I am on a quest to get a close, no irritation shave. I prioritize no irritation over closeness, as skin health is more important than a BBS. although every once in a while I will go for a BBS at the risk of some irritation.
Traditional thinking states that there is an inverted linear line between a razor that shaves closely, and a razor that is gentle on the skin. Some modern razors are challenging this notion, such as the Henson, as one can get a fairly close shave without irritation. I see some experienced shavers get there great, no irritation shaves, from a more aggressive razor. Others get amazing irritation free shaves from a straight razor.
This brings up the question: why do some of these razors break the traditional inverted relationship between gentle and closeness? When I was originally looking at the razors that break the traditional thinking and give a close, no irritation shave, I thought it had something to do with the bending of the blade. I recently got the Goodfellas’ Smile Bayonetta razor, which gave me a remarkably good nearly no irritation shave. After examining the Bayonetta razor, I realized that it’s not the bending of the blade that makes the razor so effective yet mild, it’s the angle that the blade hits the face that makes the razor so effective and mild. It’s the locked angle that makes this razor so beginner friendly. In theory, one should be able to get this super effective mild shave from some aggressive razors that allow a really shallow angle as well, except in the aggressive razor it takes more skill as the blade is more open.
To think about this, one has to realize that there are two main variables which are considered when looking at a razor’s aggressiveness. The two variables are blade gap and blade exposure. yet potentially the most important variable seems to be missed, the angle at which the blade contacts the face.
People talk a lot about the angle required to hold the razor for hitting a sweet spot. However, most people overlook the most important angle: the angle of blade-to-face contact. Coming from simple vectors, one learns that the further a force deviates from a straight line, the more diverted the energy gets. Since most razor blades appear to have a 10° bevel, I would reason that the optimal angle where the blade can cut through the hair easily would be when the blade hits the face had a 10° angle. If the blade hits the face at a 10° angle, then one can slide the bevel along the skin and the blade’s point will cleanly cut through the hair without touching the skin. Cutting such a steep angle in theory can give one the closest no irritation shave, yet this is quite dangerous as a simple slipup can easily penetrate the skin.
Many modern razors force and optimal angle where the blade contexts the face at an angle closer to 45°. The most enjoyed razors like the vintage Gillette’s, Gems, the Henson, the Bayonetta, and many others all seem to have a blade to face contact angle of 20° or under. I have not done exact measurements, yet based on crude analysis, I’m seeing most modern razors ranging from mid 30s to upper 40° range. Many times, it is just the cap which is forcing the wrong angle. I recently sanded down one of my Chinese razors cap, which had a thick stainless cap, and received a much milder shave. I was a little too cautious on that shave and did not get as close as I would like.
I’m wondering what other people have to think about this blade face angle variable. Is this is the third most important variable that has been missing? Is the lack of appreciating blade face angle the reason many of the Chinese copies were a hit or miss as many times the cap changed the blade angle? Maybe some people can post beautiful pictures showing the blade face angle of different razors. Hopefully, more razor manufacturers will start taking the blade face angle into consideration when making their razor. At least there are more optimally angled razors being produced today that only cut in the optimal angle, allowing a beginner to get a beautiful close irritation free shave.
Traditional thinking states that there is an inverted linear line between a razor that shaves closely, and a razor that is gentle on the skin. Some modern razors are challenging this notion, such as the Henson, as one can get a fairly close shave without irritation. I see some experienced shavers get there great, no irritation shaves, from a more aggressive razor. Others get amazing irritation free shaves from a straight razor.
This brings up the question: why do some of these razors break the traditional inverted relationship between gentle and closeness? When I was originally looking at the razors that break the traditional thinking and give a close, no irritation shave, I thought it had something to do with the bending of the blade. I recently got the Goodfellas’ Smile Bayonetta razor, which gave me a remarkably good nearly no irritation shave. After examining the Bayonetta razor, I realized that it’s not the bending of the blade that makes the razor so effective yet mild, it’s the angle that the blade hits the face that makes the razor so effective and mild. It’s the locked angle that makes this razor so beginner friendly. In theory, one should be able to get this super effective mild shave from some aggressive razors that allow a really shallow angle as well, except in the aggressive razor it takes more skill as the blade is more open.
To think about this, one has to realize that there are two main variables which are considered when looking at a razor’s aggressiveness. The two variables are blade gap and blade exposure. yet potentially the most important variable seems to be missed, the angle at which the blade contacts the face.
People talk a lot about the angle required to hold the razor for hitting a sweet spot. However, most people overlook the most important angle: the angle of blade-to-face contact. Coming from simple vectors, one learns that the further a force deviates from a straight line, the more diverted the energy gets. Since most razor blades appear to have a 10° bevel, I would reason that the optimal angle where the blade can cut through the hair easily would be when the blade hits the face had a 10° angle. If the blade hits the face at a 10° angle, then one can slide the bevel along the skin and the blade’s point will cleanly cut through the hair without touching the skin. Cutting such a steep angle in theory can give one the closest no irritation shave, yet this is quite dangerous as a simple slipup can easily penetrate the skin.
Many modern razors force and optimal angle where the blade contexts the face at an angle closer to 45°. The most enjoyed razors like the vintage Gillette’s, Gems, the Henson, the Bayonetta, and many others all seem to have a blade to face contact angle of 20° or under. I have not done exact measurements, yet based on crude analysis, I’m seeing most modern razors ranging from mid 30s to upper 40° range. Many times, it is just the cap which is forcing the wrong angle. I recently sanded down one of my Chinese razors cap, which had a thick stainless cap, and received a much milder shave. I was a little too cautious on that shave and did not get as close as I would like.
I’m wondering what other people have to think about this blade face angle variable. Is this is the third most important variable that has been missing? Is the lack of appreciating blade face angle the reason many of the Chinese copies were a hit or miss as many times the cap changed the blade angle? Maybe some people can post beautiful pictures showing the blade face angle of different razors. Hopefully, more razor manufacturers will start taking the blade face angle into consideration when making their razor. At least there are more optimally angled razors being produced today that only cut in the optimal angle, allowing a beginner to get a beautiful close irritation free shave.
Trap.
