Sharper, Smoother Or What?

[Scritchnscrub]

I know this may be inflammatory but I'm starting to wonder if blade smoothness is simply proportional to blade sharpness. So far I haven't found a really sharp blade that wasn't also really smooth. Granted, there may be a higher risk of nicking oneself with a really sharp blade but that's generally a technique issue. For example, I never get razor burn with a Feather - my personal gold standard for sharpness - but I've sliced myself when I've applied too much pressure or shaved to quickly.

Smoothness and razor burn for me are inversely proportional.

So when I hear that a particular blade isn't quite as sharp as a Feather but is smoother, I wonder if that's really accurate. To be fair, I used to think my Personna Labs were smoother, more durable but not as sharp as a Feather. Now I think they are more durable, not quite as sharp and not quite as smooth, albeit with a lower potential "slice factor".

This is my thesis for the day.

Bring it on.

Peter

 

[emwolf]

interesting thought. i know that the "coated" blades can feel better on my face, but I've pretty much settled into a rotation of Feathers, Personna blue, Gillette Silver Blue and German Wilkinson and all of them perform very well. Yes, the Feather peters out quickly whereas the Wilkinson and Personna last longer.

 

[dionesius3]

I think some coatings agree with my skin better than others. But smoothness is as much a factor of your own prep and technique as it is anything else. I used to think Derby blades were rough, then I learned proper prep and technique and now Derby blades shave just about as well as any other blade.

Thant's my two cents, YMMV!

 

[Scritchnscrub]

I hadn't considered coatings in my original thesis . I think that may be a valid point. I do know that my DLC shaves smoother than the Weber PH I used to own.

 

[Cash_Stronomer]

I like to go for the sharp factor first, and I think really a blades smoothness comes from your lather? I've had bad lather days that make my best blades feel awful, and good lather days that have made my 'OK' blades excellent. Just another thought to throw out there.

 

[TexLaw]

That's the way it works for you, and that's also the way it works for me. Excepting my very early days of DE shaving, I've always found Feathers to be very smooth. I recently tried a Polsilver SI, and that baby was smoother than Nat King Cole's voice mixed with honey and poured over a prom queen.

I know others will disagree, and that's shaving for ya.

I've also found GSBs to be very smooth. Personna Reds also are very smooth and my favorite blade (although the Polsover has me rethinking that!)

 

[BSAGuy]

Candidly, I just don't think about this question at all. I just get better quality blades, load 'em up, and shave away.

For me, even though I enjoy DE shaving, at the end (or beginning) of the day, that is all it is, shaving.

 

[Scritchnscrub]

...For me, even though I enjoy DE shaving, at the end (or beginning) of the day, that is all it is, shaving.

 

[rodmonster]

We need an engineer to talk about this stuff, but I believe that drag plays a large role in the perception of a smooth shave. We can reduce drag by improving the prep (preshave and soap/cream) or by improving the blade. My understanding is that blades were coated in order to reduce drag and improve the quality of the shave.

Recently I started using stuff called Earth Science Massage Lotion as my preshave lotion. I tried a sample on my hands and the stuff is totally slick (all natural stuff. no nasties). Decided to try it on my face. Guess what? I rotate 5 different blades. Every blade got better. Amazing reduction in drag.

In all honesty, when I have a bad shave it is usually because I did a lousy prep.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

By way of antithesis, I do find some very sharp blades to be not that smooth feeling, whereas others are. Neither Feather nor Kai blades seem to glide over my skin like Med Preps or 1970s English Wilkies. I can and do get close and nick-free shaves from Feather and Kai blades, but they just don't seem to have that effortless quality of some others.

 

[Graybeard57]

I agree wholeheartedly with you. For me, Sharpness and smoothness are synonymous. IMO, you can't have one without the other.

 

[deoxy4]

Vintage Schick, Wilkinson and Gillette blades seem to be very sharp and smooth, in general.

I tried a Personna 74 in a type E Schick injector. Being pretty familiar with the razor and my face I just usually zip around with much concern for nicks. This is a blade I found to be scary sharp but rough on first use. It clearly is a blade that demands good technique for the first few shaves or you will suffer the consequences. The blade does quiet down on use.

 

[1holegrouper]

Coming from a straight razor background I could hone a razor to be nearly as sharp as a Feather Artist Club blade but doing so gives them a bit of bite. This is where the polishing effect of the natural hones would come in. They would dial down the sharpness just a bit but dramatically improve the skinfeel. This was good for everyday shaving where one might lapse a bit on good technique, etc. You would get a great shave but have some margin of error built in. However, if you used good prep and technique you could compensate for the lack of smoothness generally with that. That is why on the weekends, when I have more time, I generally use a more aggressive DE razor with a sharper DE blade. On workdays I use a less aggressive razor/blade combo.

 

[SteveWY]

I am not an engineer or metallurgist but I suppose blade "smoothness" has something to do with a combination of sharpness, the overall quality of the edge finish and perhaps coating.

 

[BrianShaw]

Interesting question. I personally think there isn't a direct correlation, since I get a very smooth shave out of blades deemed "not the sharpest" and not any smoother shave out of blades deemed very sharp. For me the diff is that the "sharper" blades lead to more nicking and weeping.

I'll be having lunch with a PhD in engineering who's first job out of school was with a razor blade company. His job was focused on blade sharpening. I'll ask him and report back what he said. At least I'll try to do that - he is rather elderly and sometimes looses track of the conversation.

 

[BrianShaw]

So I had lunch with my buddy and asked the question. Here's the story. He was hired as a graduate student, a long time ago, to do a study for Schick regarding the sharpness of single edge injector blades. The study had a couple of components but the one of greatest interest is "what makes a blade sharp"? They used electron microscopes to examine and compare the edges on Schick and competitor blades. He said that the difference between edges as virtually indistinguishable except for the difference between coated and non-coated blades. Coated had a smoother edge and, therefore, believed to be "sharper". Smoothness and sharpness was also tested using a panel of 12 test shavers (all men). He could not recall if there were any controls such as using the same soap/cream, razor, etc... but said that each shaver tried all blades and submitted them to the lab with a notation of their perception/experience of sharpness and smoothness. Interestingly, the data did not support any brand as clearly sharper than the other, but tended to support the idea that coating resulted in better smoothness and sharpness ratings.

 

[Scritchnscrub]

Wow. Thank you for that. I never dreamed I'd get such good data back when I posed the question.

 

[CaptainTime]

Feathers are usually thought to be the sharpest, but I find Astras to be smoother - less drag.

 

[Jaidmaster]

Interesting.
I'm not sure sharp and smooth always have to go together. Does smooth = slices through hair easily OR feels smooth on the skin?
To me, they have not always been the same.