Heavy razors.
- Thread starter gsurko
- Start date
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Not sure about the ‘obsession’ part of your question; however, I personally like the heft of a razor as it decreases the need for applied pressure. But it’s all very subjective.
I can’t stand aluminum or light titanium razors. Way to light for me.
I love a bit of weight. Makes it easier to shave without pushing down on the razor. As above, little need to apply pressure with a brass or SS razor.
I love a bit of weight. Makes it easier to shave without pushing down on the razor. As above, little need to apply pressure with a brass or SS razor.
I use Brass, Ti, Copper and Stainless. 
Not too fond of Aluminum.
Not too fond of Aluminum.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
It does seem as if razors are, very generally, heavier now than for the previous 120 years or so. I am not sure why that is and suspect it is simply fashion; there is nothing wrong with that. Razors heavier, brushes bigger, watches bigger..... is there a pattern here?
A heavier razor is a razor that offers slightly increased aggression, because of the increased mass and weight, all other considerations being equal.
I am one who uses pressure when shaving and can evenly apply pressure with whatever razor I use. I've refined my technique over 50 years of different razors including bakelite, plastic, aluminum, zamak, brass, steel. Not Ti yet, I'm on a budget and will save the titanium for my racing bikes. Although I find lighter razors more maneuverable, I use and love them all. Super heavy handles are kind of clunky, though. Balance and head geometry are more important than weight.
Not happy with your 1953 Tech any longer?
I am one who uses pressure when shaving and can evenly apply pressure with whatever razor I use. I've refined my technique over 50 years of different razors including bakelite, plastic, aluminum, zamak, brass, steel. Not Ti yet, I'm on a budget and will save the titanium for my racing bikes. Although I find lighter razors more maneuverable, I use and love them all. Super heavy handles are kind of clunky, though. Balance and head geometry are more important than weight.
Not happy with your 1953 Tech any longer?
Agreed that it is sometimes appropriate to use pressure with certain razors. I learned (the hard way) to be judicious in the use of this technique.
My favorite 1950s Tech is the German #34 (aluminum, which I use with a Ti handle
), so perhaps "not too fond of Aluminum" was a bit strong. I just find myself reaching for my Brass, Ti, Copper and Stainless razors more often than MOST aluminum razors. I recently shaved with the Aluminum Henson Al13 and had a good shave.
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Flintstone65
Imagining solutions for imaginary problems
I agree, aluminum is WAY too heavy -- I prefer Bakelite....oh wait, was that the supposition I was supposed to address? 
Seriously though, I feel like razor weight is a subjective thing and very much a personal preference. I tend towards lighter razors, but I've also got some "heavies" that I like as well.
Seriously though, I feel like razor weight is a subjective thing and very much a personal preference. I tend towards lighter razors, but I've also got some "heavies" that I like as well.
I used a heavy razor for a long time until I started using a vintage brass Gillette that is half the weight. I prefer the lighter razors now, much easier to control and maneuver for me.
When I first used my brass General razor I thought it was just fine. Now I fine it a bit on the heavy side and I much prefer my General with an aluminum head and a very small stainless steel handle. Perfect combo for me.
I love the different approaches to weight here. To me it’s not so much about the heaviness—though I like ,em heavy—as it is finding the right weight. For me that means the weight of the razor s all the pressure I need and I’m less reliant on applying my own pressure.
I like heavy razors because I dont need to apply any added force to the pass. For light razors made of titanium I personally find that they are better if they are more efficient then I can still rely on their weight alme to drive the shave. For example the seygus I own is in titanium and though it is a very good razor I suspect for my style of shaving the stainless steel one would be even better as the seygus 07/05 is not a very efficient razor and so I need to add force to the shaving stroke which sometimes leads to more irritation. By contrast the haircut and shave PO76 titanium is considerably more efficient and the titanium makes it both smooth and efficient on my face.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
My thought about light razors are they are great if a person has a good sense of feel, I have 3 razors that are around 1 OZ and they give spectacular shaves(Gem Featherweight, Schick E injector & TNNSER 3D printed). If you can use a light razor you can use any razor with in a few try's IMO. Nothing wrong with a 3-4 OZ razors either and I have lots of those that I enjoy. If you think about how many Schick E & G injectors and Gem Featherweight razors sold your talking well over 1 million razors sold across the world & folks loved to use them & even todays vintage shaver collector users.
In my previous answer, my brain was definitely fixated on the DE world.
@Ron R 's post reminds me that, in the SE world, some of my favorite SE razors (Gem Featherweight, Schick E injector & TNNSER 3D printed) are not at all heavy.
@Ron R 's post reminds me that, in the SE world, some of my favorite SE razors (Gem Featherweight, Schick E injector & TNNSER 3D printed) are not at all heavy.
From an engineering perspective moving the razor at the same speed you have greater momentum of the blade and increased cutting force. To get that same cutting sheer force from a lighter razor, you have to move it more quickly/push on it more to get acceleration higher.
p = mv, Ft = p, F = mv/t
I find blades that are more dull respond better in heavier razors. I find I can start a fresh blade in a Gillette New Deluxe that weights around around 57grams, and after a few shaves I can feel tugging, and swapping over to a New Big Boy at 86grams is then smoother and cuts easier. Same cutting head, only difference is weight/length of handle.
p = mv, Ft = p, F = mv/t
I find blades that are more dull respond better in heavier razors. I find I can start a fresh blade in a Gillette New Deluxe that weights around around 57grams, and after a few shaves I can feel tugging, and swapping over to a New Big Boy at 86grams is then smoother and cuts easier. Same cutting head, only difference is weight/length of handle.
These various later comments remind me of how many variables there are in shaving close and comfortable: length, width, weight, balance, strength of the hand, and so forth, all interacting with the human brain. No wonder there are so many different views on how best to shave. To a degree all the views may be correct.
My brass Karve is a big boy (around 110 grams), Tatara Masamune is a bit ligher (but not that much, still around 100 grams), and I like them both.
So I guess I like it heavy
So I guess I like it heavy
I started DE shaving with a Micro Touch One. It was incredibly light and mild. The mildness was probably the result of the weight as well as the blade gap and blade exposure (not to mention the blades that came with the razor).
I then walked into WCS's California location and held a number of different razors. I found that I preferred the weight of the WCS 88S and the WCS 84S. The 110S felt too heavy and too bulky while razors lighter than the 84S (really, anything in the 60g-79g range) felt too light and insubstantial.
With the 88S, I can minimize (or even eliminate) any pressure I apply to the razor, instead, relying on the razor's weight to do the work. Additionally, the razor isn't so large as to make maneuvering unwieldy. On top of which, the razor is very well-balanced in my hand while shaving.
All in all, I found my sweet spot for razor handles: roughly 3 oz.
I then walked into WCS's California location and held a number of different razors. I found that I preferred the weight of the WCS 88S and the WCS 84S. The 110S felt too heavy and too bulky while razors lighter than the 84S (really, anything in the 60g-79g range) felt too light and insubstantial.
With the 88S, I can minimize (or even eliminate) any pressure I apply to the razor, instead, relying on the razor's weight to do the work. Additionally, the razor isn't so large as to make maneuvering unwieldy. On top of which, the razor is very well-balanced in my hand while shaving.
All in all, I found my sweet spot for razor handles: roughly 3 oz.
I have nerve damage in my hand which causes a minor tremor. A heavy razor damps the shaking so I don't carve up my face.
