Damn Comfortable Shave

[Dzaw]

I've obviously missed something along the way. What the heck are all those numbers, Jim?

Our esteemed colleague has purchased an edge sharpness testing device. This device uses a standardized piece of media which the tester cuts using only a push cut motion. This media is suspended over a gram scale, and readings come back as how much force is required to cut the media. The lower the number, the sharper the edge.

The numbers are his readings along the edges of razors he has sharpened using various stones or films. Jim is trying to explore the efficacy of various honing and stropping methods.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Our esteemed colleague has purchased an edge sharpness testing device. This device uses a standardized piece of media which the tester cuts using only a push cut motion. This media is suspended over a gram scale, and readings come back as how much force is required to cut the media. The lower the number, the sharper the edge.

The numbers are his readings along the edges of razors he has sharpened using various stones or films. Jim is trying to explore the efficacy of various honing and stropping methods.

Ah, OK. Thanks, Dan.

Jim, as you're pursuing comfort over everything else, and sharpness doesn't necessarily equate to comfort (a blade can be sharp and harsh), is there a sweet spot for the numbers, rather than just the lowest possible? Or do you not know yet?

 

[GaryTha]

Jim,

I think you are jumping between the different stones / progressions too frequently. When I stuck to one coticule throughout February it was very very helpful. I didn't get my best edges doing that but I learnt some consistency.

In six sigma, as I remember it, you try to reduce the outlying results and then improve the mean. I would recommend sticking to one methodology, trying to get the numbers consistent along the edge, then getting repeatable numbers and then trying to improve those.

That's how I would tackle it. I think.

In six sigma, you are trying to reproduce the outlying positive results that are at least six standard deviations better than the mean.

I first heard the term applied to Warren Buffett and the Superinvestors of Graham and Doddsville.

 

[Seveneighth]

Interesting article. I would counter that with: What is Six Sigma

 

[GaryTha]

Interesting article. I would counter that with: What is Six Sigma

I don't consider your article a counter. It an explanation of how perfect a process needs to be so the worst result is better than the demanded standard.

@Chan Eil Whiskers started this thread in search of a Damn Comfortable Shave (DCS). The thread quickly evolved away from this goal into how to get a closer shave.

I'd define a DCS as one that doesn't hurt. It should also be nickless and irritation free. Nothing ruins a close shave like irritation on the lips that looks like herpes blisters. A person can get a BBS, but a spot of blood on the collar of a white shirt will ruin that.

In the vintage Gillette ads they listed comfort as the first goal followed by some adjectives that described closeness and ended with speed. The first and last items in the list are the power positions where the top goals are inserted. Speed is important to those who wake up late and shave just before going to work.

In my opinion, chasing closeness should only come after a person only nicks themselves once every 50 shaves. (Of course, the number is open to discussion.)

 

[steveclarkus]

Had no idea there was so much math in shaving. I’m surprised I ever learned. I have a minor in math 101.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I've obviously missed something along the way. What the heck are all those numbers, Jim?

I apologize for not having been much clearer.

Link to thread discussing the use of the Edge On Up.

Jim,

I think you are jumping between the different stones / progressions too frequently. When I stuck to one coticule throughout February it was very very helpful. I didn't get my best edges doing that but I learnt some consistency.

In six sigma, as I remember it, you try to reduce the outlying results and then improve the mean. I would recommend sticking to one methodology, trying to get the numbers consistent along the edge, then getting repeatable numbers and then trying to improve those.

That's how I would tackle it. I think.

I think you're generally exactly correct, but my objective yesterday was simply to improve by whatever means the edge of my Kukri. Well, that objective coupled with using the instrument (above) to monitor things.

As the afternoon progressed, it was apparent I'd gone in the wrong direction and the edge was worse and not improved. I tried various things in an effort to end up with a useable edge.

The honing was an epic failure in some ways (but see below).

Our esteemed colleague has purchased an edge sharpness testing device. This device uses a standardized piece of media which the tester cuts using only a push cut motion. This media is suspended over a gram scale, and readings come back as how much force is required to cut the media. The lower the number, the sharper the edge.

The numbers are his readings along the edges of razors he has sharpened using various stones or films. Jim is trying to explore the efficacy of various honing and stropping methods.

Exactly. Thank you.

Ah, OK. Thanks, Dan.

Jim, as you're pursuing comfort over everything else, and sharpness doesn't necessarily equate to comfort (a blade can be sharp and harsh), is there a sweet spot for the numbers, rather than just the lowest possible? Or do you not know yet?

I'm sure there is a sweet spot, but exactly where it is I don't know (in terms of the numbers).

Some guys seem to value extreme sharpness. I want extreme sharpness but not at the expense of extreme comfort.

So, how was my shave with the razor I spent all afternoon honing yesterday?

My Monday shave was pretty good.

In spite of the disappointments of yesterday the edge shaved at least as well as it has been shaving both in terms of comfort and closeness. It might have even been a bit better. The shave was pretty good, and I didn't have time to do as many passes as usual.

Good products.

More nice software.

The brush is a favorite boar.

My plan is to "retire" the Kukri as soon as I can find another razor to work with (in the same way I've been working with the Kukri for a few weeks).

I still feel very frustrated by my failures of yesterday (to improve the edge was the goal; I failed), but at least the razor's edge shaves pretty good.

Plus, there's plenty of room to grow as a honer!

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I don't consider your article a counter. It an explanation of how perfect a process needs to be so the worst result is better than the demanded standard.

@Chan Eil Whiskers started this thread in search of a Damn Comfortable Shave (DCS). The thread quickly evolved away from this goal into how to get a closer shave.

I'd define a DCS as one that doesn't hurt. It should also be nick-less and irritation free. Nothing ruins a close shave like irritation on the lips that looks like herpes blisters. A person can get a BBS, but a spot of blood on the collar of a white shirt will ruin that.

In the vintage Gillette ads they listed comfort as the first goal followed by some adjectives that described closeness and ended with speed. The first and last items in the list are the power positions where the top goals are inserted. Speed is important to those who wake up late and shave just before going to work.

In my opinion, chasing closeness should only come after a person only nicks themselves once every 50 shaves. (Of course, the number is open to discussion.)

I know the thread encompasses much more than comfort, but getting a Damn Comfortable Shave has always been and will continue to be important to me.

• Job Number One is a Damn Comfortable Shave!

A Damn Comfortable Shave is a shave comfortable

• During the shave.
• Immediately after the shave.
• Until the next shave.

There is a great deal which might go into getting a Damn Comfortable Shave.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Today I'm picking a razor to audition as a Kukri replacement.

For various reasons I've decide to again try today the 350 razor last used off the Double Convex Ark not too long ago. Link to previous shave with the 350. Noted then was the fact that I didn't do a lot of work on the DCA and didn't think the razor terribly sharp or all that well honed so why am I auditioning it today?

Maybe it's a whim.

Maybe I'll see today what I find and then consider what to do next, either to it (honing, pastes, what stone?). Maybe I'll pick another blade to audition tomorrow or just stick with this razor? It's kind of an open ended audition.

I know where I'm headed.

• Kukri replacement.
• Repeat with another razor what I did with the Kukri.
• A number of weeks with mostly just one razor including maintenance of its edge.

I don't know razor will be the razor for the next several weeks. There are others besides the 350 I may or may not try.

Like others have suggested you can work up to 12k and if the edge is close to what you like but not quite “there”, you can do 4-7 feather light passes on the 12k between shaves (followed by regular stropping) until you finally get the edge dialed in just right. I actually do this quite often in fact. And when doing a few light strokes between shaves doesn’t continue to progress the edge anymore I know I’ve hit max.

I am thinking of doing this with the DCA.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Tuesday's shave was okay.

Really nice GD soap (new today) and great Yaqi two band brush. Very nice indeed.

The blade is as I remember, not close to stellar, marginally shave ready. Compared to yesterday's shave with my Kukri the 350 took more passes (a lot more passes) to deliver a shave which wasn't as good as yesterday's. Not that it was a bad edge or a bad shave, but I have some work to do on this DCA edge (see above post).



Good software.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wednesday's shave was better.

As yesterday went on I changed my rating of yesterday's shave. It was okay but in a very low on the scale marginally okay way. Considering how much work went into yesterday's shave is was even less okay.

Today's shave was better but my shave on Monday (with the Kukri) was better than today's by a good bit, and Monday's involved much less work. Still, today's was significant better than yesterday's.

What I'm doing is auditioning the "350" razor I used today. I'll write more later today about that process and today's activities. I'm looking to replace the Kukri for a spell (a spell with one other razor). Is the "350" the one?

Oh, this brush is a great boar! You should have one. Really you should.

What about this new Grooming Dept Valencia soap? Oh, gracious me this is a great soap. The scent is to die for if you like the smell of oranges and orange blossoms. Yet it is not "too much." It is a really nice soap!

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

When I wrote the shave report above - for my straight razor shave number 194 - I had no idea what the afternoon would hold in store for me.



Now I know. Here's what happened.

I'm not terribly unhappy. At least I was able to come up with what might have been a fix. I won't know if it was even a half decent rescue of the blade until tomorrow's shave test, but I think I saved the blade and still have a "350" razor.


I did notice a tiny tiny tiny V shaped chip in the blade when I looked at it with the microscope after stropping. I don't know if this was from the original damage or what but I know I can easily fix that level of chip and I doubt it will mess up the shave.

The thumb pad test tells me the edge is sharp. We'll see.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Yyragtoj]

I see your adventures took you to straights.

What microscope are you using? Is it the one pictured?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I see your adventures took you to straights.

What microscope are you using? Is it the one pictured?

Yes.

This little microscope is simple to use, and not a pain unlike most of the others I have, but it does the job for me. It was also very inexpensive although some eBay vendors charge twice or more what others charge. I think I paid about $5 but I've seen then a bit cheaper recently.

Is it the most powerful? No.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Yyragtoj]

Thanks for that. I've been thinking about something cheap than can serve to inspect edges (in my cases it's just DE blade edges and maybe my kitchen knives, since I like to sharpen them myself). I'll have a look for one of those.

 

[Raven Koenes]

View attachment 981073

When I wrote the shave report above - for my straight razor shave number 194 - I had no idea what the afternoon would hold in store for me.

View attachment 981069

Now I know. Here's what happened.

View attachment 981070

I'm not terribly unhappy. At least I was able to come up with what might have been a fix. I won't know if it was even a half decent rescue of the blade until tomorrow's shave test, but I think I saved the blade and still have a "350" razor.

View attachment 981071
I did notice a tiny tiny tiny V shaped chip in the blade when I looked at it with the microscope after stropping. I don't know if this was from the original damage or what but I know I can easily fix that level of chip and I doubt it will mess up the shave.

The thumb pad test tells me the edge is sharp. We'll see.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

Thanks for the loop de loop, that was fun.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday my shave was fairly lousy.

In spite of a lot of work on this blade it's not shaving well enough to continue in the audition. I'll put this "350" razor aside for now, and try another razor. I'm not giving up on the "350" entirely, but it is frustrating me, and I feel like it's wasting my time.

I do think my honing on the Double Convex Ark is improving but it may not yet be at the level a razor requires to be shave ready. I'll think about it.



The brush and all the software did their jobs nicely. The only problem was the edge I made (or the razor I made it on).

The shave is not so bad I'll be embarrassed at work (as long as nobody looks closely), but it's a lousy shave and only marginally socially acceptable. Still, it is comfortable.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thanks for the loop de loop, that was fun.

We might as well aim to please.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Friday my shave was very good indeed.

My "Wide Torrey" was honed a while back on the coticule. It's nice, sharp, comfortable.

I like this brush, but it might be my least favorite of my Zenith boars. It's a tad tall for me. Still, I do like it.

The soap is incredibly good.

I used the alum today to see how much feedback I got. Very little. Hardly any.

The Torrey passed the audition. I'm going to stick with it for a while. It will replace the Kukri in that regard and be my daily razor until I decide otherwise. I will maybe occasionally use another blade to test its edge or something. How long is a while?

Spoiler: Okay, I'll bite. How long is a while?

Exactly as long as an extended whim!

Shaving with the razor today I thought, from the sharpness, that this was an edge off the Norton Ark, but it's a coticule edge. Nice!

Good kit. Good shave.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

All my straight razors are discussed here. All that have scales and are usable. Either in the post quoted or in the comments below.

Link to original post quoted above.

All my straight razors which are even close to useable are discussed in this running post, but that includes the link in the quoted material. I'm just trying to have a place where I can find what I need so I don't get totally lost in honing history la la land.

Link to latest update on the Kukri.

These are the updates to the information in the quoted post.

• The Geneva razor is currently off the DCA and not really satisfactory.
• The Kukri is off the Norton + pasted strops and is shave ready but not glorious wonderful.
• The 350 off the DCA is not shave ready.
• I'm using the "Wide Torrey" off the coticule with oil. It's sharp and comfortable.

I'm going to pick out a razor in a few minutes and try it on the DCA. Which will it be?

Happy shaves,

Jim