Buy a used vintage Schick injector which uses SE injector blades that are not as wide as the ungainly "windshield wiper" AC type blades. The injector razor was/is simply a better "mousetrap" and more maneuverable than a DE. As well, getting the blade angle correct is virtually idiot proof.
Blade Rigidity vs. The Realities of Skin
- Thread starter ralph029
- Start date
Buy a used vintage Schick injector which uses SE injector blades that are not as wide as the ungainly "windshield wiper" AC type blades. The injector razor was/is simply a better "mousetrap" and more maneuverable than a DE. As well, getting the blade angle correct is virtually idiot proof.
- Thread starter
- #22
Take a $1 DE razor, cut the guards off, and shave. All your questions will be answered.
Kind of makes me wonder about those shavettes, I really don't know much about them but don't they use a de blade at least some of them?
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- #25
I've only seen the Razorine shavette that uses a DE blade. Never tried it. My only experiences with shavettes have been in the hands of barbers shaving my head. I've never gotten a good shave with one of those. Probably has more to do with the barber rather than the razor. Those experiences have made it so I never wanted to pursue a shavette in my stable.
Shavettes hold the blade firmly very close to the edge. I'm suggesting having it flop in the breeze and see how close you can shave with it.
yeah I know what you're suggesting good luck getting somebody to do that though not going to be me! Haha I would watch the video though
I have nothing definitive, but the part of the blade that extends beyond the support is able to flex in a DE. The GEM razor blade are thick and remain supported throughout the length of the blade. The Schick injector blades are also fully supported.
I've read that cutting hair is also due to the prepping of the hair, but your knife/angle analogy is spot on and comes into play when using a straight razor. I tell people you cannot cut meat with too shallow an angle.
About flexing blades and getting cut:
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- #30
His personal review only lends to my point about the mechanism allowing the blade to flex and not the blade itself. If there isn't a solid mechanical device hold the blade securely, then yes it will flex (and chatter). My discussion point is surrounding blades, not the mechanisms that hold it. What I have read on some of the forums is about disliking one blade over another due to flex. I have to assume that the folks that debate the point of one blade being more flexible than others have compared different blades in the same razor. I, like Keto, would love to see some empirical data on the subject, but I doubt that any exists for public consumption.
I put a thin homemade plastic gasket under the cap of my three piece DE razors to help uniformly hold blade as rigid as possible and I have noticed a big difference in razor performance with less weepers,nicks and cuts due to blade flexing.
Questions?
Do multiple shaves with the same blade increases likelihood of weepers nicks and cuts?
Do large blade gaps increase nicks and cuts due to a larger blade flexing amplitude?. In my opinion all DE manufacturers should state the blade gap of their razors.
Questions?
Do multiple shaves with the same blade increases likelihood of weepers nicks and cuts?
Do large blade gaps increase nicks and cuts due to a larger blade flexing amplitude?. In my opinion all DE manufacturers should state the blade gap of their razors.
I remember reading an old post and quoting ballpark of 14 to 17 from a page at tryablade website. The website published data on about 18-20 of most popular blades at that point of time.
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- #33
So I'm thinking about trying to do an experiment to test the actual rigidity of a blade. It seems to me to be pretty straight forward. I will need an open comb razor (to allow access to the underside of the blade. I'll need a machinist vise to hold the razor. I'll need a magnetic mounted dial indicator with a tip small enough to properly contact the top of the blade and...
Here is where I get a little stuck. How to properly and realistically apply EVEN CONSISTENT pressure from the underside of the blade. A single point of pressure, I hypothesis, will cause uneven pressure across the blade. I'm not sure if that is important or not providing all tests are done the same. The other problem is how to apply the pressure. That pressure will have to be consistent across the test. I'm not sure how to do this. Any thoughts? The pressure would need to be close to the pressure exerted during an actual shave. Any idea what that pressure would even be?
Here is where I get a little stuck. How to properly and realistically apply EVEN CONSISTENT pressure from the underside of the blade. A single point of pressure, I hypothesis, will cause uneven pressure across the blade. I'm not sure if that is important or not providing all tests are done the same. The other problem is how to apply the pressure. That pressure will have to be consistent across the test. I'm not sure how to do this. Any thoughts? The pressure would need to be close to the pressure exerted during an actual shave. Any idea what that pressure would even be?
/
I'm thinking, why would they do this on MythBusters.
Find a Purdue engineering alumnus. He would probably build a jig in his spare time to accomplish this perfectly.
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- #36
I have a friend who is a mechanical engineer that Ii am going to reach out to to ask for help/advice. I don't know anyone who went to Perdue
Starting with Gillette Sensor, you could get cartridge blades that were springs and conformed somewhat to your face. That was part of their marketing; that faces weren't flat. The problem, though is controlled conformity. That may be part of why band blade razors tended not to be so hot, and is why a loose DE blade results in nicks. Having decided to use some of my DE blades after months of SE, I can notice the difference. The first was with an open comb razor, which holds the blade ridged, and now with a rebranded Weishi, which doesn't. It's rigid enough to shave, just as rigid as any TTO or solid safety bar razor, but there seems to be slightly more play.
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- #38
I am assuming that "loose DE blades" is being caused my the clamping mechanism (the razor). As I have stated, my comment originally arises from comments about one blade v. another and their rigidity. I don't think anyone questions that if a razor cannot hold the blade securely that it will provide an very inadequate shave.
