DE Blades - How sharp is too sharp???

**MikeLip** · 03-25-2008, 10:06 AM

Or more to the point (ahem), how can a blade be *too* sharp? I have in mind Feather. It seems to me that the sharper the better. Sharper requires less pressure and therefore reduces the possibility of injury - just like a sharp knife is safer than a dull one.

This is just my chain of logic and may be completely wrong. Although I am of course never wrong. As my wife and teenage daughter!

**bb557** · 03-25-2008, 10:16 AM

My take is that an extremely sharp blade is less forgiving. The Feathers are incredibly sharp; the slightest variation in your technique and pressure is more likely to cause irritation than with other blades for me.

It may also have something to do with how the blade's cutting edge is formed but that is above my pay grade.

I think for this beginner, it is mostly about a blade allowing for slight variances in pressure/technique and still giving an excellent shave as well as individual preferences.

I have gotten some spectacular shaves from Feathers. I have also gotten irritation that I do not get with, say Swedish Gillettes which feel to me to be almost, but not quite as sharp as a Feather.

**jkh** · 03-25-2008, 10:37 AM

How sharp is too sharp???

If a blade causes me irritation then I consider it to be too sharp (assuming decent technique).

Think of this more along the lines of choosing the right tool for the job. Would you use a weed wacker to trim a bonsai plant? Probably not, because one little mistake and you are going to unintentionally hurt (read: cause lots of irritation to) the plant. Whereas, if you were to use pruning shears the amount of damage (read: irritation) you can cause with a mistake is greatly reduced.

If you can use Feathers day in day out with little to no irritation, then more power to you! I can't and won't. Feather is an amazing blade, but if I used one every day my face would like a beet.

**bman40** · 03-25-2008, 12:27 PM

+10 !!

My face WAS a beet when I started EDE shaving and loaded feathers into a 47 aristocrat and a superspeed - both were too aggressive in combination with a lack of technique...going with a Derby Extra or a Dorco blade seemed to ease the irritation.

I used a feather VERY carefully last week in an old british Tech razor (super mild shave0 and it was a much better almost irritation free shave.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! .... :)

**Ltltony** · 03-25-2008, 12:39 PM

To my mind a blade can be too sharp without correct technique. For example if it's sharp enough touching your skin with it at the wrong angle will allow the blade to sink into your skin like butter. A slightly less sharp blade would then be more forgiving of less than perfect technique.

A shavette with a feather will teach you this all too quickly

**MikeLip** · 03-25-2008, 12:40 PM

Who needs all that blood anyway. May as well shed some before the IRS squeezes any more out!

**kato1** · 03-25-2008, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by MikeLip

Who needs all that blood anyway. May as well shed some before the IRS squeezes any more out!

You must be a stone. After all, we all know that they love to try and squeeze blood out of a stone

**bonusmarple** · 03-25-2008, 06:01 PM

It was a question of being too sharp for my technique. I had quite a few blood baths with the Feather until my technique improved. Now, I find them a bit harsh, but definitely not too sharp. The slant really does a good job smoothing them out.

**rabidpotatochip** · 03-25-2008, 06:05 PM

A blade that cuts everything it touches is not a blade I want to use.

At this point in the game, I know my technique is good. I can shave with a Feather when I'm feeling steady-handed, but these days, I find the only difference between them and my Derbys is how much blood I lose when (not if, I admit it) I slip.

**netsurfr** · 03-25-2008, 06:13 PM

I shave with feather DE blades and feather AC blades. I think they are fantastic.

**MikeLip** · 03-26-2008, 03:33 AM

I guess the only thing to do is try them myself! Thanks for the replies!

**alb** · 03-26-2008, 07:27 AM

I think when the blade is sharp enough to slice atomic bonds, resulting in a fission event that takes out the neighborhood....that's too sharp.

**MikeLip** · 03-26-2008, 07:31 AM

Oh, just great. Now the Department of Homeland Security is going to bump up the threat level because these blades are floating around out there. No doubt we will all be rounded up.

**Brain-Power** · 03-26-2008, 07:33 AM

I recently purchased some DE blades at a local store and this thread has been incredibly helpful in determining that they are too sharp. Razor burn the last two shaves, unlike the previous blades. Luckily there is a satisfaction guarantee. I get to return them and get my money back!