Which Razor Material Lasts Longest?

[MarioFan]

Hey everybody I've posted here a few times now possibly just once or twice but I have a new question about Safety Razors for everyone here.
I have seen in my research that Safety Razors are made in all different Materials from like brass, Stainless steel and even Zinc Alloy that's been chromed.. My question has to do with the Chromed Zinc alloy compared to the stainless steel types.. Which are to last longer like possibly 50 years or more long. I heard of the Rockwell 6C and 6S which brought up these questions.

 

[shave/brush]

Stainless Steel or Bronze would be the strongest and last the longest.
Here is my bronze General.

 

[Romanex01]

Stainless steel will last the longest.

 

[Badger Bill]

Yep... stainless.

 

[Roedeer]

I heard of the Rockwell 6C and 6S which brought up these questions

When it comes to the shave, these two are almost identical. Superficially, the 6C even looks prettier.

I got the chromed zinc alloy (zamak) 6C first, because it was cheaper, got on very well with it, but started to get worried about the fragility of the material.

The end result was that I bought the stainless steel 6S, and my 6C became the backup.

 

[RayClem]

Many people speculate that a chrome plated Zamak alloy razor will last about 5 years unless you drop it on a tile floor. The threads that attach the head to the handle are the most common failure point as the plating will wear off the threads during normal use, exposing the zinc alloy beneath.

Many of the early Gillette razors were chrome plated brass. Some of those razors have been in use for 100 years. Brass, bronze, stainless steel, aluminum and titanium razors, if properly maintained, should easily last a lifetime and beyond. Many, but not all, of the newer razors made from these materials are precision machined. Although this may improve your shaving experience, they cost far more than the Zamac razors.

You might want to purchase several less expensive Zamac razors early on to determine which types of razors you prefer: aggressive vs mild, heavy vs light, long handle vs short, open comb vs scalloped vs solid bar, etc. Once you decide what you like, then purchase a more expensive razor that fits your preferences.

 

[romsitsa]

Aluminum won’t last decades, it’s prone to rot, even worse if it’s made of mixed metals. Worst are Gillette part aluminum TTO-s.


Adam

 

[BigJ]

Stainless steel will last the longest.

+1!! SS will last many lifetimes with minimal care.

(Now I need to stick around to see if that is really true!! )

 

[phelix]

Wouldn't Titanium be the one to outlast them all?

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

Many people speculate that a chrome plated Zamak alloy razor will last about 5 years unless you drop it on a tile floor.

I have three vintage zamak-headed Merkurs that are close to 50 years old, or older.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

Wouldn't Titanium be the one to outlast them all?

Most of our razors, regardless of the material, will outlast us.

 

[musicman1951]

I suspect it's really a non-issue. It certainly is for me - I'm 68.

Nobody knows how long a zamak razor will last. If you drop it, maybe a week. Maybe the threads go bad some years from now. But some people use them with no problems for many, many years. And they're cheap, so if it breaks you get another one.

Mine are stainless, which I do appreciate (although not enough to make my socks roll up and down), but I purchased them because they're better razors.

If you like your zamak razor I wouldn't worry about it - you can probably buy 3 or 4 before you reach the price of a stainless (maybe 10 for some stainless razors).

But that's me. If you want a razor that lasts a lifetime - and you're quite sure you've selected a razor you want to use that long - go for the stainless. You're going to die someday, buy what you like.

 

[deafficianado]

Zamak will not last long with consistent use. I had zamak failures with the Rockwell 6c and Edwin Jagger lasting less then 2 years each with the threading being the weak point. I had a Merkur with the chrome peeling off. After these failures, I only bought stainless, brass, bronze, copper, and titanium with excellent reliability. However any material razor can get damaged by accidentally dropping it.

 

[efsk]

My oldest still functional razors are from brass and bakelite. These materials therefore seem to be very durable.

 

[RayClem]

I have three vintage zamak-headed Merkurs that are close to 50 years old, or older.

They must have received some TLC.

 

[RayClem]

Aluminum won’t last decades, it’s prone to rot, even worse if it’s made of mixed metals. Worst are Gillette part aluminum TTO-s.


Adam

Aluminum is a soft, reactive metal. However, it oxidizes to form a layer of aluminum oxide that will protect it from further corrosion unless exposed to salts or acids. Aluminum oxide, also known as corundum, is the stuff of which rubies and sapphires are made. It is the third hardest naturally occurring mineral. If aluminum is anodized, the oxide layer becomes thicker to to protect the aluminum substrate from corrosion, scratching and chipping. Thus, anodized aluminum is quite durable.
Commercial airliners, which are exposed to far more stressful conditions than a razor, are thought to have a useful lifespan of up to 30 years. Some are retired sooner as newer, more fuel efficient designs are developed, just as you might trade in your automobile for a newer model. Many of the aircraft retired from service by the primary carriers go on to additional decades of service in less developed countries. I understand that a Boeing 737-200 first flown in 1970 is still being flown in commercial service by Airfast Indonesia.

An anodized aluminum razor might not outlast one made of stainless steel or titanium, but as long as it receives reasonable care it is likely to outlast you.

 

[romsitsa]

Aluminum is a soft, reactive metal. However, it oxidizes to form a layer of aluminum oxide that will protect it from further corrosion unless exposed to salts or acids. Aluminum oxide, also known as corundum, is the stuff of which rubies and sapphires are made. It is the third hardest naturally occurring mineral. If aluminum is anodized, the oxide layer becomes thicker to to protect the aluminum substrate from corrosion, scratching and chipping. Thus, anodized aluminum is quite durable.
Commercial airliners, which are exposed to far more stressful conditions than a razor, are thought to have a useful lifespan of up to 30 years. Some are retired sooner as newer, more fuel efficient designs are developed, just as you might trade in your automobile for a newer model. Many of the aircraft retired from service by the primary carriers go on to additional decades of service in less developed countries. I understand that a Boeing 737-200 first flown in 1970 is still being flown in commercial service by Airfast Indonesia.

An anodized aluminum razor might not outlast one made of stainless steel or titanium, but as long as it receives reasonable care it is likely to outlast you.

Airplanes are not desigend to be disassembled and reassembled on a daily basis, as far as I know. The first thing that will fail, and it will fail, are the threads. Wether or not the threads were anodised it will be scraped off in no time.
Just look at the contact surfaces of aluminum razors they are always bright=no oxide.

Adam

 

[RayClem]

If both the male and female threads are anodized, you have a ceramic on ceramic mating surfaces. A little lubrication on the threads will help. Anodizing does affect the diameter of the threaded parts. Thus, it may be that you have razors whose threads were masked during the anodizing process.

Unless lubricated, stainless steel threads are subject to galling. There are special anti-sieze lubricants made for stainless steel threads. These lubricants usually contain fine particles of aluminum or copper. However, since razors are only hand tightened, a little mineral oil might be sufficient.

 

[Mack the Razor]

Wooh boy. I am not a shill for the aluminum industry, although it is true that aluminum alloys are used to clad skyscrapers. My $0.02 is that, unless you're a metallurgist who knows the conditions in which I store my razors and the daily care or lack thereof I devote to them, it would be difficult to opine on the future life of my bronze versus stainless steel versus titanium versus aluminum razors.

The Strength of Aluminum | The Aluminum Association

www.aluminum.org

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

I have some wonderful old brass razors that are older than my parents (mom is 94) - stuff my grandfathers could have used, which holds a big attraction for me as a Scots-Irish dude who talks about long-dead ancestors as if they were recent visitors. I have a couple of Zamak razors that are older than I am (62). Maybe the pre-war pot metal was superior to today's, who knows? I've always been of the opinion that stainless steel is 1) too heavy and 2) overkill in the durability dept, and 3) too expensive for what it is, but that's just me.