Low noise/silent DE razors?

[catchacoolbreeze]

In the straight razor world I've really come to appreciate the silence of a wedge/near wedge. I just love the feel against my face compared to the very noisy hollow ground brethren. I don't know if noise equates to feel in your mind and it's all an illusion. Either way I don't care, I like what I like!

Curious if this also occurs in the DE razor world? Are there silent razors (or at least comparitevely quiet ones)? What's you razor/blade combo? I'm curious to explore this.

 

[ButterfaceX]

I live in both worlds, so I get it..
Many factors but...
I hear more audible feedback coming from some of my Aluminum DE heads.
Yes, there are others...
I know there is more to that also, casting, cnc, mim... Metals density...noise absorption...
Also factor is the soap lube used, that also has a factor in sound deadening.. Blade too...

Bottom-line, as you know , you can't come close to the SR cut.
But a great slants can get you closer that non slant DE..and pretty damn quite.
The quick quiet executor for me :
Feather/KAI? BIC P C blade
In my slant farm...IKON, RR, PARKER, MERKUR, FATIP,WINDROSE, FASAN, Bakelites, ..
As usually, YMMV ...some don't find the slant works for them..
Shave on...
Noisy or Quiet ..

BFX

 

[Guido75]

Curious if this also occurs in the DE razor world? Are there silent razors (or at least comparitevely quiet ones)? What's you razor/blade combo? I'm curious to explore this.

Interesting question and observation by the way. I don’t have any straight razors so cannot compare, but I didn’t know a wedge would be silent either.

As for the DE equivalent I think most of my razors have audio feedback, but thinking a little harder I believe my Gillette Aristocrat OC and NEW Raised Flat Bottom are reasonably quiet. Especially the Aristocrat. I need to shave with it soon to verify for sure.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[ivan_101]

I live in both worlds, so I get it..
Many factors but...
I hear more audible feedback coming from some of my Aluminum DE heads.
Yes, there are others...
I know there is more to that also, casting, cnc, mim... Metals density...noise absorption...
Also factor is the soap lube used, that also has a factor in sound deadening.. Blade too...

Bottom-line, as you know , you can't come close to the SR cut.
But a great slants can get you closer that non slant DE..and pretty damn quite.
The quick quiet executor for me :
Feather/KAI? BIC P C blade
In my slant farm...IKON, RR, PARKER, MERKUR, FATIP,WINDROSE, FASAN, Bakelites, ..
As usually, YMMV ...some don't find the slant works for them..
Shave on...
Noisy or Quiet ..

BFX

There are many factors indeed. Material matters too. Blade bending to a certain degree only. But the main factor is what percentage of the blade surface is being clamped strongly. Also the blade reveal degree (not to be confused with blade exposure). To a small degree also the thickness of the blade and how flexible it is.

 

[Island]

Well, it's not the lambda Athena. People love how it "sings".

 

[NorthernSoul]

They seem to be quieter when the blade is clamped close to the edge, with a heavier solid handle, brass/steel rather than aluminum or other lighter materials can help. Slant razors that keep the blade twisted make the blade more rigid so it won't vibrate as much.

Two fairly quiet razors are Fatip OC Slant with solid Piccolo handle and Gillette NEW Short Comb on a solid handle.

 

[thombrogan]

My idjit brain thinks a RazoRock Super Slant Lvl 1 or thereabouts would be closest to pretending it’s quiet, especially used shallow in a very hydrated lather.

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

Well, it's not the lambda Athena. People love how it "sings".

That's so surprising as it looks like its clamped pretty close to the edge and at several points across the blade. I guess clamping is not the only factor, which makes sense because my WR2 isn't exactly "quiet." I don't know a lot about the razor but it seems people compare it to the Karve Overlander which definitely doesn't "sing" so to speak.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

FOCS with a Bic is pretty silent. Maybe too silent. Like an assassin.

 

[lasta]

+1 on the New short comb!

 

[SalS]

When I used soap, I heard some noise from the Henson head but with the Jack Black products dead silence. I can only surmise its from the beard softeners.

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

This is going in an interesting direction. I don't know a lot about vintage razors or slants. I had a Merkur Slant and hated how aggressive it was (I like mild razors). The Gillette NEW Short Comb seems like an interesting option - now where to find one...

 

[Lord NSIC]

I choose my tools depending upon my desire that day, so I'll choose a heavier grind SR against a longer growth when I just want to silently wipe away lather and whiskers without any drama, and other times I'll choose a 6/8 or larger hollow grind when I want to hear the blade efficiently going about its business and telling anyone within earshot. Same for DEs, but a little less so, and have found that Old Types, and NEW Short Combs do the trick but my favorite is any Gillette New Improved razor as it just goes about its business quietly and efficiently.

 

[cyberdog]

The Timeless 95 OC, Muhle R41, and Rockwell aren't very loud, depending upon the blade. KAI blades make the Rockwell noticeable louder than say a Voskhod, Rapira Platinum Lux, or Feather for instance. Come to think of it, I seem to recall my Fat-Boy being fairly quiet, as it the Gillette NEW. It's been ages since I used it, however, I seem to recall my Post War Tech (~1950-1955) being relatively quiet. - If you want loud, try a Merkur Futur or one of its knock-offs, the ABS/Resin based PAA Monster series, they can really sing.

You may also notice that a heavier (solid) handle will quiet a relatively noisy razor, as it doesn't resonate the way a hollow handle does. Might be why my R41 is pretty quiet, I only bought the replacement head and screwed it to an existing handle.