How Can Blades Make A Difference?

As a new wet shaver, I have been surfin these boards and have come up with a question.

The question is - how can a razor sharp razor blade, made by many makers, be so different as to be so personal.

ie. why do you have to find the blade that suits you? Surely a sharp blade will cut? Simple?

Apparently not.

I really cannot get this idea of shopping around for "the blade that suits you"

What am I missing here?

Just like anything else, different brands are just a little bit unique. It's like saying "Hey, peanut butter is peanut butter."

You face might react better than mine when it come to the same blade.

I know there are 2 or 3 blades that I read people here just love. Me, I used them and hated them.

Just like everything, to each his own.

I don't have an answer for you but, I have wondered what the exact parameters are that affect how we rate/respond to blades, and whether (in theory, at least), this could be objectified. Two obvious ones are sharpness and smoothness -- any engineers out there know whether there are technical definitions for this? Also, durability might be another such dimension.

I think it has mostly to do with the hairs and the skin. Some men's hair is tough, others' is rather soft. Also, during shaving, the blade scrapes somewhat along the skin. People with sensitive skin need to be careful to choose a blade that doesn't cut them or doesn't lead to irritations as soon as it touches the skin (or they have to work more on their technique...). My personal approach is to use the dullest blade that gets the job done, in order to minimize nicks. On the other hand, a tough beard requires a sharp blade, otherwise the blade will pull too much, which is unpleasant and may lead to irritations. Men with soft beards can get away with the duller blades (such as Merkur), whereas men with tougher beards will need to use sharper blades. So, in the end, it's a balance between cutting the hair, but not the skin. Hope that makes sense. Best - MM

That's where the acronym YMMV comes in- 'your mileage may vary'.

Your face is unique and there is a blade that will work with it perfectly. That's why you see so many extolling a certain blade-it works great for them. However, you will see just as many debunking the same exact blade because for them, it was a horrible shave.

That is why we recommend the blade sampler packs to new wetshavers, By spending the time and a little cash now, they get the chance to identify the blade that shows them what wetshaving is all about.

Finding the blade that works for your face is akin to initially walking around in a pair of size 10 shoes and then finding out that one foot is actually size 9.5-you were fine, but now you get a perfect fit with no extra effort.

I believe that blades are the most important item in any wetshaver's kit.

Marty

The blade choice made all the difference for me. I started using Merkurs, and at first I thought they were fine because I had nothing else to compare them to. I tried CVS brand blades and refused to shave with it anymore after a couple strokes on my face. But the Merkurs seemed like they started to pull and drag, and only lasted maybe 2-3 shaves. I thought something was wrong with my technique, but then I got some Derby Extras. A much, much more comfortable and enjoyable shave. THEN, I finally tried Feathers. I think these might be my holy grail. Totally smooth, super comfortable, even faster shaves due to their sharpness. Despite all the cautions, these things work beautifully with a bit of common sense. I get about 5-6 shaves out of each blade, but I'm sure I could get even more than that.

Blades make the difference.

Don't forget that all blades are not created equally. Different thickness and degree of sharpness also impact how your face reacts to a blade.

Randy

I've used two straights in the last week. One is a DD Goldedge and the other is a ERN Crown & Sword. They both do the same thing. They also sound different when cutting.

Rompin Donkey said:

As a new wet shaver, I have been surfin these boards and have come up with a question.

The question is - how can a razor sharp razor blade, made by many makers, be so different as to be so personal.

ie. why do you have to find the blade that suits you? Surely a sharp blade will cut? Simple?

Apparently not.

I really cannot get this idea of shopping around for "the blade that suits you"

What am I missing here?

Click to expand...

Generally, the blades that are known to be sharper, most people will agree on their sharpness (Swedish gillette blades, Feathers) but that doesn't mean that they are suitable. They can be too harsh/sharp for some people.

I used to think the same - It took me ages to go through my blade sample pack properly, as I got a quite good shave with the first blade I used, and thought 'why bother trying another if this one works ok'. I'm glad I did!

The difference with some of the blades is quite astonishing... there are some that I literally cannot bear to shave with, as they tug and pull my hair so much.

I also see you are in the UK! go to www.connaughtshaving.co.uk and order one of their sample packs!

It surprised me as well... I was convinced I would not be able to tell the difference. However I have now tried 4 different brands and I really notice differences. I try to keep my routine as simple and constant as possible so I figure it has to be the blades... I also use a brand for at least 3 blades at around 3 shaves per blade (unless it is really bad), so as not to base my opinion on just 1 bad blade...

gse123 said:

The difference with some of the blades is quite astonishing... there are some that I literally cannot bear to shave with, as they tug and pull my hair so much.

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+1

There are two big categories I file the blades I try under: the ones which pull and bite and the others I'd say that sharpness is not the only dimension affecting the pulling proneness.

In my opinion the easiest way to see the difference in blades is not in the "up" cycle, that is, starting with Merkurs and ending at Feathers. In this cycle I found myself dealing with JND (Just Noticeable Difference.) As I moved up a step on the blade ladder I had trouble feeling a difference. The big realization of how blades can differ came from changing from Feathers directly back to Merkurs. It was not a pleasant change.

In addition to all of the above, some blades are stropped or polished better than others at the factory. This leads to smoother edges. Of course one has to look at the blade edge under a microscope to see this.

The edges of thinner bldes, such as the Feather, while sharper than others, will tend to deform more easily than a thicker blade such as an Israeli no-name. In other words, as the blade wears, the edge will get dulled but it will also get wavy. With a straight razor one stops the blade to realign the micro-serrations along the edge left by honing. With a disposable blade, one tends to just dispose of the blade when it starts to get rough.

In other words, the edges of thicker blades tend to get less wavy than thinner blades after use. Thinner blades though will tend to be sharper than thicker ones. Thicker ones may also be stropped smoother at the factory perhaps because it is easier to set up machinery to deal with thicker metal than thiner metal.

Many men do not like a Feather blade unless they cork the blade first. Not long ago there was a surprisingly long discussion thread about corking blades and the consensus I think clearly is that corking improves blades, and most improvement is with the Feathers. Others may differ on my interpretation of the consensus of course.

What corking does is strop the blade smooth, something that really cannot be done otherwise unless one has one of the old style blade stroppers (I actually have one NOS and it works great).

In short, blades differ and one that works great for you, may not work at all for me. That's why one is best advised to try the sampler packs out there and find what works best.

Have fun on the journey.

Rompin Donkey said:

As a new wet shaver, I have been surfin these boards and have come up with a question.

The question is - how can a razor sharp razor blade, made by many makers, be so different as to be so personal.

ie. why do you have to find the blade that suits you? Surely a sharp blade will cut? Simple?

Apparently not.

I really cannot get this idea of shopping around for "the blade that suits you"

What am I missing here?

Click to expand...

IMHO, the differences between blades is like the difference between beers. Most wil notice a dramatic difference among blades. They differ in the same way a lager tates different than a stout and both taste differnt than an ale. None is by itself better than another. It depends on which one suits your pallate best, or, in the case of blades, your beard.

Francisco D'Anconia said:

IMHO, the differences between blades is like the difference between beers. Most wil notice a dramatic difference among blades. They differ in the same way a lager tates different than a stout and both taste differnt than an ale. None is by itself better than another. It depends on which one suits your pallate best, or, in the case of blades, your beard.

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As a beer geek (and occasional brewer) I must point out that stouts are a subcategory of ale.

Alan, that was exactly my thinking 40 years ago. I was wrong. There is a difference.
When I started shaving all there was on the shelves were DE and Injector razors, well, other than electrics. I would purchase what ever blade was there under the assumption that a razor blade was a razor blade. Today I know better. There is a difference. But, what works for me may not work for you, so we all have to try different blades to find the combination that really does the job for us.

BarryR said:

As a beer geek (and occasional brewer) I must point out that stouts are a subcategory of ale.

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Barry, thank your for enlighetning me. Expanding my beer knowledge is an unexpected bonus of my visit here today. I may now now tell the waiter that Stout is my preferred type of Ale.

Responding to the IP, I stand by the main point that in my short and limited experience already I have found dramatic differences among blades. And in my case the right blade for me can make up for a lot of my poor technique too.

So much has been said about this, there isn't much to add. Other than you really can shave with just about any razor blade on the market. Some will just not work as well for you as others. However, most of us don't want just "good enough" (otherwise I think DE shaving isn't really for you- electrics are clearly "good enough"), but a superior experience with little irritation and a close shave as possible..

I do think Derby blades are a good beginner blade. They are not as sharp as Feathers but much more comfortable. Which blade you choose really comes down to personal taste, but I'd imagine how sensitive your skin is, as well as how tough your beard is, and the kind of preparations you do, are determining factors. In general people with thinner beard hair can use just about any razor blade. People with thick beards, and sensitive skin, OTOH, will generally not find the Merkurs, American Personnas and the like to be as agreeable since they are rougher blades and not as sharp.

Francisco D'Anconia said:

Barry, thank your for enlighetning me. Expanding my beer knowledge is an unexpected bonus of my visit here today. I may now now tell the waiter that Stout is my preferred type of Ale.

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Oh dear, you're encouraging me.

All ales are made with yeast that sits on top of the wort (the stuff that's fermenting and becoming beer) and lagers are made with yeast that hang out at the bottom. Until a couple(?) hundred (or less) years ago all beers were ales. 'Lager' means to store, in German, and these beers were stored in cool caves. In general, lagers are fermented at colder temperatures than ales and for longer periods of time. 'Steam' beers (e.g., Anchor Steam) are lagers that are made at warmer temperatures. Lagers tend to have a crisper, purer taste and ales are a bit fruitier. NB: Lager and ale have nothing directly to do with whether a beer is strong or weak, dark or light. Finally, most of the mass marketed non-craft beers are lagers, almost all German beers are lagers, and all the traditional British beers are ales.

I'm guessing that that's about all you really wanted to know about beer, so I'll stop now. BTW: Michael Jackson (the Brit, not the 'gloved one') has some excellent guides to beer.

Cheers!

BarryR said:

Oh dear, you're encouraging me.

All ales are made with yeast that sits on top of the wort (the stuff that's fermenting and becoming beer) and lagers are made with yeast that hang out at the bottom. Until a couple(?) hundred (or less) years ago all beers were ales. 'Lager' means to store, in German, and these beers were stored in cool caves. In general, lagers are fermented at colder temperatures than ales and for longer periods of time. 'Steam' beers (e.g., Anchor Steam) are lagers that are made at warmer temperatures. Lagers tend to have a crisper, purer taste and ales are a bit fruitier. NB: Lager and ale have nothing directly to do with whether a beer is strong or weak, dark or light. Finally, most of the mass marketed non-craft beers are lagers, almost all German beers are lagers, and all the traditional British beers are ales.

I'm guessing that that's about all you really wanted to know about beer, so I'll stop now. BTW: Michael Jackson (the Brit, not the 'gloved one') has some excellent guides to beer.

Cheers!

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Thanks Barry. I'm quite fond of Michael Jackson's books on scotch whisky. You can stop now if you like, but if you feel compelled, I'd really like to read your exegis on Pilsner and how it differs from Lager and Ale.

To keep the analogies going in relation to the IP, I'm discovering it's critical to find your personal best blade from among those you can try. IMHO, Putting a blade that does not suit your beard into your DE is like putting diesel fuel in a gasoline engine and wondering why you don't like the results.