If you look on eBay you will see many battery operated devices for sharpening safety razors. While I suspect that will be panned by this community, I am interested if any of you have used them and what kind of results were achieved? It appears to be such a neat gadget that it would seem almost irresistable for anyone who already has the plunge into something as unique as wetshaving. Regardless if they are on sale on eBay somebody must want them. regards, bib
Safety Razor Blade Sharpeners?
- Thread starter jebib3
- Start date
Trust me, these gadgets are a waste of money and time. However, if you are a collector of shaving nostalgia, then they are an interesting purchase.
+1
It's unclear if the original poster is referring to a gadget to sharpen a cartridge razor, or a DE blade.
At one point there were a lot of gadgets made to sharpen DE blades, most of them failed horribly, and were way more complex than they need to be (since a DE blade can be sharpened on a specially designed DE razor blade hone).
In regards to sharpening a modern DE blade, they have coatings on the edges, and any attempt to sharpen them removes the coatings, which results in a rougher shave. I also don't see the point in sharpening something that costs .10 cents each.
Any device made to sharpen a cartridge razor simply can't work. You need access to both sides of an edge to sharpen it, and one side of the edge is inaccessible in a cartridge razor due to the design of the cartridge. Therefore, all of these device fail due to the design of the cartridge itself.
I saw a device for that one time...it was hilarious and the guy in the antique shop was really trying to sell me on it.It was a bent piece of metal that held two marbles pinched together AND he wanted $10 or $15 for it. I really don't get that: the device was supposed to somehow sharpen a blade that was practically paper thin without misshaping the bevel or edge as well as not cutting my hand up in the process. Aaaaaand rant over.
It was a bent piece of metal that held two marbles pinched together AND he wanted $10 or $15 for it. I really don't get that: the device was supposed to somehow sharpen a blade that was practically paper thin without misshaping the bevel or edge as well as not cutting my hand up in the process. Aaaaaand rant over.
I am sure someone will like to the article eventually, but there was a 1920's era article that pointed out the faultiness of many of these products, and the one you describe is one of the worst: due to the bevel of the blade, and rounded sphere nature of the marbles, the edge of the blade actually never comes into contact with the marbles whatsoever, so the device does absolutely nothing!!
I have one of these, and I can vouch for that statement. My wife got it for me in response to my complaints regarding cartridge prices. Even new blades with only one shave on them were unusable after having been subjected to this thing!
I'm not sure I buy this part. Coatings would seem to act solely as corrosion inhibitors. If this is the case, coatings keep a blade smooth cutting and sharp in that they help keep the most critical part of the blade from deteriorating due to effects of air and water. Sharpening could certainly remove any coating. However, it doesn't follow that it would lead to a rougher shave. Particularly since sharpening would also remove any small amounts of corrosion, too, and at least in theory, restore the edge. If a particular device leads to a rougher shaving blade, I suspect it's not because the device removed any coating, but more likely because the device did not really work as advertised.
To me, the question is twofold. One, whether any particular device actually sharpens a blade. And two, whether it's worthwhile spending the money and effort to do so. It seems clear that at least some devices are scams. Others seem at least plausible. And whether the whole idea is worthwhile at all is something one has to determine for oneself.
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And that is precisely why these folks can stay in business. They never sell two to the same folks, just one to each guy that has to try it for himself!
Coatings are designed to fill in the honing lines, grooves and gaps of a blade edge. This smoothes out the edge, resulting in a smoother shave. Stainless steel blades are supposed to provide corrosion resistance. That's not to say that coatings don't assist in this regard but their primary purpose is to reduce shaving friction.
I have one of these, and I can vouch for that statement. My wife got it for me in response to my complaints regarding cartridge prices. Even new blades with only one shave on them were unusable after having been subjected to this thing!
Was it "SaveABlade"?? I can't find the video, but an Florida news team put blades under the microscope before using SaveABlade, and after using SaveABlade, and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this thing is 100% scam, as the device wrecked the edge of the blade!!
Isn't there at least a cartridge "cleaner" that was tested to prolong the life of cartridges? Removes residue buildup from the blades. Makes sense using one if it really does work. DE blades on the othet hand are so cheap in comparison I wouldn't mind using a new blade for every shave if I had to.
It was a bent piece of metal that held two marbles pinched together AND he wanted $10 or $15 for it. I really don't get that: the device was supposed to somehow sharpen a blade that was practically paper thin without misshaping the bevel or edge as well as not cutting my hand up in the process. Aaaaaand rant over.
I've got one of those, came in a box of stuff I got at a flea market. Did it look like this? I gotta tell you, getting a Fusion cartridge in between the marbles is a job!
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+1000!
That's the one! I used to say that it might be able to sharpen your blades (relatively), if your blades were dulled beyond a certain point (and, it may very well be able to do so). BUT ... if your blades were sharper than that point, it would dutifully dull it down to that point!
And, "that point" was well beyond a comfortable shave. "That point" didn't cut whiskers ... it yanked 'em out!
+1
The only re-sharpening gadget I've ever found that really worked was corking a blade for the second and subsequent uses ... this doesn't do any sharpening, per se, but it does wipe off accumulated soap scum and renders the edge squeaky clean again.
But why bother?
- DE blades are cheap.
- DE blades are readily available when you need more.
- DE blades are designed to be DISPOSABLE.
I've got one of those, came in a box of stuff I got at a flea market. Did it look like this? I gotta tell you, getting a Fusion cartridge in between the marbles is a job!
Yes, that's exactly what he tried to sell me. An Azor head might fit!
+1000!
That's the one! I used to say that it might be able to sharpen your blades (relatively), if your blades were dulled beyond a certain point (and, it may very well be able to do so). BUT ... if your blades were sharper than that point, it would dutifully dull it down to that point!
And, "that point" was well beyond a comfortable shave. "That point" didn't cut whiskers ... it yanked 'em out!
I can actually vouch slightly for the SAB. During one of my poorer times, I was stuck with mediocre Schick disposables for about a year. The SAB managed to extend the usable life for a disposable to about a month each. Granted it was not a perfect shave, but okay.
I thought corking was used to tame a rough blade for the first shave but seems I was wrong?
You are correct ... corking a fresh blade for the first shave is the most common method. I've done this, but couldn't really tell any difference, whether it was corked or not.
Being the kind of person that "Thinks Outside the Box," I tried corking a few blades that already had a shave or two on them ... this is where the cork made a big difference. Again, it doesn't sharpen the blade, but it does remove soap scum and renders it squeaky clean. If the blade was a little rough to begin with, corking it for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th shave seemed to make some brands "better than new."
Any chance you tried corking a Feather this way? Longetivity seems to be the main issue with them.
Can a blade really become dull after just a few shaves anyway, isn't it the buildup/residue that accumulates on the cutting edge that makes it feel dull eventually?
See, this sounds like marketing speak to me. If there are gaps in the edge of a blade, few coatings other than more steel will produce a sharpenable edge capable of holding it's keenness. Steel is what cuts, not the coatings. Typical metal platings or polymer coatings are ridiculously weak performers at edge holding compared to steel. If the coating is there to reduce friction on the flat sides of the blade, the question becomes, how much friction does a cut whisker really induce on a blade?
Furthermore, cutlery grade steel, even if stainless, isn't corrosion proof. Especially in the conditions they are expected to endure, prolonged moisture, various chemical exposure, and very thin metal. These conditions threaten blade longevity, especially at the thinnest part.
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