This question is just for fun. Which has a sharper edge? A Straight Razor or a Katana? I know that I can't chop a bamboo stick with a straight razor like I could with a katana. I'm talking about how fine the edge is. I know it has a lot to do with who sharpens both of them. Which edge do you think is more finer?
Which is sharper? A Straight Razor or a Katana
- Thread starter raccoonandbrush
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Straight razor, from experience with both. Although from experience you can shave with a properly sharpened, quality sword made of high carbon steel (once I did a single pass on one cheek with a Filipino sansibar before I lost my nerve).
B
bluefoxicy
the Katana has driving mass behind it. Pressure is force divided by area... and you know, that blunt blade, with so damn much force behind it? That's a lot more cutting power than your ultra sharp straight razor going ten times as fast.
No question, a straight razor is sharper. I'd like to see a katana pass a hanging hair test.
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I forgot to mention. I have no plans whatsoever of shaving with a Katana. Just wanted to get that out there so you don't think I'm a maniac.
I'm not an expert by any means, but my understanding is that the razor is hands-down the sharper of the two, by design. They cut differently--razors push straight through without any sawing motion, which requires a sharp, delicate, high-maintenance edge. A knife or sword edge is going to be much more durable and better suited for its purpose, but not quite as sharp.
I don't really know, but I would guess a lot of it has to do with the skill of the sharpener. I know that in Japan, the best Tamahagne goes to the highest ranked swordsmiths, but that's about all I know about katanas.
True, but Japanese forging methods evolved to deal with a lack of high quality indigenous steel. The point is to evenly distribute impurities. The sharpening/polishing process will put one heck of an edge on a katana, don't get me wrong, but the edge does not get to the same degree of thinness as a straight. If it did, even with niku, there's no way you could perform tameshigiri on wet tatami or green bamboo without rolling the edge. To some degree a katana cuts large, body-like things so well because it doesn't have quite as fine of an edge.
this. as far as i have been told a katana edge has to be wider (closer to the cutting edge that is) to withstand the trauma of impacting hard/semihard substances and retaining a decent edge. I do not think i will test my straights to see how they hold up in such a situation
.I don't doubt this at all. What I do wonder is, if someone was to try to put an extremely sharp/fine edge on a katana, would it be possible to get one as sharp or sharper than a straight?
Good question. Since pratical, weapons-grade katana usually have a convex edge (at least that's my understanding), I don't know how possible it is to get there. If you had one with a wedge or hollow grind, probably. There may be some modern blades out there made specifically for competition cutting that you could try it on, as those blades don't always have niku.
I don't think there's anything beyond the edge geometry that would keep you from honing a katana to that degree, other than being a complete PITA to do.
I don't think there's anything beyond the edge geometry that would keep you from honing a katana to that degree, other than being a complete PITA to do.
From what I've seen on tv, saw a Japanese swordmaker make one they are sharp! On par with a straight. What I gathered is they have that convex shape to seperate the flesh/bone in the cut. My Wustoves are the same way. The durability and curve are created in the quench, the back of the blade is covered so it cools a bit slower. Then they spend about three months honing and polishing. I'd bet even money it would pass an HHT!
different geometries for two different applications.
The razor has a concave edge while the katana has a convexed edge...like an appleseed. I have both and have tried the HHT on the katana and it does not pass. If a katana had a cutting edge like a razor, it would be destroyed after only one encounter. I relate a katana's edge with that of a VERY sharp knife. Add the 3lb weight behind it along with the energy of the swing and it makes for a very effective weapon. The convex on the edge keeps the edge keener during battle.
The razor has a concave edge while the katana has a convexed edge...like an appleseed. I have both and have tried the HHT on the katana and it does not pass. If a katana had a cutting edge like a razor, it would be destroyed after only one encounter. I relate a katana's edge with that of a VERY sharp knife. Add the 3lb weight behind it along with the energy of the swing and it makes for a very effective weapon. The convex on the edge keeps the edge keener during battle.
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this. as far as i have been told a katana edge has to be wider (closer to the cutting edge that is) to withstand the trauma of impacting hard/semihard substances and retaining a decent edge. I do not think i will test my straights to see how they hold up in such a situation
That makes sense to me. If a Katana was scaled down to the size of a Straight Razor, it probably would cut as nice as the straight. On the other hand, if the straight was scaled up to the size of a Katana, the straight's edge would probably bend really quick because it is finer. That would be interesting to see. The world's biggest straight razor.
Katanas are, for the most part, brittle weapons and have been known to snap in combat if improperly used against an armoured opponent. Even slicing into rolled up straw mats can bend a katana. Most of the reputation katana sharpness is largely mythological in nature. I remember someone showing me how a katana could slice though paper with ease. However, I can achieve the same effect with my relatively dull SOG knife. In essence, a katana is not intended to be a 3 foot long razor but a slashing weapon, designed to cut through boiled leather cuirass or lacquered wood armour.
Swords and other slashing weapons do not require sharpness to cut through targets. This has been demonstrated through the cutting of animal carcasses. Even relatively blunt weapons can slice through carcasses (usually pigs) with relative ease. What does this mean? Edge sharpness is not nearly as important as a hard and honed edge cutting with the correct force and geometry.
Swords and other slashing weapons do not require sharpness to cut through targets. This has been demonstrated through the cutting of animal carcasses. Even relatively blunt weapons can slice through carcasses (usually pigs) with relative ease. What does this mean? Edge sharpness is not nearly as important as a hard and honed edge cutting with the correct force and geometry.
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A razor is sharper.
+1, hence why the edge steel often jackets a core of softer steel, which absorbs shock better. If one gets into the sword arts, you also learn that you never take an edge-on-edge impact if you can help it; it is best to slightly roll the sword in your hand so your block/deflection takes the impact along the flat/spine of the blade, and hopefully you've angled the blade so your opponent's sword sort of glances off and slides down yours, distributing the force.
....which is probably why if you drop your straight, it is going to chip or crack on a tile floor.
Katana
There's a guy on youtube who shaves with hunting knives. I'd have to agree that it depends on the skill of the guy who honed it, though I'd argue that the shave from a razor (full hollow) will probably be more comfortable.
Well the edge on a straight is somewhere around .38 -.48 microns depending on steel and design what is the Katana????
The very edge might be the same, but the convex shape behind it is obviously much larger, I don't know, does anyone else???
What is the micron size of a regular hunting knife edge????
there are plenty of knife nuts on here, someone should be able to answer....
The very edge might be the same, but the convex shape behind it is obviously much larger, I don't know, does anyone else???
What is the micron size of a regular hunting knife edge????
there are plenty of knife nuts on here, someone should be able to answer....
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