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Aggression - Ranking by blade gap size
- Thread starter 2bits
- Start date
so the Merkur 34c/HD is more aggressive than the red tip SS?
By one metric.
here is some more measurements for the list but i don't know how relevant they are if at all?
Bic Metal - 0.032"
Schick Injector Type L - 0.025"
Bic Metal - 0.032"
Schick Injector Type L - 0.025"
The blade exposure, as measured with a feeler guage is one factor in the degree of "aggressiveness" of a razor, but I feel the blade angle and the blade extension as shown in the pictures in 2bits post #4 is at least equally, if not more, important. I believe that attempting to rate the aggressiveness of a razor based upon just one of these metrics is oversimplification and can be misleading.
Regards,
Tom
Regards,
Tom
While I agree that blade angle and blade overhang are important, I think we're trying to light a candle rather than curse the darkness here.
I propose that next, we also weigh each razor in grams, since the razor's weight has an impact on shave aggressiveness. It won't be hard to make a new wiki page for this table, so I'll do it if people will measure the weight of their razors -- all of your razors, even if the same model has already been measured (more numbers makes for a clearer overall average).
Merkur 34C (HD) - 78g
Merkur 23C - 56g
Merkur Progress 570 - 88g
Weishi - 63g
Feather Popular - 34g
Schick Injector Type L - 22g
Merkur 23C - 56g
Merkur Progress 570 - 88g
Weishi - 63g
Feather Popular - 34g
Schick Injector Type L - 22g
I would like a Krona that is not only more agressive, but more aggressive than my 40s SS ... perhaps in the range of Red Tip. Can this be accomplished easily by shimming?
The reason I ask is that I really like the Krona head size and design. It's the best DE I have tried so far for shaving under the nose.
The reason I ask is that I really like the Krona head size and design. It's the best DE I have tried so far for shaving under the nose.
Here are the end shots of the Gillette NEW and an adjustable set on 7 for comparison. It might be of some help
(- if a picture can "show" aggression!?)
It would be interesting to hear from others who use these two razors and see if their experience matches yours.
I think 2bits has it right in that there is more to aggressiveness than the gap between the blade and the guard.
For the old school woodworkers think of it like a hand plane. The depth of cut and the throat opening will both affect the gap between the blade and the mouth of the plane, but the throat opening will do little to increase the aggressiveness of the cut. Take a look at 2bits photos. The 1st photo (the new) has the blade just about at the line he drew between the guard and the cap. I would think this razor would be mild. The 2nd photo (the adjustable at #7) has the blade sticking out quite far past the same line. It should be much more aggressive.
Problem is that this is difficult to measure and all bets are off when applied to a soft / squishy face where the skin may tend to squish up into the gap while shaving. (less pressure = better etc)
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Great thread.
Am I way off in thinking that there should be a separate measurement of the gap between the edge of the razor at its widest point and the edge of the blade; some razors, regardless of vertical gap have the blade closer or further from the edge of the baseplate (and therefore from your face). Basically some razors "stick out" more.
I know that this would be hard to do, because of the "lip" of the razor being curved. So it's not just a measurement of a vertical line, but of an angle or even a curve. An example: I find my British alu Tech to be extremely aggressive, and I don't think it's the gap but the way the blade extends out a long way (or I should say it's the way the base plate is short, as blades are standard.) The curve ("bentness" as we non-engineers say) of the blade will also affect its "length", as well as the angle at which it meets your face.
But that said: this is great stuff. Thanks.
The wide gap stuff at the lower end of the table reminds me of the Frank Zappa album cover "Weasels Ripped My Flesh"
Am I way off in thinking that there should be a separate measurement of the gap between the edge of the razor at its widest point and the edge of the blade; some razors, regardless of vertical gap have the blade closer or further from the edge of the baseplate (and therefore from your face). Basically some razors "stick out" more.
I know that this would be hard to do, because of the "lip" of the razor being curved. So it's not just a measurement of a vertical line, but of an angle or even a curve. An example: I find my British alu Tech to be extremely aggressive, and I don't think it's the gap but the way the blade extends out a long way (or I should say it's the way the base plate is short, as blades are standard.) The curve ("bentness" as we non-engineers say) of the blade will also affect its "length", as well as the angle at which it meets your face.
But that said: this is great stuff. Thanks.
The wide gap stuff at the lower end of the table reminds me of the Frank Zappa album cover "Weasels Ripped My Flesh"
I've just checked and my Merkur HD is wider than the alu tech (at their widest point, i.e. base plate). Therefore on the Tech the edge of the blade is closer to the edge of the razor / my face. With the Merkur it's set back just that bit more due to the greater width of the razor.
Also: do different blades bend differently? If so won't the gap (vertical) be different on the same razor with different blades? Is there a standard blade being used for this test and/or do are they all the same for the purposes of this test?
Also: do different blades bend differently? If so won't the gap (vertical) be different on the same razor with different blades? Is there a standard blade being used for this test and/or do are they all the same for the purposes of this test?
The biggest factor in this area would be due to a thickness difference in the blades. All modern blades, if not precisely, are at least close to the same thickness as each other. However, the older razors from the earliest Gillettes up until the New Gillette model used a noteably thicker blade; consequently razors of this era, undoubtedly shave somewhat differently with modern thinner blades than they were originally designed to do. This is why some folks advocate adding a shim to these older razors, to compensate for the difference in blade thickness. It should be noted, however, that some who have tried this find very little difference in the way the razor shaves with and without the shim.
Regards,
Tom
R
rainman
Great thread.
Wow, this is just a huge wealth of knowledge. This will be great for people getting into DE shaving trying to choose their first few razors and find something that suits them just right.
I'd like to see more people weighing their razors and posting the results here -- while we may not have a good, agreed-upon measure for blade exposure, weight does contribute to the aggressiveness of the razor. I'll get out the kitchen scale for my collection too.
OOoh. This is right up my alley, so forgive the resurrection.
Just got my first DE, a Merkur HD 11C, and I'm stumped, because I can barely fit a .014" feeler gauge between a comb and the blade. The corner of a .019" gauge will fit between blade and a gap between combs, but if I try to slide it, it pops right out at each comb.
If this is accurate, this would make this razor the "least aggressive" one in the database, and since this is stated as the open comb version of the 34C, as well as anecdotally on this board, it is considered an aggressive razor, you can understand my confusion. Did I get a bum razor? Am I missing a part? It shaved OK this morning, but I am a beginner, so may not be the best judge.
Anyway, with no blade it weighs in at exactly 75.0 g, and here's a macro shot:
Just got my first DE, a Merkur HD 11C, and I'm stumped, because I can barely fit a .014" feeler gauge between a comb and the blade. The corner of a .019" gauge will fit between blade and a gap between combs, but if I try to slide it, it pops right out at each comb.
If this is accurate, this would make this razor the "least aggressive" one in the database, and since this is stated as the open comb version of the 34C, as well as anecdotally on this board, it is considered an aggressive razor, you can understand my confusion. Did I get a bum razor? Am I missing a part? It shaved OK this morning, but I am a beginner, so may not be the best judge.
Anyway, with no blade it weighs in at exactly 75.0 g, and here's a macro shot:
For what it's worth, I consider the 11c to be milder than the 34c.
