Of the few razors I've had (ATT, Gillette NEW, Gillette Red Tip, Gillette Aristocrat Junior, and a few others), there are two stages in loading a blade. (1) Insert the blade, and (2) closing the housing so the blade is held rigid and flexed. It's assumed that the blade isn't going to move, since it's clamped into place and flexed.
Any se razor never seen one flexing the blade, oneblade even has a floating fhs blade. The half de blade razors do not flex the blade either afaik some tilt the head which gives a bit less control but more comfort.
I've not experienced any razors where the blade isn't flexed. For many razors, it's integral to the success of a shave. (Carts avoid the problem, since the blades never flex.) So I agree: rigidity of the blade is essential. A blade shouldn't flex or bend once it's loaded into a razor.
Which razors don't have this feature?
Razor design and the importance of blade rigidity
- Thread starter onethinline
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Blade chatter? These aren't power tools. Maybe you need to slow down your shave a little ... shorter strokes?
You can apply logic and come up with a conclusion, but the proof is in the shave. I used to think rigid razors were better, but then I got my Wardonia and that logic went out the window. It's tied for my favorite DE. No blade support whatsoever along the edge; the only rigidity comes from the bend in the blade against the top cap and a tiny round 3/8" raised boss on the bottom. The J.E. Jones Shake Sharp also has no blade edge support whatsoever and is also tied for my #1 DE bladed razor.
The cheap futur clones : MingShi, Qshave et al; offer what I consider the worst blade support. Blades, all of them will vibrate....you can feel and hear it....(I guess it might depend on density and coarseness) of the hair you are cutting....BUT in my case, this is worse than a vintage Gillette adjustable w NO 1/4 turn which is horrible.
My experience has well.You can apply logic and come up with a conclusion, but the proof is in the shave. I used to think rigid razors were better, but then I got my Wardonia and that logic went out the window. It's tied for my favorite DE. No blade support whatsoever along the edge; the only rigidity comes from the bend in the blade against the top cap and a tiny round 3/8" raised boss on the bottom. The J.E. Jones Shake Sharp also has no blade edge support whatsoever and is also tied for my #1 DE bladed razor.
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This is an interesting thread because I think this is the main advantage of modern razors over adjustables.
There can be.
Think of a blade like a shock absorber in a car that dampens the irregularities on the surface of a street. A stiffer suspension is better on a race track but not many would enjoy or need it on the street.
As the blade flexes, it can move and undulate over imperfections in the skin. I'm quite sure that can lead to a smoother shave for many, where as a highly rigid design might prove to be more unforgiving leading to a harsher less comfortable shave.
One thing I have noticed in trying different designs was my blade choice really narrowed when using a more rigid design. The most rigid designs, using the NEW SC as an example, doesnt store any spring pressure in the blade from flex. It cant flex so it cant store that energy. Because of that, you can feel exactly how difficult to cut your stubble is. There is no give in the blade and as the edge meets and cuts into the whisker, something has to give. The skin gives and you can experience tugging.
With a design that offers less rigidity, the blade flexes more, but as it flexes it stores spring energy which helps the blade cut. It can be a mechanical advantage, the same way as increasing gap can lend a mechanical advantage through a steeper angle of edge to skin, assuming the razor is used at a neutral angle.
The advantage of using and learning different types from rigid to less rigid designs is, you can narrow the design choices to the one that best suits you.
Using the EJ DE89 as the first example, the Gillette NEW LC is a more rigid design. The NEW SC is a more rigid design again. If one was to try all three, you would learn the differences between them and then be able to narrow your choices as to the rigidity across all three.
Some people, such as myself, get our best shaves from razors that offer the most rigidity, but that doesnt mean you or anyone else will. It is worth exploring however.
My razor quest lead me to more rigid designs, then to designs that offered rigidty while increasing blade exposure because I wanted higher efficiency. Using a razor that offered both, the NEW SC, lead me to razors that offer a rigid blade design that has generous blade exposure, and finally, minimal blade gap.
My skin doesnt tolerate blade gap very well and even using my NEW SC, that has a modest blade gap of .023", I can have irritation, especially if I need more than three passes. My irritation accumulates. The larger the gap in a razors design, the faster that irritation grows. The less gap in a razors design, the slower that irritation grows.
As rigidity is increased, so is blade stability. The more stable the blade the less irritation I can have, which is why I've gone to mainly using SE's. The GEM PTFE blade is .009" thick, more than twice as thick as a typical DE blade. That difference translates to improved skin condition long term because of less over all skin irritation.
Try different types and designs and focus on the razors that give you your best shave while understanding why they give you your best shave.
I've said it many times before, the perfect shave for us all is out there, the hard part is finding it.
One other thing I'll mention, from a purely personal perspective. I didnt and still dont like adapting to a razor. I can adjust my technique so that I could use any razor, but thats not what I want to do. I want to shave the same way every time and I want my razors to suit how I shave, not the other way around.
I can use my R41 and a fresh Feather blade and get a great shave, no question. However, the way I need to shave when using that razor isnt the shave I want to perform. The razor works, no question, but it doesnt work the way I want it too.
The tool not only needs to suit the job, it needs to also suit the user.
I haven't gotten around to trying the Piccolo yet but there's a good reason for that. I picked up a Ti Timeless .95 SB a day after and have been using that instead. In the 7 or so shaves I've used the Timeless I can already tell it's smoother against the grain for me than the Karve is. I'm really liking the Timeless so far.
Timeless makes some of the most rigid DE razors there are. Thats a lot of blade gap though. I guess you'll find out if you prefer more gap or less at the same time.
The Timeless didn't cause any irritation, even with daily shaves. I'll probably try the .68 at some point just out of curiosity.
Had my first shave with the Piccolo this morning and other than needing a minute to align the blade I had no complaints. The shave was smooth, although one side was smoother than the other. I suspect the blade wasn't completely centered resulting in more exposure on one side than the other. Despite that, the result was a smooth, irritation-free shave.
Edited to add: against the grain with the Piccolo was better than the Karve. I'll need more time to be able to tell whether the Timeless or Piccolo is smoother atg.
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I had that very thing happen with my Grande yesterday. Shave #2 with a Feather and I was sure I had it aligned properly, but when I started shaving I felt a lot of blade on one side and none on the other. There was enough of a difference I actually stopped mid shave and realigned the blade. That was a first.
