The Sound of Shaving

I've been a wet shaver for over 40 years, counting those lost years thoughtlessly shaving with cartridge and disposables, but I've never noticed the sound of shaving before.

Shaving with the Merkur Futur presents me with a phenomenon I've never paid attention to before, the sound of whiskers being shorn. The Futur provides more audible feedback than I've noticed with other razors. I like it.

I'm a one pass (if I do it right), with the grain shaver so I appreciate the sound as an additional indicator I'm shaving with the right angle and over unshaved skin.

I wondered if anyone else has noticed the resonant sound the Futur makes.

I've never used a Futur but the Progress is a pretty noisy razor.

Can you please describe the sound. I have been noticing a sound when I started using several vintage Gillette razors. I was not sure whether it was a sign of properly cutting my beard. The sound that I hear is rather loud sounds almost like paper ripping.

My one and only DE is a Futur and I too enjoy the pleasing sound I hear when mowing through the crowded whiskery plain of my face.

I have begun to wonder if the sound is in fact whiskers being cut. I almost believe it is whiskers snapping back after being bent in one direction. It's the same sound that's generated by running the fingernails against the grain.

I need to look into that.

Best - MM

you hit it on the nail mozart! You described exactly the sound I have been hearing. So I the question becomes whether this sound is due to improper technique or due to effective cutting.

The Futur and Vision are the two razors that give the 'loudest' feedback IMHO and I also enjoy hearing them.

hgeorge648 said:

you hit it on the nail mozart! You described exactly the sound I have been hearing. So I the question becomes whether this sound is due to improper technique or due to effective cutting.

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I have never heard that sound when I was still using a Mach3. And many gents say that one of the most pleasant aspects of DE shaving is hearing that sound. Then again, the Mach3 is a much more efficient cutter than any DE razor. If the sound truly came from whiskers being cut, I would think the Mach3 would also produce it.

I don't think it's a faulty technique per se. Even when most of the whiskers are being cut during a stroke, there are some that snap back, and those might be responsible for the sound. I have a region under my jaw line where I often have problems finding the right blade angle to cut anything. If I don't have the right angle, I can hear the sound just fine, but nothing gets cut as revealed by my running my fingers over the area.

So, as much as many gents enjoy that sound, it could be the sound of whiskers NOT being cut.

Best - MM

hgeorge648 said:

Can you please describe the sound. I have been noticing a sound when I started using several vintage Gillette razors. I was not sure whether it was a sign of properly cutting my beard. The sound that I hear is rather loud sounds almost like paper ripping.

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YES. That's it. Paper ripping. My vintage Gillettes sound that way and in fact my Slant does as well, but somehow less so. Paper ripping.

It is a sign that you've got the angle just right by the way. At least it is for me.

mozart said:

I have never heard that sound when I was still using a Mach3. And many gents say that one of the most pleasant aspects of DE shaving is hearing that sound. Then again, the Mach3 is a much more efficient cutter than any DE razor. If the sound truly came from whiskers being cut, I would think the Mach3 would also produce it.

I don't think it's a faulty technique per se. Even when most of the whiskers are being cut during a stroke, there are some that snap back, and those might be responsible for the sound. I have a region under my jaw line where I often have problems finding the right blade angle to cut anything. If I don't have the right angle, I can hear the sound just fine, but nothing gets cut as revealed by my running my fingers over the area.

So, as much as many gents enjoy that sound, it could be the sound of whiskers NOT being cut.

Best - MM

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I don't think so somehow. I believe that it's the sound of the whiskers being cut efficiently. The M3 while a very very good design is made of plastic. Plastic does not resonate the way that metal does. I suspect, actually, I'm sure that the plastic that the M3 is made of absorbs sound while nickel plated brass amplifies it. Bells are made of brass and other metals. No bell that rings is made of plastic.

I don't think it's a fair comparison to a Mach 3...anymore than you can compare the "sound making" apparatus of a tuba to a violin...we're talking apples and oranges here.

The tuba uses vibrating lips in a large mouthpiece to vibrate a column of air within the instrument-- projecting it out the bell. The violin uses rosined horsehair, pulled across a string, which vibrates at a given length, sends the vibration through a wooden bridge, resonates within the wooden instrument and the sound is expressed through "F" holes in the top.

I make this comparison, because we have two widely different razors in the Mach 3 and a DE. The DE has a single, very narrow blade, held in a razor with a fair amount of tension against the safety bar. It is a ridgid structure, with the only flexibility being in the ability of the actual blade itself to vibrate or flex in some ways.

The Mach 3 takes 3 very ridgid blades, encases them in plastic with no hope of vibrating, adds a teflon strip for good measure, and puts the whole affair into a plastic or metal handle with a swivel.

To make this inane comparison between the two, based on sound, would be like either stroking the tuba with the bow, or running the tuba mouthpiece over the strings of a Stradavarius.

As for the "proof" of the cutting? Yes, there is a sound, a satisfying sound with a good DE. But you need to keep the comparisons within the world of DE and leave the red herring out of it. (1) Is the sound the same with a beautifully sharp blade as it is with a rotten, overused pedestrian drug-store brand blade? That would be the comparison I'd look for.

The proof is also in the sink. Are there fine little whiskers in there or are most of them still on your face? That's an appropriate measure.

Ontario said:

I don't think so somehow. I believe that it's the sound of the whiskers being cut efficiently. The M3 while a very very good design is made of plastic. Plastic does not resonate the way that metal does. I suspect, actually, I'm sure that the plastic that the M3 is made of absorbs sound while nickel plated brass amplifies it. Bells are made of brass and other metals. No bell that rings is made of plastic.

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Thinking about it some more, I believe the existence of the sound does not allow to tell whether the whiskers are being cut or not.

For one, the sound can be generated by running fingernails over the beard. Certainly nothing gets cut here, thus hearing the sound is consistent with whiskers NOT being cut. Also, fingernails are not made of metal, so they won't resonate like metal, yet the sound is clearly audible. Likely, when stimulated by fingernails, hairs act like strings vibrating on a violin or guitar, and they will therefore generate sound.

On the other hand, when a hair gets cut, I imagine that it also vibrates. So, I believe, hearing the sound is also consistent with whiskers being cut.

Of course, there should be a a difference in the sound depending on whether a hair gets cut or not. So, having a real-time Fourier-analysis module built into the razor head might serve as a valuable diagnostic...

Best - MM

Certainly brass resonates better than the plastic cartridge shavers are made of; also a quick comparison between the Futur and a 3 piece Merkur or Gillette, or a Gillette adjustable reveals the Futur has a much larger open area between the top and the bottom of the head; i.e., a larger bell to amplify the sound.

Whether it's the bar or the blade, the cutting or the springing back, I dunno.

I just tried dry shaving w/o the blade. The sound is not nearly as clear or loud. Testing the 'bell' theory, without the top, there's almost no sound at all.

BTW, isn't it the height of geekiness to even be addressing this?

We are doomed.

I'm trying to tune my ears to hear the sound of a single whisker falling into the water in the sink, but this damn train keeps going by, and then the AC kicks in.

Yes, my friend...we are PAST doomed, and long-since into geekiness.

Mr. Gillette said:

I don't think it's a fair comparison to a Mach 3...anymore than you can compare the "sound making" apparatus of a tuba to a violin...we're talking apples and oranges here.

...

To make this inane comparison between the two, based on sound, would be like either stroking the tuba with the bow, or running the tuba mouthpiece over the strings of a Stradavarius.

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Our posts overlapped, it seems.

I believe my comparison is perfectly valid. I agree that the material that a string is attached to has an effect on the tone of the sound, and so does any resonance body. However, the frequency itself is determined by the properties of the string. The string/hair itself is perfectly sufficient to generate sound, which is nothing else than pressure waves travelling through air (or any other medium). It does not matter whether the hair is stimulated by a Feather blade, a Mach3, a fingernail, or a wet noodle Perhaps I need to pull out my old Mach3 and listen to it to see if there is actually a sound that I never noticed before.

Best - MM

While you're at it, try dragging a credit card, a wooden spoon and a shard of glass over your face-- would it sound the same? Wouldn't they all vibrate the same, by your definition? I don't think so. But enjoy the trip.

(And I say that in the lightest of all possible ways!)

Mr. Gillette said:

While you're at it, try dragging a credit card, a wooden spoon and a shard of glass over your face-- would it sound the same? Wouldn't they all vibrate the same, by your definition? I don't think so. But enjoy the trip.

(And I say that in the lightest of all possible ways!)

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Well, I already stated that different resonance bodies have different effects on the tone of the sound, didn't I?

(And I say that in the lightest of all possible ways!)

Best - MM

Oh Yeah?

Well...Well...uh...oh...yeah! You did.

Very Motzartian of you.

(And I say this molto dolce

The largest grain of truth in this entire thread is that we're terribly geeky to even consider this...but I'm starting to understand you.

If I had about 15.00 I'd go out and buy a cartridge for an old Mach 3 handle and try this little experiment myself.

Ah, the height of geekyness indeed. Here I go again.

I think that as the blade engages the whisker, it begins to slice into it. As you advance the blade the whisker has tension applied, it also applies tension to the blade attempting to pull it back towards the direction you have just come. When the blade finally has enough pressure to finish slicing through the whisker, the unshaved portion of the whisker snaps back. The blade also snaps back. Since it is metal, it rings. Multiplied by the hundreds as you shave and depending on the razor, mass shape, composition, it will sound differently.

3,4 or 5 blades embedded in sound dampening cheap plastic will not transmit the sound, not to mention that there is not that much blade to deflect.

That’s my take on it.

Mike

MotoMike said:

Ah, the height of geekyness indeed.

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That's part of the fun

3,4 or 5 blades embedded in sound dampening cheap plastic will not transmit the sound, not to mention that there is not that much blade to deflect.

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How do you explain that the same sound can be generated by running the flat hand or fingertips over the beard? I would assume that flesh is even more dampening than plastic, yet the sound is loud and clear

Best - MM