I'm curious - how do you personally measure razor efficiency?

[Slock]

I think we are in alignment with this and it fits my effective = efficient + smooth + nimble + maneuverable equation.

Playing a bit of devil's advocate here: Is the definition of "efficiency = gap vs exposure" used by the industry? It would make things easier for folks. How would it be represented by a numerical rating (1 - 10, a percentage, etc)?

I actually had a thread about this.

DE razor geometry. A system for measuring aggressive razors​

I tried to equate using a system similar to the measerments of an autmoble tire. It isn't that simple there are too many varibles in the geommetry of the razor for it to be reduced to one or even three numbers. Please look at the attached image. This image illustrates all of the razor parameters.

 

[Slock]

Good points.

Nimble and maneuverable are extremely important to me. Plus, as the nerves in my neck continue to deteriorate, I am less comfortable with heavy razors and have moved more to Titanium and even some Aluminum parts and pieces. @Rosseforp made me a nice LHF handle that weighs 25g. I've pretty much settled on handles that are 14mm in diameter by 80mm long. Anything too narrow is difficult to grasp.

I am not a beliver in let the heavy razor do the work. The east to wesy pass and the south to north pass do not benifit from a heavy razor. My south to north pass is my money pass. Or is my most efficent pass.

 

[never-stop-learning]

For me it took over a hundred razors, dozens of soaps and brushes, and thousands of blades.

Is that all.....?

 

[never-stop-learning]

I actually had a thread about this.

DE razor geometry. A system for measuring aggressive razors​

I tried to equate using a system similar to the measerments of an autmoble tire. It isn't that simple there are too many varibles in the geommetry of the razor for it to be reduced to one or even three numbers. Please look at the attached image. This image illustrates all of the razor parameters.
View attachment 1465807

I was hoping to find this pic! Thank you!

 

[Slock]

Very funny. Use the same setup every day? Not for me man. LOL.

For my first year I jsut used an EJ de89 and just worked on technique. Using a bunch of razors would make it harder to refine your technique. I am way past my frst year and my RAD has bloomed.

 

[Phoenixkh]

100's of razors....1000's of blades....dozens of soaps and brushes....... oh, my...

 

[never-stop-learning]

I am not a beliver in let the heavy razor do the work. The east to wesy pass and the south to north pass do not benifit from a heavy razor. My south to north pass is my money pass. Or is my most efficent pass.

My beard grows in swirls and multiple directions. Tough to say which pass is my money pass. I settled on three main passes (WTG, ATG & XTG) plus a Touchup pass that is mostly diagonal stokes - direction depending on the area. I do not try for BBS. Results are usually DFS to DFS++ with the occasional "accidental" BBS.

If a razor can't get me a DFS at a minimum using this process, it ain't efficient enough.

 

[Slock]

My beard grows in swirls and multiple directions. Tough to say which pass is my money pass. I settled on three main passes (WTG, ATG & XTG) plus a Touchup pass that is mostly diagonal stokes - direction depending on the area. I do not try for BBS. Results are usually DFS to DFS++ with the occasional "accidental" BBS.

If a razor can't get me a DFS at a minimum using this process, it ain't efficient enough.

I don';t have any strange swirling in my beard. My neck benefits from the diagonal strokes when touching up. With my Henson medium razor I can get a consistant BBS. I learned that the skin on the neck is rougher than the rest of the face, I thnk the neck will always be the most challenging area for BBS.

 

[thombrogan]

The east to wesy pass and the south to north pass do not benifit from a heavy razor.

Those passes can benefit from dummy-dense safety razors. That’s where you come in! Yes, more mass means more gravity to find (ounces or Newtons depending on your system of measurement), but it also means more force in any bit of acceleration (ounces per your volume here or grams). So long as the force concentrated on the razor’s edge is digging into whiskers and not flesh, that extra force is potentially a dollop of awesomesauce.

 

[Ironw]

I will use what I posted to that other thread...

For my experience, and as per many conversations here on B&B, I rationalize "efficiency" as a measurement, which is not subjective, and not variable. "Efficiency" is a measure of gap versus exposure. It measures how much hair a razor can physically cut. It takes into account the gap between the blade and the baseplate, and how much blade sticks out of the razor past its cutting plane. It has nothing to do with how a razor feels on your face, aggressiveness, smoothness, effectiveness, or any other subjective variable. All of those other terminologies are subjective, and will be based on a variety of variable criteria, such as prep, skin sensitivity, beard map, etc.

Effectiveness is the sum of all the parts, and a subjective measurement of the shave results. How close was the shave? How long did it last? How smooth and comfortable was the shave? How enjoyable was the whole experience? All of those things combine as the effectiveness of the razor.

Would this definition of efficiency not be more of a definition to a measure of aggressiveness?

 

[Jack Goossen]

The morning after my (head) shave, I let my fingers go over the back of my head.

 

[dotKomo]

• How do you personally define razor efficiency? Beard reduction with the least amount of effort and time (which can be looked at one of two ways - number of passes, clean-up and time).
• How do you personally measure razor efficiency? As close to BBS (I never really achieve that) as possible without irritation, nicks or cuts.
• Do you differentiate between efficiency and effectiveness? Efficient means less effort. Effectiveness can be achieved without efficiency, but usually comes at a price.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have a very incomplete understanding of what makes one razor more or less efficient than another.

I measure efficiency by how close my shave seems and how long that close and smooth feeling shave lasts assuming it was close to begin with.

My shaves are pretty much all the same in that I generally follow a certain pattern with all shaves regardless of razor or other component variation.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Phoenixkh]

I continue to enjoy reading this thread but I have zero frame of reference. Well, perhaps not zero but close to it... I can compare a Gillette Fusion Power, the RR Lupo DE Aluminum and my Claymore Evolution... that's it.

Still, I enjoy the experiences of others.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I continue to enjoy reading this thread but I have zero frame of reference. Well, perhaps not zero but close to it... I can compare a Gillette Fusion Power, the RR Lupo DE Aluminum and my Claymore Evolution... that's it.

Still, I enjoy the experiences of others.

How does those three razors compare in delivering (assuming equal amount of work) a long lasting shave?

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Phoenixkh]

How does those three razors compare in delivering (assuming equal amount of work) a long lasting shave?

Happy shaves,

Jim

I got decent shaves with the Fusion Power, esp when the cartridges were new.... but I'd push them until that little colored wear strip was completely white and then for a few more shaves after that.

I only used the Lupo once.. and it was horrible for me. But that may well be because I had no idea what I was doing. I ended up ordering the ESC Claymore Evo and had it delivered before I shaved again. My face was a mess... all cut up, etc. You could bear down pretty hard on a 5 blade cartridge with very little consequence, but as you know, you can't do that with a single blade edge.

The Claymore Evo was brilliant from the first use. I re-nicked a few bumps I'd damaged with the first Lupo shave...and it took a few tries to adjust to the longer 50mm blade before I knew exactly where the razor was. Kind of like driving a new or different car.... you need to adapt to a different vehicle length, width and where the tires are, etc.

I've been getting shaves that last around 10 to 12 hours before I can feel the whiskers now.. with no effort at all. It started out that way from the very beginning..... but I didn't start paying attention to how long a shave would be last until I started reading about it here. But from the first shave, I was getting closer shaves with the Claymore Evo over the Fusion Power that I'd been using since they were released.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I was thinking about this as I was rowing on our Concept2 machine.... I think I might have mistyped... I doubt I've ever had a shave that lasted 12 hours.... I shave in the afternoons, usually.... so I don't stay up long enough to check, but when I do shave in the mornings, I'd say the average is 10 hours... not 12... and if I'm in a real hurry.. maybe a bit less than that.

I will make an effort to pay closer attention when on that rare occasion I shave in the mornings... I'll set an alarm on my phone for 8 hours and start checking then.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Would this definition of efficiency not be more of a definition to a measure of aggressiveness?

To me, aggressiveness in a razor is a measure of aggressive + unpredictable. Prone to bite. Not Good Shaves (with apologies to Alton Brown).

 

[never-stop-learning]

I was thinking about this as I was rowing on our Concept2 machine.... I think I might have mistyped... I doubt I've ever had a shave that lasted 12 hours.... I shave in the afternoons, usually.... so I don't stay up long enough to check, but when I do shave in the mornings, I'd say the average is 10 hours... not 12... and if I'm in a real hurry.. maybe a bit less than that.

I will make an effort to pay closer attention when on that rare occasion I shave in the mornings... I'll set an alarm on my phone for 8 hours and start checking then.

My barbed wire beard grows pretty fast. Makes no difference how much I torment my face, I'll have stubble poking through before long.

 

[Ironw]

To me, aggressiveness in a razor is a measure of aggressive + unpredictable. Prone to bite. Not Good Shaves (with apologies to Alton Brown).

I hadn't thought of the unpredictable characteristic, though I definitely think there's a correlation between aggressiveness and being prone to bite.