Does anyone have direct experience with coated DE razor heads - if so what kind of coating, would you recommend it, and how did it affect both durability and shavability (along with any other comments you might care to add)? I'm thinking about purchasing a "coated" razor but wanted to hear first from my learned bretheren as there are still a great many uncoated razors that beckon.
DLC, Cerakote, Teflon or Other DE Coatings
- Thread starter speedwell
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I have a Cerakote-coated handle by jnyost. I believe that it is a baked finish that is also used on gun parts and such, so presumably it is quite durable. I've had mine for some months only, but no chips/scratches/evidence of any kind of wear.
It feels grippier than metal.
It feels grippier than metal.
I have a DLC coated stainless steel razor and a Cerakoted razor. Both work great for me. It doesn't seem to effect the shave. Both are attractive and durable coatings. I would recommend them.
I can't see the attraction myself, I have an iKon B1 razor which is matt black. It does look nice but TBH I'd have preferred bare steel.
- Thread starter
- #5
So there is no performance advantage?
My DLC Slant was coated by the manufacturer to eliminate "tea stains" due to hardish water. But no there is no shaving performance advantage in my opinion. My Slim was Ceracoted to cover up diminished plating.
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- Thread starter
- #7
Would it be fair to say that these coatings are more of an aesthetic consideration than anything else? I appreciate good chrome and nickel plate and would have been happy to stick with them, however, someone along the way suggested that DLC coating offered "less resistance" and thus better performance.
In my personal experience, the coating offers no difference in performance. If it does provide a difference it is negligible and undetectable by me. Others may disagree, I don't know. It would seem adding a drop or two of glycerin to your shave cream would provide a bigger performance enhancement.
I haven't shaved with a DLC coated razor ... but, I shave with just water (from a mist bottle), and the texture of brushed raw (unplated/uncoated) stainless steel works just fine for me. I have heard some say they think that a brushed finish feels less sticky (more slippery) on the face than polished chrome ... but I haven't done direct comparisons to know for sure....
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- #10
Good for you that you can shave with just water. I've long thought that a mist bottle is the single most important piece of kit in the bathroom. In my routine I typically shower at night and shave in the morning, using the mist bottle to prep my hair prior to brushing and prep my face for shaving...but I digress from the thread topic.
If DLC/Cerakote/Teflon coatings are just a visual preference and add no enhanced performance, which seems to be the gist of what everyone is saying, I would just as soon stay with chrome, nickel and stainless as none of these cause me any inconvenience and to my eye they are all nice to look at.
I can detect no performance difference between coated and uncoated.
I love the look of the ceracote on the TTO. It has a very cool, utilitarian look to it. Bravo.
I have the Ikon Slant with the DLC coating. The only thing I can say is the DLC coating does help the razor glide a bit better, but nothing that would discourage me from using my other non-coated razors. It just feels nice, with THAT razor.
Basically no performance difference. I did find that my Fatip with Weber Bulldog handle did become much louder after it was Cerakoted.
Same is true of my Fatip devette (Fatip top cap coated in Cerakote Flat Dark Earth, BBX base plate, UFO Kaiser Short stainless handle):
Same is true of my Fatip devette (Fatip top cap coated in Cerakote Flat Dark Earth, BBX base plate, UFO Kaiser Short stainless handle):
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