That's a testable claim, anyone up to the task? It also says nothing about any variation in blade edge exposure along the length of the safety bar of any one particular mass produced Gillette razor. Nor does it undermine the many vintage users here who are happy as clams with their daily drivers despite the need to engage in the gentlemanly art of aligning the blade by sight. Each of us is subject to bias, at this moment we just don't know how much this matter really matters.
DE razors with zero play, goof-proof alignment?
- Thread starter shawnsel
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- Thread starter
- #62
It is testable, but I think it might have to be done repeatedly in a blind-test to yield meaningful data.
Also, skill and technique are of course the most important factor in shaving. Really bad technique will yield bad shaves regardless of the razor. Conversely, theoretically-perfect skill could yield an awesome shave just be holding the DE blade with your fingers (not that I'm recommending trying)....
I have a van der Hagen/ Weishi that aligns perfectly. My vintage gillettes - Red tip, super speed, tech, and slim are also all perfect.
- Thread starter
- #64
Is there any wiggle or play between any of your blades and the Weishi's alignment bar that holds the blade? If not, it seems this design is a pretty good one.
I wonder why most manufacturers have switched to the two alignment poles? It seems like it might be more difficult to get the two post to work reliably?
I would take the Merkur Futur off the list as there is a fair bit of play in the top cap
OK, thanks. I think that puts it the "newer" category.
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- #67
That's two votes for removing the Futur ... so I've removed it. Thanks!
I can't be sure yet, because I just got it recently but the Ikon 102 seems pretty foolproof for a slant.
A slant on a perfect alignment list HOW DARE YOU SIR!
No there is no play on my van der hagen/Weishi. It was my first de razor and I think its a good design and razor. I just like the vintage super speeds and red tip razors a bit better. Weishi obviously copied the super speed design pretty precisely.
Zero issues on my Standard and EJ DE89L, so another vote for each.
I know it only takes a second (and almost no skill) to align a blade manually, but for those who shave in a morning stupor it can be eye opening. Looking at that long list of razors with no issue (especially current production ones) makes me think that one should not have to compromise.
I know it only takes a second (and almost no skill) to align a blade manually, but for those who shave in a morning stupor it can be eye opening. Looking at that long list of razors with no issue (especially current production ones) makes me think that one should not have to compromise.
Ahaha! A good one!
The Feather AS-D2 is absolutely idiot-proof. It may be possible to mis-seat the blade, mis-align the base plate, and get it all to screw together, but I sure don't see how.
Muhle R41
Forgive me if this sounds like a silly question.
Once its tightened down if the blade does not wiggle, does it matter if the blade is perfectly aligned with the head or not..
Are we talking performance here or aesthetics?
Forgive me if this sounds like a silly question.
Once its tightened down if the blade does not wiggle, does it matter if the blade is perfectly aligned with the head or not..
Are we talking performance here or aesthetics?
- Thread starter
- #75
We're talking performance. With a blade poorly aligned it would be shaving closer on one side of a safety guard than on the other. Theoretically, a poorly aligned blade could result in a shave feeling harsher than you usually get from that razor. Skill is of course the most important thing here though. I suspect very experienced DE shavers may automatically compensate for slightly-off blade alignment without even realizing it....
Another recent thread shows a poorly aligned blade in a Merkur slant:
Also, looking on top, I noticed this is particularly bad design from Merkur for the new one.
vs
On my old one, the blade sticks out uniformly and is equidistant from the edge of the comb guides. Not so with the new one. I don't think their designers accounted for the slant's geometry. On either side, the blade sticks out more at one end than on the other (opposite sides, opposite ends). Imagine if it did that with your normal razor? Same result: ouch! What I think caused my irritation.
Tested it many times changing the blad, this is the razor's natural tendency. Now, I can force it to be uniform distance, but that is not the natural drop in result I got with my old one.
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I saw that, and never having used a slant I thought that's who the blade is supposed to profile on a slant, was surprised with the bakelite profile.
but I digress...
I use a very shallow angle an almost straight or se angle..blade almost parallel with the skin.
a misaligned blade would not be an issue for a shallow angle I think.
perhaps this could be an issue if you use a steep angle ?
but I digress...
I use a very shallow angle an almost straight or se angle..blade almost parallel with the skin.
a misaligned blade would not be an issue for a shallow angle I think.
perhaps this could be an issue if you use a steep angle ?
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- Thread starter
- #77
Thank you for your input! I've added Edwin Jagger and Muhle 89 to the list (ANd the Standard Razor brand razor was already there).
- Thread starter
- #78
That's a very good point! At a (theoretic) perfectly flat angle, a misaligned blade would simply become a slanted razor....
Conversely, at a (theoretic) 90 degree angle, one end of a misaligned blade would probably draw blood (or at least scrape the skin) before the other end of the blade even made contact. It probably doesn't take 90 degrees before he extra blade exposure on one side becomes a problem though. I wonder what blade angle it requires before extra blade exposure on one side turns from a simply being a slant razor into being a a harsh razor?
The smallest DE blade angle that I've seen photos of is about 18 degrees (from a Gillette Old Type Single Ring Thin Cap):
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=511363&d=1414266848
(source)
And most DE razors seem to have have a shallowest-possible blade angle of around 25 to 35 degrees.
Perhaps a 30 degree angle could be thought of two parts slant, but one part stabbing (perhaps there might be a better term)?
Thanks!
Shawn
- Thread starter
- #79
I think I missed this ... were you also saying that the Muhle R41 has zero wiggle room in how the blade can be aligned?
yes, never had any issues with misalignment, It looks perfectly even to my naked eye.
my vote for R41. the rest of my razors are all Gillette's.
and while we are at it..one more vote for stahly live blade, ultra mild and no alignment issues.
