Razor blade(s) or straight razor. Which is sharper.

I have to wonder which is sharper........a razor blade (in all it's forms)....or...a straight razor?

Please try to be exact in your reasons why your choice is sharper. Hopefully we can get a rousing discussion of the finer points of the reason one is sharper than the other..

Which one will aways shave better?

It all depends. If one is able to sharpen a straight razor "sharper" than a factory razor blade, then the straight razor would be "sharper."

Blades for sure. Thinner steel can produce a sharper edge. Plus blade makers are not shooting for long term durability like straight makers do. Kind of like a race car engine vs. your passenger car engine.

Never mind that many/most straight razors these days are actually using a half of a double-edge blade.

Sharpness can also be determined by the steel used to make the blade just like a knife. Straight razors never say what steel the blade is made of unless it's hand pounded damascus steel. Razor blades are made from stainless steel (type of steel???) which is packaged in a roll to feed the blade machine. The way some blades dull up I have to wonder if the steel is cheap car bumper stainless.

IMO,if blades were made of a better steel they would hold an edge much, much longer then they do. Just consider a really good straight razor......a few licks on a strop and the razor is just like new.

Sharpness is measurable by thickness of cutting edge in microns. 0.4 or 0.5 microns can cut a beard Other considerations include edge angle, or the angle of taper from the edge. A well-honed straight razor can get an edge thickness of less than 0.1 microns. A factory DE blade can rival that. Beyond simple sharpness are considerations such as coatings. DE blades often have Teflon coating to optimize the glide factor, and some shavers prefer when the coating has worn down a bit like after 2 or 3 shaves. Straight razors lack that coating. Straights obviously require frequent stropping and occasional professional honing to stay keen. DE blades can be pitched and changed.

Having used all sorts, I'd say Feather AC > Various Brands DE Blades > Straight Edge. Not that a straight edge isn't excellent and can provide an excellent shave, I just don't think it's as sharp as blades that can be tossed.

GoneRetroInOH said:

Sharpness is measurable by thickness of cutting edge in microns. 0.4 or 0.5 microns can cut a beard Other considerations include edge angle, or the angle of taper from the edge. A well-honed straight razor can get an edge thickness of less than 0.1 microns. A factory DE blade can rival that. Beyond simple sharpness are considerations such as coatings. DE blades often have Teflon coating to optimize the glide factor, and some shavers prefer when the coating has worn down a bit like after 2 or 3 shaves. Straight razors lack that coating. Straights obviously require frequent stropping and occasional professional honing to stay keen. DE blades can be pitched and changed.

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All very good points! Factory blades getting down to .01 microns IMO is a bit of a stretch but doable on well kept grinders with a skilled operator. However, keeping a grind that fine weakens the edge on a blade to the point it will curl over in use to just plow your soap off. There just isn't enough metal on the edge with the "sawthooth" left by the grinder to hold the edge in line. This is one advantage on a straight honed correctly. This is where the coating really helps.

As far as which blade will shave the closest I'd say 70% in favor of the straight. Not everyone is skilled enough to handle a straight (I can't my hands are a full of arthritis (damn!) ) which is , I'm sure, the reason for the safety razor.

I thought for awhile that DE blade stopping would help my blades cut better. However, I soon figured out the idea was foolish since my blades are all coated! Give me a chance to play with my blades but not help one bit!! Not much can be done to improve modern blades except pick a blade that shaves you from all the blades out there and enjoy your shave!!

I'm certainly not an expert, but really think blade angle has a lot to do with the perceived smoothness of the shave.
With a well honed and stropped straight razor, it seems that I can get a slightly more shallow blade angle to cut whiskers than with any blade, whether SE or DE, safety razor or shavette.
simply because of geometry of whatever metal holds the DE or SE blade.
just my perception, which may not be scientifically correct.

The reason for this thread is to discuss all the subtle little things that go into a shave. Everything from the razor design to the choice of soaps. The blade can only cut as well as the equipment (razor or straight) and the shaver skill level can control.

It's no wonder the newbie get's so confused since all these subtle features. No wonder that once dialed in a good razor combo can be a sweet thing indeed!

Someone else said:

I have to wonder which is sharper........a razor blade (in all it's forms)....or...a straight razor?

Please try to be exact in your reasons why your choice is sharper. Hopefully we can get a rousing discussion of the finer points of the reason one is sharper than the other..

Which one will aways shave better?

Click to expand...

I’m sorry but if someone says straight razor, I have to question your judgment. Everyone knows traditional straight razors are less forgiving so that’s your answer right there

CutThroatMike said:

I’m sorry but if someone says straight razor, I have to question your judgment. Everyone knows traditional straight razors are less forgiving so that’s your answer right there

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I've never shaved with a SR, but it seems to me that the main reason they are less forgiving than a safety razor is due to blade exposure, rather than Sharpness.
I'm sure that you could easily slice an apple in half with a SR, but with a safety razor, you probably could only peel it.

First a definiton of what sharpness is must be defined.
Cutting efficiency is determined by the apex width and the thickness behind the cutting edge.
A Feather artist club blade has a smaller apex radius then my straight razors. So why does my straight razor shve closer, with less tugging?
A Feather blade has a bevel angle of 18 to 19 deg, while most of my sr's are around 16 deg. By thinning the bevel you can push that even further. So even if the SR might have a more obtuse apex radius it can still cut better, with more comfort.
Getting a SR to cut as well as a de blade on the sharp end of the spectrum is difficult, but you really do not need that level of keenness and and sharpness.

I just put a Feather Super in my CJB Kamasori and I got an excellent close shave with zero irritation. It was just the Kai Captian blades that my skin did not like/.

A straight can be made sharper.
But ...
I don't know why you would want that as it would take away from the smoothness/comfort of the edge. Plus it wouldn't last very long. If someone is just wanting sharp, then go with a disposable blade. If you want comfort in a sharp edge then find a great honer and use a straight. It takes a long time to learn to make a smooth, keen edge.