Razor Blade Tech Breakthrough

[Bogeyman]

I was reading patents on blade coatings and saw where Bic patented a new graphene coating for blades. In researching it I stumbled across another revolutionary new metal coating that is more than twice as slick as PTFE (Teflon) and is the world’s third hardest material, next to diamond and cubic boron nitride. Plus it conducts electricity!! It's called aluminum magnesium boride or BAM for short. I then saw that Gillette has patented a process (June 2018) to utilize this in blade manufacture. Hell, you'll probably be able to shave with sand as a lather with this blade!! Now whether this will trickle down to DE blades no one but Gillette knows. Regardless, this is BIG news!! Easily the biggest step forward since stainless & Teflon.

BAM: The Slipperiest Material in the World

RAZOR BLADES WITH ALUMINUM MAGNESIUM BORIDE (AlMgB14)-BASED COATINGS - The Gillette Company LLC

 

[malocchio]

Interesting article.....We hope to see it used on Gillette DE blades from Russia, there is no chance they will reopen the DE blade market here.

 

[psfred]

Diamond like carbon is pretty common in razor blades these days, some of the industrial outfits even eletro-erode it to restore the apex rather than leave it slightly rounded. Any blade so coated should last dozens of shaves.

 

[Bogeyman]

Diamond like carbon is pretty common in razor blades these days, some of the industrial outfits even eletro-erode it to restore the apex rather than leave it slightly rounded. Any blade so coated should last dozens of shaves.

Yes I have read patents on that, but it does not have the all the properties of this new development. It will be better in theory than a Personna 74.

 

[psfred]

The major market for razor blades is, in fact, not shaving, it's film slitting in the plastics industry and similar things. Longevity there is very important, as is friction reduction. The blades aren't polished well enough to shave with, and typically are thicker than razor blades, but the expectation is miles and miles of film before replacement, not a few face shaves!

 

[GAW9576]

What about glassy metals.

 

[BigJ]

I was reading patents on blade coatings and saw where Bic patented a new graphene coating for blades. In researching it I stumbled across another revolutionary new metal coating that is more than twice as slick as PTFE (Teflon) and is the world’s third hardest material, next to diamond and cubic boron nitride. Plus it conducts electricity!! It's called aluminum magnesium boride or BAM for short. I then saw that Gillette has patented a process (June 2018) to utilize this in blade manufacture. Hell, you'll probably be able to shave with sand as a lather with this blade!! Now whether this will trickle down to DE blades no one but Gillette knows. Regardless, this is BIG news!! Easily the biggest step forward since stainless & Teflon.

BAM: The Slipperiest Material in the World

RAZOR BLADES WITH ALUMINUM MAGNESIUM BORIDE (AlMgB14)-BASED COATINGS - The Gillette Company LLC

Interesting!! Hope this makes it to DE blades!!

 

[razorhead63]

Very intriguing.

 

[Junker Jörg]

It will be better in theory than a Personna 74.

... with an emphasis on “in theory.” If there’s any truth to the received wisdom that the vaunted longevity of the P74 turned out to be its Achilles heel, why repeat why repeat that failed experiment? Still fascinating though.

 

[Bogeyman]

... with an emphasis on “in theory.” If there’s any truth to the received wisdom that the vaunted longevity of the P74 turned out to be its Achilles heel, why repeat why repeat that failed experiment? Still fascinating though.

It will actually be harder than tungsten used in the P74. Realize that today's market is not that of circa. 1970 however. Advertising is much more.....pinpoint. Of course, after pondering this for a few days I highly doubt this technology will be applied to DE blades and why would they? If you have the greatest breakthrough in blade technology that is truly revolutionary the market would be yours for the taking and it would be the epitome of foolishness not to "funnel" purchasers into the most profitable area of your line of merchandise.

Remember, at the end of the day this is about $$ and not what pleases we DE/SE users.

 

[JohnKavkaz]

Titanium nitride sprayed on spiral drills increases their durability. This is not a very expensive technology. If one of us works with such equipment, it is necessary to test this technology. Take the blades of well-known manufacturers, remove paraffin and oxides from them and spray titanium nitride. Then, shave the blades with dust and without spraying and report on the results Best wishes, Eugene.

 

[Junker Jörg]

It will actually be harder than tungsten used in the P74.

Yeah, I caught that. Which, hypothetically (all of this is hypothesis), would make this new tech even less attractive than tungsten turned out to be for Personna, all other things being equal. Which, as you correctly pointed out, they are not, etc.

If I cared about the cartridge market at all, the conspiracy theorist in me might suspect Gillette of patenting processes more to keep them out of the reach of Schick, Harry's, Bic, and their other cartridge competitors for awhile, than to develop them immediately. Since the shaving tech arms race is happening in the cartridge sector now, one might wonder if the P74 dilemma ever reappears there -- will new tech result in a cartridge whose extreme durability undermines profitability?

It actually doesn't matter to me. I'm quite happy with my favorite DE and SE blades in their current form. Are they as good as P74's and Light Brigades? Maybe not quite, but mystique aside, they're close enough. They're as cheap, sharp, and smooth as they need to be. Whatever new tech filters down from cartridges and other applications will be gravy.

 

[Bogeyman]

...If I cared about the cartridge market at all, the conspiracy theorist in me might suspect Gillette of patenting processes more to keep them out of the reach of Schick, Harry's, Bic, and their other cartridge competitors for awhile, than to develop them immediately...