DE Razor Blade ranking?

[Ron R]

I made this up years ago and just edit it once in a while because describing how a blade works is difficult with a lot of words and just seeing it on a photo chart is easier to describe for my self. I made this up mainly for newbies like myself to give a ballpark view of what I experienced and I used the Gillette Astra SP as my standard blade because I used it a lot at first for comparing the other blades.
My opinion Gillette & Personna make excellent blades and have been making them for over 100 yrs and when it comes to SE blades it is hard to beat a Gem(=Personna) or Schick injector blades because they have been making them for some time also and have excellent cost/per shave that is important to some folks. DE & some SE Blades are the cheapest part of modern day shaving IMO.
The blades that are crossing from Sharp & smooth to Sharpest are my favorites most of the time. There is hardly much differences when it comes down to it, but it is hard to beat a Gillette silver blue, Sharp & Smoooth with reasonable longevity .

Have some great shaves!

 

[old_school]

@Ron R you have no idea how many times I've referenced your chart.

 

[Doc Dan]

There are a lot of factors that go into how a blade performs and sharpness is only one factor. I think thickness behind the edge is a major factor, as well. For example, you can take a knife with a lesser steel and make it very thin behind the edge and it will out perform the same knife with a super steel that is thicker behind the edge. Then you might conclude that the super steel really wasn't super, after all. That would be incorrect, however. Razor blades are very thin, but they are still sharpened like a knife is sharpened and how abruptly and relatively thick (we are talking small numbers) it is compared to another blade might make all of the difference in how well it cuts and how long the edge lasts.

Still another issue is the type of steel. Some steels have huge carbides and have toothier edges, while other steels have small carbides and smoother edges. That might make a difference, as well.

Now, Dr. Larrin Thomas says that most blades are made from 1095 or a Sandvik steel. The Sandvik is likely 13C26 or 14C28N. I'm not sure, but I think it likely there are other steels used in blades made in various countries. It would be interesting to know that information, for obvious reasons.

 

[tamahagane]

The best hard data available is referenced here and also in this thread:

Objective sharpness measurement

The forum seems to agree that there are multiple factors influencing satisfaction with a blade. However, there are also some attempts to measure sharpness here and here, although there already exists a standard which defines sharpness (not razor blades per se) - ISO 8442-5:2004 . Is anybody...

www.badgerandblade.com

Until there is a comparable standard for blades modeled after this one, no improvement is possible. That said, if blade inconsistencies are ignored, you can rank or classify blades for your face. What you need is a sampler where you have more than one blade of each manufacturer and to fix the rest of your equipment (same razor, same prep etc). Good luck and let us know when you have results!

 

[silverlifter]

I'm a bit perplexed by (an admittedly understandable on one level) desire for any objective classification of blades, whether of sharpness, or smootheness, or any other specific quality. For the simple reason that, even if it were attained and peer reviewed[1], what difference would it make to the subjective experience of the shaver?

I know, from experience, and from the attestations of others, that Feathers are the sharpest blades. That is an interesting piece of information, but it does not make me want to load one up: I prefer blades that I find just as efficient, but with better longevity (and cardboard tucks).

What I am trying to say is, sure we could arrive at a definitive ranking of blades, but my sense is that it would not change to any significant degree, our personal prefences.

1. This seems eminently possible, and there has certainly been research that was more apparently frivolous, but I can't see anyone actually funding it. Unless there is a wealthy benefactor here on B&B with cash to match their curiosity.

 

[Doc Dan]

The best hard data available is referenced here and also in this thread:

Objective sharpness measurement

The forum seems to agree that there are multiple factors influencing satisfaction with a blade. However, there are also some attempts to measure sharpness here and here, although there already exists a standard which defines sharpness (not razor blades per se) - ISO 8442-5:2004 . Is anybody...

www.badgerandblade.com

Until there is a comparable standard for blades modeled after this one, no improvement is possible. That said, if blade inconsistencies are ignored, you can rank or classify blades for your face. What you need is a sampler where you have more than one blade of each manufacturer and to fix the rest of your equipment (same razor, same prep etc). Good luck and let us know when you have results!

Thanks for posting that. I find this interesting and combined with the BESS test of initial sharpness, we are getting somewhere.

One thing I noticed was how obtuse the secondary bevels are on those blades. This pairs with my wondering about thickness behind the edge.

 

[Doc Dan]

I'm a bit perplexed by (an admittedly understandable on one level) desire for any objective classification of blades, whether of sharpness, or smootheness, or any other specific quality. For the simple reason that, even if it were attained and peer reviewed[1], what difference would it make to the subjective experience of the shaver?

I know, from experience, and from the attestations of others, that Feathers are the sharpest blades. That is an interesting piece of information, but it does not make me want to load one up: I prefer blades that I find just as efficient, but with better longevity (and cardboard tucks).

What I am trying to say is, sure we could arrive at a definitive ranking of blades, but my sense is that it would not change to any significant degree, our personal prefences.

1. This seems eminently possible, and there has certainly been research that was more apparently frivolous, but I can't see anyone actually funding it. Unless there is a wealthy benefactor here on B&B with cash to match their curiosity.

It might not change our preferences but it would certainly give us a predictor of how a blade will probably perform. This would be useful with blades we have no experience with, and it would certainly be helpful when we purchase a new razor and want to pair a good blade with it. It might shorten the learning time considerably in finding that perfect pairing.

 

[tm3]

Where did you get this chart? It is too difficult for me to read. I can't make out the words at the bottom.

Here you go:

What Is The Best Razor Blade? The Science Of Sharpness - Sharpologist

How do you know what works well for you when shaving? Examine a few charts and get a better idea of what blades give you the most consistent results?

sharpologist.com

 

[tm3]

I can't find it now but I came across a forum post here in which someone said that some of us pick and nuance more over the subtleties of razor blades than do sommeliers over wine (tongue in cheek, of course!).

 

[Doc Dan]

Here you go:

What Is The Best Razor Blade? The Science Of Sharpness - Sharpologist

How do you know what works well for you when shaving? Examine a few charts and get a better idea of what blades give you the most consistent results?

sharpologist.com

I got it. Thanks

 

[HoosierTrooper]

It might not change our preferences but it would certainly give us a predictor of how a blade will probably perform. This would be useful with blades we have no experience with, and it would certainly be helpful when we purchase a new razor and want to pair a good blade with it. It might shorten the learning time considerably in finding that perfect pairing.

Please don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not trying to be rude or snarky, but you’ve been a member for what, a month and a half? B&B has been around since I think 2005, and in the last 17 years or so there have been thousands and thousands of blade rankings, blade tests, blade reviews, blade comparisons and “What’s the best blade?” discussions and in all of those years no one has been able to determine a way to objectively “rank” blades.

After 17 years or so of failing, to believe that suddenly someone can somehow objectively and accurately “rank” blades is an exercise in futility. In my not so humble opinion of course.

 

[Doc Dan]

Please don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not trying to be rude or snarky, but you’ve been a member for what, a month and a half? B&B has been around since I think 2005, and in the last 17 years or so there have been thousands and thousands of blade rankings, blade tests, blade reviews, blade comparisons and “What’s the best blade?” discussions and in all of those years no one has been able to determine a way to objectively “rank” blades.

After 17 years or so of failing, to believe that suddenly someone can somehow objectively and accurately “rank” blades is an exercise in futility. In my not so humble opinion of course.

Your humility is noted.

 

[deafficianado]

There’s also a vast differences between the years of production for the same branded blades from each manufacturer. Consistency isn’t easy with manufacturing smooth and sharp year after year amounting millions of blades. Case in point, the Derby extra from 10 years ago were way better than the Derbys from just a few years ago. I’ve experienced huge differences from many different brands from the time period they were produced. Feather blades have been the most consistent for me -always sharp.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Your humility is noted.

And lack thereof acknowledged.

 

[silverlifter]

It might not change our preferences but it would certainly give us a predictor of how a blade will probably perform.

It would be a predictor of how our preferences might align: and even then, there is a significant amount of variability, such that any notion of objectivity would be moot. That is my entire point.

 

[Jack Goossen]

Even tests are no guarantee a blade will like you.
So: for what it's worth....

Blade Review Spreadsheet

After some positive feedback on a comment I made about the table I keep of blades I've tried and how I've got on with them, I've decided to post my findings here. You may find it useful or you may want to replace my findings with your own. Scoring I hope it will be useful and/or interesting but...

www.theshavingroom.co.uk

 

[sknz]

I like this chart. It's description of the Feather mirrors my impression from using it, although I didn't know why it behaves the way it does until I saw this. The dude that compiled this is an engineer and goes by the "numbers don't lie" principle FWIW.

https://imgur.com/sYvGcdH

I am a noob and also like this chart. As someone happy with initial shaves only using one mfg. blade (Astra SP) so far, and wanting to figure what to try next, this chart indicates to me that the least amount of change from new blade to shaves 1 & 2 might be what I might try. In that case I may try Voskhod next. I have been advised that it really doesn't matter the order I choose to try these and that may be very true but my inclination is to come up with some logic as to what order and the blade that changes the least from shave to shave might be what I try.
Thanks for the info,
Scott

 

[Cannon Cocker]

There are a lot of factors that go into how a blade performs and sharpness is only one factor. I think thickness behind the edge is a major factor, as well. For example, you can take a knife with a lesser steel and make it very thin behind the edge and it will out perform the same knife with a super steel that is thicker behind the edge. Then you might conclude that the super steel really wasn't super, after all. That would be incorrect, however. Razor blades are very thin, but they are still sharpened like a knife is sharpened and how abruptly and relatively thick (we are talking small numbers) it is compared to another blade might make all of the difference in how well it cuts and how long the edge lasts.

Still another issue is the type of steel. Some steels have huge carbides and have toothier edges, while other steels have small carbides and smoother edges. That might make a difference, as well.

Now, Dr. Larrin Thomas says that most blades are made from 1095 or a Sandvik steel. The Sandvik is likely 13C26 or 14C28N. I'm not sure, but I think it likely there are other steels used in blades made in various countries. It would be interesting to know that information, for obvious reasons.

Doc, I’m a little confused with the belief that 1095 is used to make a lot of blades. It would appear that most de blades today are made from stainless steel, and C 1095 is a carbon steel.

 

[Doc Dan]

Doc, I’m a little confused with the belief that 1095 is used to make a lot of blades. It would appear that most de blades today are made from stainless steel, and C 1095 is a carbon steel.

I asked a steel expert on that. Some are made of 1095 (probably coated) and some are made of Sandvik steels. Some are made of steels by other companies, but apparently the first two are common.

 

[OldeManWinter]

I came here a while back looking for the same answer. I quickly realized that the best blade ranking is personal. I then set out to find my best and was stonewalled by the sheer number of blades out there. That's why I started the Mass Appeal thread, not to identify the best blade, but to give me somewhere to start my search. From that list and a sampler or two I spent a few months evaluating about 20 blades and found a handful that work well for me. I found the Mass Appeal list to be a good resource and the summed B&B opinion to be well correlated with quality. I'd be a bit surprised if you tried out the top 8 blades there and didn't find one that worked for you. Good luck.