What razors do you find hold the most durable edge

[superbleu]

I find that I can get good to great edges of most any razor.
The problem I am finding is that after a few uses most of my razors develop chips in the edges. I'm not sure chips is the correct wording, but I can see with a loupe the edge looks ragged, and this is sometimes visible even with no magnification. This happen after anywhere from 3 to 5 shaves, and even on some rare occasions less.

Most of the razors I have been using are either sheffield steel(W&B, Joseph rodgers, Mappin & Webb), or Solingen made razors of various makes.
I do notice that the Le Grelot 3/4-full hollow razor I have seems to keep going and going with no degradation in the shave quality or the appearance of the shaving edge.

I'm curious to know if others have similar types of issues.

Also I'd like to know what are some razor makes and models people find that can take the most number of shaves without needing to refresh the edge.

 

[Aquanin]

What were they honed on? I think that might shed light on the answer to some of it.

 

[superbleu]

The ones I have honed were finished any of the three Shapton pro 15K, Nani 12K SS, or 10K Chosera.
but this happens with razors honed by other people too, mostly Coticule and Thuri, cause I wanted to see what edges off those stones were like.

 

[thanks]

It could be stropping. Try less passes on your fabric side and see if this helps. If it does, then something is going wrong with your stropping technique.

 

[ouch]

Great thread. I always hear that stainless blades hold an edge longer, but I lack sufficient experience with them to lend an opinion.

 

[Drybonz]

Great thread. I always hear that stainless blades hold an edge longer, but I lack sufficient experience with them to lend an opinion.

I have heard they are also harder to hone. Is that true?

 

[wolfmanxiii]

As stated before it could very well be poor stropping technique...a good blade that has been professionally honed should not dull that quickly unless it is being stropped incorrectly or something of that nature. Have you looked up videos on stropping technique and compared yours? Are you fairly new to straights and were you big into knives before you attempted straight razors? I ask because SOMETIMES knife enthusiasts jump into straight razors without realizing that they are an entirely different beast and this can cause some problems in the beginning from what I've read.

 

[johnmrson]

I find that the Solingen straights are generally made out of pretty hard steel and whilst harder to hone than Sheffield or French straights, hold their edge for longer.

 

[BrushJockey]

Of all of my new and antique razors, the best steel is my old Joseph Allen. It holds the edge very well.

The worst is my new DOVO Best Quality. I swear the metal has aluminum foil in it. Dulls down easily and is prone to developing micro nicks.

 

[ouch]

I have heard they are also harder to hone. Is that true?

So the theory goes, but then again they say a lot of things. Ever hear this one- "don't strop after you shave"? Don't you strop between passes? Isn't that after a shave?

Difficulty of sharpening should be a function of steel hardness. In general, it's hard to find a stainless steel as hard as a typical carbon. I know- there are exceptions to every rule.

 

[Troggie]

My two primary razors I have used were a German made blade and a Spanish made blade.. both have lasted 6 months or more with no micro chipping and only recently took them to a Chinese finished for a touch up and all I did was strop on leather no pastes, no linen.

 

[Chimensch]

Although I use LeGrelots on my face (and they do hold an edge a long time), I've recently been using a Friodur stainless on head. I've notice that stropping the stainless blade on the linen seems to degrade it very fast, so now I only strop on the leather and only 25 strokes and it is doing fine. My theory, backed up my nothing scientific, not even a loupe, is that stainless steel is softer and doesn't tolerate the linen well. It may also be that the linen removes micro-corrosion and the stainless blade has less.

 

[Neurotopia]

Of all of my new and antique razors, the best steel is my old Joseph Allen. It holds the edge very well.

The worst is my new DOVO Best Quality. I swear the metal has aluminum foil in it. Dulls down easily and is prone to developing micro nicks.

I was less than impressed with my Dovo Best Quality, initially. However I rebeveled it about a month after getting it, and it has progressively settled into a better and better edge. Now it is quite consistent.

I've found consistently high quality on steel from Little Valley NY, from the early 1900s. Usually razors from there are a great deal.

 

[onimaru55]

I find that I can get good to great edges of most any razor.
The problem I am finding is that after a few uses most of my razors develop chips in the edges. I'm not sure chips is the correct wording, but I can see with a loupe the edge looks ragged, and this is sometimes visible even with no magnification. This happen after anywhere from 3 to 5 shaves, and even on some rare occasions less.

Most of the razors I have been using are either sheffield steel(W&B, Joseph rodgers, Mappin & Webb), or Solingen made razors of various makes.
I do notice that the Le Grelot 3/4-full hollow razor I have seems to keep going and going with no degradation in the shave quality or the appearance of the shaving edge.

I'm curious to know if others have similar types of issues.

Also I'd like to know what are some razor makes and models people find that can take the most number of shaves without needing to refresh the edge.

I've seen this on a few occasions but usually the razors are somewhat faulty in the heat treat eg too hard, restorations of very rusty razors where the corrosion has travelled beneath the steel or the customer has stropped too heavily.
Le Grelot razors are very hard but well tempered & as you find very durable. It could be your beard is hard on blades too.

 

[duce]

Hello to all on the forum.
IMO, the razor that will just keep on going is the Shumate....good old American Steel.
I've always said that if could only have one razor it would without a doubt be the Shumate.

Edit: additional info.....
to answer your question better, the Shumate can easily go for years without needing to be honed.
I can shave for at least a week without even needing to strop it, and I have a very, very heavy beard!

I started shaving at 12 Y.O., and I'm 65.
I am like Sasquatch, and I can easily get 7 or more shaves without even stropping the Shumate....FWIW.

 

[Luc]

I've seen the microchip phenomenon a few times but not often. The stone takes care of it very quickly. Surprisingly, the shave isn't so bad with those microchips...

The hardest straight in my collection has to be made by John Heiffor. I honed it for the first time yesterday and that one lasted 3x longer compared to all my other straights.

Hello to all on the forum.
IMO, the razor that will just keep on going is the Shumate....good old American Steel.
I've always said that if could only have one razor it would without a doubt be the Shumate.

Edit: additional info.....
to answer your question better, the Shumate can easily go for years without needing to be honed.
I can shave for at least a week without even needing to strop it, and I have a very, very heavy beard!

I started shaving at 12 Y.O., and I'm 65.
I am like Sasquatch, and I can easily get 7 or more shaves without even stropping the Shumate....FWIW.

Welcome to B&B!

 

[ouch]

Hello to all on the forum.
IMO, the razor that will just keep on going is the Shumate....good old American Steel.
I've always said that if could only have one razor it would without a doubt be the Shumate.

I have a Shumate, circa 1904-1919. Although roughly a century old, it looks as if it were manufactured this year. I haven't noticed that it holds it edge for an unusual length of time, but it does get as sharp as anything I own.

 

[duce]

I have a Shumate, circa 1904-1919. Although roughly a century old, it looks as if it were manufactured this year. I haven't noticed that it holds it edge for an unusual length of time, but it does get as sharp as anything I own.

Have you tried holding the razor flat against your face, and not at an angle?

That's the way I use it and honestly, I am going on two weeks now without even stropping.
Although I will give it a strop tomorrow, I do like to strop it once in awhile,
but it really doesn't need it yet.

Shumate's are designed to go for years without the need for honing, but they should be held somewhat flat against the face, very smooth that way also.

Another thing I like about Shumate's are the price, not a very popular razor so it can be had for next to nothing.

I'm starting to sound like a salesman for Shumate.

 

[onimaru55]

The hardest straight in my collection has to be made by John Heiffor. I honed it for the first time yesterday and that one lasted 3x longer compared to all my other straights.

Told you it was alien technology Luc

BTW when it comes to hard razors you haven't lived till you hone a 66HRC Iwasaki Tamahagane str8.

 

[johnmrson]

I have a Shumate, circa 1904-1919. Although roughly a century old, it looks as if it were manufactured this year. I haven't noticed that it holds it edge for an unusual length of time, but it does get as sharp as anything I own.

When I first started honing, one of the first razors I honed was a Shumate and even as a beginner, I was able to put a wonderful edge on it and it gave me great confidence to keep going with honing. I agree that it was as sharp as anything else I had. I've actually got a rather sad looking (broken scales and tarnished) Shumate Ben Hur in the post at the moment and I'm really looking forward to cleaning it up and rescaling it.