I'm curious, wouldn't the sharpest blade be the smoothest? (feather) I've read people say that a certain blade may not be as sharp as a Feather, but smoother. How is that possible?
What makes a blade "smooth"?
- Thread starter alexanderkarelin16
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Not sure but maybe the presence of small burrs along the edge. Maybe that's why corking and palm stropping may give some an increase in perceived smoothness.. I'm sure metal type and coatings on the blade also may have some influence as well.
There's a thread on a French forum I think that was posted showing the close ups, IIRC they did not seem to match the look and performance, so God only knows.
I think most equate it to a lack of irritation (which can be caused by any number of issues).
Great question i cant answer it but personna reds feel smoother than feathers to me but the reds are not as sharp!!
+1, this is what I think as well. Personna lab blues feel pretty sharp and extremely smoooooooooth
I think maybe it's a combination of sharpness and coatings. Hard to say for sure. I do know that Israeli Personnas and Astra SPs are very smooth feeling to me, and they both have high quality coatings.
Serious testing going on James!!
Another of the world's unsolved mysteries...the world is full of them. Smoothness makes you feel good...roughness does not.
Most likely the shave quality, closeness and smoothness, is a combo of the blade characteristics as well as technique and product. It would be impossible, I think, to identify the one factor that causes smoothness.
Most likely the shave quality, closeness and smoothness, is a combo of the blade characteristics as well as technique and product. It would be impossible, I think, to identify the one factor that causes smoothness.
Sharpness would be #1, followed by your technique. Once you get your technique down you can use almost any blade and get a good shave.
To me, it doesn't matter what blade, the first use, which would be a WTG pass, is always a bit, well, call it not "right". From then until the blade goes into my blade bank, I get a shave that feels "right". So basically, I sort of "strop" the blade on my face. I started shaving when I was about 15 so that means about 55 years and it's always been that way. That first pass is not bad or painful, just not right.
As always, JMNSHO &, of course, YMMV
As always, JMNSHO &, of course, YMMV
It's the difference between too-close and baby butt smooth close. You will also hear talk about "forgiveness", if you make a mistake with your technique. Feather blades aren't forgiving.
IMO speaking from my personal experience I would say sharpness. Seems the sharper the blade the easier (smoother) is mows down my whiskers.
Exactly, the reason you use a steel to "sharpen" a knife is not really to "sharpen" it but to "straighten" it. The steel puts those microscopic bends back into alignment and removes microscopic burrs. And any blade has to glide through whatever it's cutting with as little resistance as possible. So coating may be a factor too. Of course it needs to be sharip, but that is not all there is to it.
The blade alone doesn't provide the so much desirable smoothness and efficiency. Its the combination of three things that comprise it - a good quality coated sharp blade, a razor whose optimal angle matches the one of the blade grind, and a human who uses a proper technique to find this angle and the right pressure of the particular pair razor/blade. The endless combinations of the three are what we call YMMV in this context. And this is after we accept the lathering skills and software constant.
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