all I know for sure is.......that its 2:56.
and I barely have any stubble around my chin.
camo
and I barely have any stubble around my chin.
camo
How sharp is sharp enough? (SR vs DE)
- Thread starter KrstGor
- Start date
You mean I have been waxing my car all these years for nothing?!You'll soon have all the waxing fanatics telling you how a mirror shine polished car is faster!
You'll soon have all the waxing fanatics telling you how a mirror shine polished car is faster!
Less wind resistance!
as far as straight vs DE goes I have given away all of my DE razors and blades to friends who wanted to try shaving with one blade and see how it felt vs the 5+ blade carts they were scraping across their faces. But i gave them away free from regrets because for me it was a gateway drug to Straight Razors. to me they just give me more control for a much more comfortable shave. From my vintage hunks of steel to my new wacker, to my feather artist club ss, I just get far less irritation with a straight.
As far as sharpness. I’m sure that my DE feather blades when i used them were probably sharper than all of my straights, but also more aggressive for some reason. My regular shave includes a linen strop of 30 and a leather of 60. then when I feel resistance or any tugging on the blade Ill go to chromium oxide on a linen, to the untreated linen to the leather. and then regardless of resistance or pulling I hit the swaty barbers hone lightly with lather at least twice a month then through the three strop progression and that is more than sharp and smooth enough for me
As far as sharpness. I’m sure that my DE feather blades when i used them were probably sharper than all of my straights, but also more aggressive for some reason. My regular shave includes a linen strop of 30 and a leather of 60. then when I feel resistance or any tugging on the blade Ill go to chromium oxide on a linen, to the untreated linen to the leather. and then regardless of resistance or pulling I hit the swaty barbers hone lightly with lather at least twice a month then through the three strop progression and that is more than sharp and smooth enough for me
- Thread starter
- #66
This is exactly my kind of approach - minimalistic, be it the blade itself, stone or strop - 1 razor, 1 linen strop (one side CrOx, the other untreated), 1 leather strop and one touch-up stone (12K Nani). And so I want to master this approach.
With this lock-down craze and the postal services in disarray, I'm still waiting to receive the razor (ordered about 6 weeks ago), the stone and the worst of all, an artisan soap I really have high hopes for, which has been on its way in the mail since May 08... go figure.
Oh dont get me wrong, I do love collecting and using multiple razors, and strops and stones (sometimes two razors in the same shave!) . but I have also noticed that for daily shaing when Daily life is getting in the way of the full ritual of shaving and having fun with it, I know that one of my straight blades with That type of basic maintenance will get me a result that feels better to me than any of my DE razors did with less irritation, and a nice close shave. But There is also plenty of proof out there that DE razors are great and even better than straights for a ton of other folks though. one of my friends has quite the opposite results from me and uses an open comb merkur for his daily routine and practically bleeds out from weepers when using a straight. I think its about finding that balance of what works for you, your skin type, and hair type
- Thread starter
- #68
As a matter of fact I gave up on daily shaving some 11 years ago, I was 36 at the time. My job changed dramatically from being a manager in the office to being an entrepreneur running my own firm and since most of the work is done online I simply stopped shaving every day. Actually my routine ever since has been to shave about twice a week and off course every time I was meeting a client face-to-face. Lately, since I've been exploring SR shaving, I'm shaving more often - about every second day. Collecting razors is just not my kind of thing. I see it as a utility, but I do want to achieve that ultimate level of comfort, hence the SR pursuit. If I like it, I might get another one to experiment, but definitely not looking to piling up dozens upon dozens of razors, stones, etc, etc... wanna keep it at the very minimum.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I know very little about this, so pls forgive me for asking perhaps a banal Q.
So, claims are that a SR can never be as sharp as a DE blade or Shavette, because of the nature how these DE blades are manufactured, their ergonomic, etc.
Is this true?
Then another claim goes smth. like "although a SR is not as sharp as DE blade, it removes hair effortlessly due to its weight". This seems controversial, as a normal 5/8 - 6/8 SR is going to be much lighter than a DE razor. My Muhle R41 Grande weights 3.2oz, while a heavy-duty true wedge Koraat 8/8 weights merely 2.6oz in comparison.
So, how exactly does this work?
Is shaving with a SR truly that much easier in terms of removing hair, gliding the blade over one’s face than shaving with a DE?
As you can see, most of us agree that a SR can be as sharp and comfortable as a DE blade, even better than most DE blades, even matching and according to some, beating the vaunted Feather. If you had asked this question 20 years ago you would have got a different set of answers. Today it is quite possible to match a Feather DE blade. I have done it. I don't QUITE get it there all the time, no. But I manage to nail it once in a while. Many honers don't see the point in all that cutting power at the price of 3x the work. Many others don't know how to get it or don't have the equipment for it. But more and more honers are rendering science fiction quality edges, especially self honers who don't care how long it takes to makee sharpee.
No such thing as too sharp. I like sharp. If you keep your shave angle dead low and skin stretched tightly, you will not cut yourself unless you grow careless.
Big advantage of the DE blade is the coating. It gives enough extra glide that even crappy old canned foam is good enough for lubrication.
- Thread starter
- #70
Indeed so and I appreciate your detailed and always meticulous feedback immensely @Slash McCoy!
Funny thing is I've been asking all these questions for months now, all in hope to get a better understanding on everything, but my razor, stone and soap are still somewhere in the postal systems between US, here and God-knows-where... so I'm patiently waiting for it. In the meanwhile I've been using the shavette exclusively to advance my SR technique and I feel pretty confident now. I can go ATG with both hands, w/o any problem, no nicks, cuts or irritation.
Shaves from my straights last longer than shaves from DE blades, whether they are in a shavette or a standard DE type of razor.
By lasting longer, I mean the 'need' to shave happens at a longer interval. The shave from the W&B I used this morning will push past the 20 hr mark. DE blade shaves usually don't get past 12 hr.
The W&B's edge was honed on natural stones.
No wizardry, no special sub-micron fairy dust or Pied Piper forumulas needed.
By lasting longer, I mean the 'need' to shave happens at a longer interval. The shave from the W&B I used this morning will push past the 20 hr mark. DE blade shaves usually don't get past 12 hr.
The W&B's edge was honed on natural stones.
No wizardry, no special sub-micron fairy dust or Pied Piper forumulas needed.
A very wise friend told me years ago..
"Sometimes, we're chasing the wrong side of sharp"
In other words, instead of looking for the keenest edge possible, we should endeavor the the smoothest edge possible, while retaining keenness...
"Sometimes, we're chasing the wrong side of sharp"
In other words, instead of looking for the keenest edge possible, we should endeavor the the smoothest edge possible, while retaining keenness...
There is certainly a point of diminishing returns in relation to sharpness. I would even argue that the sheer sharpest edge possible may not be desirable all of the time. If you endeavor to shave in less than ideal conditions in your bathroom or shave den, a smooth decently (but not scary) sharp blade may be preferable. I’ve been shaving in quarantine in a FEMA shower trailer the last week. Threw all my carts away months ago and just have my straight razor. I literally can’t fit in the recess where the mirror and sink is (almost no one can), so I’ve been standing about 3 feet away and freehanding my shave. My razor needs the edge to be touched up, but I’m kind of glad it isn’t surgical sharp right now honestly. Even if it’s starting to tug a bit.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
The Method edge is both very very sharp (never shaved with a sharper edge ever) and very comfortable. Now, if I stop at .5u or .25u, the edge is pretty darn sharp but nowhere near as comfortable a shave. The only thing is, you do have to use a lower shave angle with a very sharp edge. We get used to the 25 to 28 degree or so angle when shaving with a typical 12k edge and that just doesn't transfer well to an extremely sharp edge. At least not for me. YMMV and all that.
You see these claims every now and then. If you asked me this when I first started with SRs then I would agree with these claims.I know very little about this, so pls forgive me for asking perhaps a banal Q.
So, claims are that a SR can never be as sharp as a DE blade or Shavette, because of the nature how these DE blades are manufactured, their ergonomic, etc.
Is this true?
Then another claim goes smth. like "although a SR is not as sharp as DE blade, it removes hair effortlessly due to its weight". This seems controversial, as a normal 5/8 - 6/8 SR is going to be much lighter than a DE razor. My Muhle R41 Grande weights 3.2oz, while a heavy-duty true wedge Koraat 8/8 weights merely 2.6oz in comparison.
So, how exactly does this work?
Is shaving with a SR truly that much easier in terms of removing hair, gliding the blade over one’s face than shaving with a DE?
Back then my first SR was a dovo best quality.
Needless to say, it was NOT shave ready.
Watching reviews alot of people were rambling about "shave technique". Technique can only get you so far if you don't have a decent edge, and this razor was pulling hair out
SRs have a huge learning curve, honing and stropping in particular.
I am still learning as I can see constant improvements in my edges and technique.
Keep a humble mindset and listen to the experienced guys and you will see your edges improving.
If you have never experienced a decent edge, then claiming that DEs and Shavettes are "sharper" or "better" is wildly misleading(not counting a "pro edge" as many professionals don't shave with a SR. A safer bet would be to get a good edge from a person with a good rep on this forum ect).
It can be ALOT more than decent aswell, more comfortable, more cutting power.
Mass produced stainless blades vs a carefully hand honed edge in fine carbon steel? The question should be the other way around.
That's my take on it.
- Thread starter
- #76
Although I know nothing about it first hand (never honed anything), I am totally put off by the synthetics, sprays, etc (aka "the method") and what I eventually would like to use as my one_&_only stone is a Coti. My 12K Nani is still on its way...
For a short time I experimented with some of Gamma‘s fairy dust and pied piper formulas, Tomo blue, and Purple Haze, on a few Tony Miller cotten strops.
After the first shave, and a few too many epidermis slide samples, I let those Particular Blade’s tone down a bit, and just stropped them on leather.
After the first shave, and a few too many epidermis slide samples, I let those Particular Blade’s tone down a bit, and just stropped them on leather.
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