Many people seem to prefer a blade after the coating has worn off (after maybe 1 or 2 shaves). So why don't said people just buy uncoated blades?
Why don't they just used uncoated blades?
- Thread starter NoahYoung860
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I don’t think the coating on the blades wears completely ‘off’. I think it wears ‘down’ and still creates a buffer into places in the steel that are irregular. My theory is that it is that excess coating that we dislike on initial shaves but the coating that sticks past that does help.
I wonder if some coatings just bother my skin. I love Astra SS. SP, not so smooth.
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- #4
Well I'll be!Astra SS coating is listed as...stainless steel.
I'm no expert, & I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn last night either. But I think the above explanation makes sense to me, & that's how I've reasoned it out in my mind. The coating needs to wear down a bit to smooth the blade out. The coating is still there, as that's what gives some of the blades such great longevity.
I like uncoated blades in the right razor but they often produce irritation. As geneaut said, the coating doesn't necessarily wear off; it just wears down.
A Gillette Platinum can give me 7 shaves out of which five are excellent and two are decent. A Gillette 365 can give me 3 shaves, two of which are excellent, at best, but more often than not I get three shaves with irritation.
A better alternative to coated blades, for me, is a Treet Durasharp. It is only coated with PTFE (which will wear off) but doesn't tend to irritate as much as uncoated stainless.
A Gillette Platinum can give me 7 shaves out of which five are excellent and two are decent. A Gillette 365 can give me 3 shaves, two of which are excellent, at best, but more often than not I get three shaves with irritation.
A better alternative to coated blades, for me, is a Treet Durasharp. It is only coated with PTFE (which will wear off) but doesn't tend to irritate as much as uncoated stainless.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Uncoated stainless is still coated. It is coated with chromium oxide. It is this chromium oxide that helps stop the steel from oxidising further.
Most stainless blades; unless they go way out of their way to state to the contrary; have a PTFE coating. Aside from the oxide layer mentioned by Cebu’s celebrated straight-razor shaver; @rbscebu ; it’s likely only a few ‘carbon’ blades are otherwise uncoated.
Blades without a coat are cold.
- Thread starter
- #12
My fav blades are Astra SP and Gillette Platinum Light Blue (Swedes). TBH, I do not notice a difference between the first and subsequent few shaves.
In addition to what you just said, I believe that the coating of a razor blade has a similar function to stropping a straight razor after honing. It takes the initial harshness away until the blade has been used enough that the microscopic unevenness of the edge has worn off, but the sharpness of the edge still remains.
For a straight razor after honing or after inserting a new blade into safety razor, the firest razor is usually not as good as the ones following it.
That’s why I don’t understand why some shavers toss a razor blade after a single use, but their facial hair, pre-shave prep and technique is most likely different from mine.
If only Feather would make AC blades with platinum coating…
I would be curious to see (or rather feel?) whether it could tame the initial harshness of these otherwise excellent blades.
B.
Uncoated stainless blades when initially developed did not shave smoothly or comfortably despite their other advantages. So, stainless blades are always coated with Teflon at a minimum, usually with a thin layer of metal and Teflon. That was a very successful combination.
The polymer coating spills over the edge of the blade during the spray application on the bevels and is then baked on. It is the overspray on the edge that wears away after a few strokes that exposes the true blade edges; hence the percieved implication that the blade gets sharper after initial use. The polymer on the bevels enhances the smoothness and lasts a lot longer than people think.
Look at the video on how razor blades are made.
The issue is the effect of the coating on the tip of the cutting edge where it can cause some initial roughness. From what I've seen in some of the blade coating patent applications the benefit of the coating often comes in reducing friction thereby allowing the blade to pass through the hairs more easily after they have been cut. As a result the once the initial roughness is past the blade delivers a smoother and more comfortable shave. Additionally the coatings may help retard rust formation on our blades.
Lots of info and perspectives on this in this thread from a few years ago:
coated vs un-coated blades
I think I am coming to a conclusion but wondering if anyone else feels the same. when I shave with a coated blade (astra SP for example)the feel and sound of the shave seems smoother but I also seem to get more irritation and minor cuts. When I use a regular stainless blade that is not coated...
www.badgerandblade.com
I am the opposite. Love SP, have never gotten a comfortable shave with SS
Same here. I rate the Astra SS a notch below the Astra SP.
Interestingly enough, I just binned my latest light blue Gillette Platinum after 7.
Wonderful shaves, even into #7.
The last 2 shaves tho, was like Home Alone when applying the post-shave astringent
Do you mean this in the sense that the manufacturer actually applies some form of chromium oxide to the blade? My understanding was that the chromium in stainless steel oxidizes itself to form a "stainless" surface layer (or acid is used to bring this out and eliminate iron that would rust on the surface).
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