressure the cuts & nicks shows up IMO. And with dullness comes pressure..

I tend to back this answer.

When my razors are just honed and at their sharpest I seem to just glide the razor over my mug. When they are a bit dull I tend to apply more pressure to get BBS. While this might not cut me, it might give more irritation. I like a very sharp blade. YMMV
 
Sharp razors are more likely to cut you, but they are also the razors that can give you the best shaves.

Dull razors will be much less likely to cut you, but are not capable of giving a great shave.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I don't think an edge can be too sharp, but it can be too sharp for a particular user or particular shave style or skill set. It is perfectly okay for an individual to prefer a more ordinary edge, or a frightfully sharp one. I am okay with either, once I am in the right groove for the razor.
 
On a mechanical level I have found that too sharp can indeed lead to a fragile edge. I honed a blade out to 0.1um diamond lapping film and the edge degraded after a single shave. I went back, and hit that up with chromox on a hanging strop, and the edge then proceeded to last for many shaves. So, "sharp" depends on level of finish, but also the ability to maintain that level of sharpness, which brings final edge geometry into play. A hanging pasted strop imparts a more oblique and seemingly more durable edge than simply a flat hard hone out to a similar level. A secondary bevel ala Zowada is another option for sharp with increased durability.
 
In my oppinion razor have to be sharp and that's point. Dull razor is something strange to me. I touch my razors every 7-10 shaves (Coticule with water only). After 7th or 10th shave they are also sharp, not as on 1st shave but I can not say that they are dull.
In my oppinion, with properly honed razor is not so easy to cut yourself if you follow all instructions, but with razor that have micro chips or with razor which is not honed properly it's very easy to cut.
I cut myself twice and not my face than my fingers when I make razor restoration.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Obviously a sharp edge will cut your skin easier than a dull blade, but even a dull razor is sharper than my kitchen knife, which in turn slices through fingernails and knuckle skin pretty easily. So getting cut is pretty much a function of technique IMO...so I guess it's a YMMV thing.
 
A super-sharp razor will never cut you, because you can really use zero pressure. And zero pressure doesn't cut you, it only cuts your beard.
It's when you start to use pressure the cuts & nicks shows up IMO. And with dullness comes pressure..

Hmmmm. I guess I have trouble with the zero pressure. One slight touch sometimes cuts like magic! Dang!
 
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