Thanks for making these post. I've found them very interesting and informative.
THEHTGAM/PPF/PH0ENIX/D0UGLAS/H0DGES/FRANCES Thread
- Thread starter jiaconianni
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Excellent, the 89 is a fantastic choice! I think everyone here will learn something from that examination. Keep up the good work, when you're done this should be a sticky at the top of the page.
How does a disposable razor keep its sharp effective shave edge versus a Double edge blade such as Astras and Feather ?Thanks, rockclimber! I will definitely keep going with photo analysis. (By the way, I really like your soap-making thread! Keep that up, too!) The Dorco PL602 is next, which is an inexpensive plastic razor and doesn't really compare to metal razors, in my opinion, but I'll post pictures and measurements and comment about my bad experience with it. Some guys like the razor because it works for them, so my measurements might come in handy. I'd love to see tons of razors reviewed with photo analysis, too, but not by me!I need help!
It is my hope that others will get involved with analyzing the razors that they own, especially the classic and stainless steel razors. No one person can be expected to buy and analyze all of the razors out there, you know? It should be a team effort with more and more guys becoming more and more used to seeing measurements to the point of expecting them and comparing them between razors to figure out what works for them and for particular blades. In that process, we should all get away from blade gap, which is virtually useless, and focus on blade angle, blade exposure, guard span, etc. Since I need to move on from the PAA DOC and get a razor that's more suited for me, I've already ordered a classic to analyze and shave with . . . The EJ DE89! Actually, I ordered the EJ DE89 head on what is called the EJ Kelvin, specially made for Amazon and currently priced a little over $29, having the EJ DE89 head on a handle that is similar to the Merkur 34C handle. I figured that the EJ DE89 was a good step for my own experience and for documenting its dimensions to share with the wet shaving community since the EJ DE89 is a modern-day classic.
Wouldn't technique be on top of the analysis results as a significant variable to the better shave results too?Thanks, rockclimber! I will definitely keep going with photo analysis. (By the way, I really like your soap-making thread! Keep that up, too!) The Dorco PL602 is next, which is an inexpensive plastic razor and doesn't really compare to metal razors, in my opinion, but I'll post pictures and measurements and comment about my bad experience with it. Some guys like the razor because it works for them, so my measurements might come in handy. I'd love to see tons of razors reviewed with photo analysis, too, but not by me!
So you may have a varying opinions or insight as you analyze different shave gear in your experiments?
Excellent and extremely insightful post
The Dorco PL602 is a plastic DE safety razor, so you use whatever DE blade you want. I'll post pictures soon.
I agree, but there must be significant members contributing to help with the proper unbiased results, just one member doing it by himself may be too over burdening.
alex2363,
You make a good point. Technique, shave prep, lather, the blade choice, etc., are all variables that we deal with when evaluating how a razor feels and performs. This is why MEASUREMENTS are so valuable. Measurements for a razor-blade combination stay the same from person to person, even when one guy might not like the shave while another guy likes the shave. Measurements of blade angle, blade exposure, guard span, etc., can help each of us figure out what razor properties and blades work best for us. We just have to have the data and then look at it to correlate parameter values with razor-blade performance. I think that even with one's own particular technique, shave prep, lather, etc., one would be able to figure out what works best for him and then use that information when considering another razor to purchase. I got going on this train of thought after buying and using the PAA DOC based on what people had to say about it and how it compared to the DE89, etc. There were no measurements and I didn't know to even ask or what to look for. I was just doing my best to pick the best razor for a beginner like me. In time, with gained wet shaving experience and improved technique, I figured out that the PAA DOC was not working out so great for me, and then I dug deeper to figure out why and what happened. The engineer in me kicked in and I got to where I am now, advocating and performing measurements so that we can figure out what dimensions work best for us individually so that we can make more informed and better purchases.
I make my own measurements and give my own opinions on how I think the dimensions relate to my shaving experience, but I leave it to you and others to offer your thoughts and feedback, too. Your opinions matter just as much. A certain razor-blade combination might work great for me but not work so great for someone else. Hopefully, when evaluated against measured dimensions, we can each figure out what values work best for us on an individual basis.
Yes! Since I started doing photo analysis of razors and posting here, I've advocated that others try to do the same or get involved. I can only photograph the razors that I get my hands on, which are razors that I'm buying for myself. However, without having a razor, I can do the analysis if someone provides sufficiently focused and accurate close-up photos down both edges of the razor blade, similar to the photos that I take, with a scale/ruler properly in the picture. I can offer instructions and advice on how to do this. My digital camera is several years old and I'm able to take pictures that are good enough. If others are comfortable with doing the analysis of the photos, then that's great, too, as long as they know what they are doing.
Maybe we could get something going in the future with others sending me their razors to photograph and analyze. Whoa! Now that's an idea! 
You can probably RSS the blade exposure and blade gap to get a standardized "aggressiveness" number.
For example:
For the DOC
An=sqrt((.47)^2-(.21)^2)
An=.4205
For a non negative exposure with large blade gap (I just reversed the DOC exposure)
An=sqrt((.47)^2+(.21)^2)
An=.5148
If you had a maximum value (let's say a merku futur on 6.5, blade exposure is made up since I cannot find it anywhere)
An=sqrt((1.75)^2+(.21)^2)
An=1.7625
Therefore the DOC would have an aggressiveness of 2.385 and the futur would be a 10.
Curvature of the blade may need to be worked into this somewhere, but it wouldn't be a bad start.
For example:
For the DOC
An=sqrt((.47)^2-(.21)^2)
An=.4205
For a non negative exposure with large blade gap (I just reversed the DOC exposure)
An=sqrt((.47)^2+(.21)^2)
An=.5148
If you had a maximum value (let's say a merku futur on 6.5, blade exposure is made up since I cannot find it anywhere)
An=sqrt((1.75)^2+(.21)^2)
An=1.7625
Therefore the DOC would have an aggressiveness of 2.385 and the futur would be a 10.
Curvature of the blade may need to be worked into this somewhere, but it wouldn't be a bad start.
Thanks for the input, paintflinger. The thought of an "aggressiveness" formula has crossed my mind, but I know that it's too early to come up with something reliable, and I might never be able to come up with something good. Any model should make sense and capture the mechanics involved. Your calculations, for example, include blade gap, which has very little to nothing to do with aggressiveness, with razor feel and performance. Blade exposure, guard span, and blade angle would be the main parameters that I'd include and start with. Adding more parameters might be necessary, but they would add to the modeling complexity. Curvature of the blade, by the way, would not need to be included. There is no curvature on the part of the blade that you see with "blade reveal", the part that matters. The blade just shoots straight out from razor to the blade edge. Any wiggle across the blade edge would be negligible in a model.
Fair enough. I can't see the photos to see what you are calling blade exposure/gap and was just using them for example.
I do think that blade curve is important though. Something like the '13 R41 that curves the blade improves it's efficiency and tones down the aggressiveness imo. Somehow I'd work that in there.
You can't see the photo on page 1 in the original post? I'm sorry about that. I've never heard of anyone having problems seeing my pictures. Here is the URL outside of B&B for the picture:
http://imgur.com/a/9vl8W
Regarding blade curvature, there is practically none on the blade from the razor to the blade edge. The blade is like a cantilever beam, freely hanging from its support with no bending moment or shearing force (neglecting weight, which is fine to do here), which then results in a straight blade jutting out from the razor. I think that you have correlated razors that bend blades more under their top caps with increased efficiency and less aggressiveness, but correlation does not prove causation.
Nothing wrong with the link, they're just blocked at work.
I guess what I'm talking about is the angle at which the blade cuts a hair. With a curved blade The Edge cuts the hair at a shallow angle which in my opinion is more efficient. Like you said correlation is not causation though.
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