03-07-2019, 10:20 AM
(02-27-2019, 06:28 PM)grepper Wrote: I'm really surprised to hear that a straight does not measure duller after shaving. Have you done that experiment?
Yes Sir, Mr. Grepper, I've tested my straight razors, and that was one of the surprising things I learned.
I would be the first to say that I really don't know much about straights. I haven't studied at all. I haven't been on any razor forums. I don't even have any fancy razors. I bought a few old straight razor blades to see if I could re-handle them and make them work.
I leave my mustache and goatee, and my beard is soft. Before I used straights a disposable would last... who knows. Probably a dozen shaves at least. I've heard guys say they go through two per week, so mileage varies considerably.
When I started measuring my straight razor, I found that I wasn't getting it any sharper than my kitchen knives, which was disappointing. Only then did I try to analyze it, and realized that straight razors are nothing fancy. They're just regular old stainless steel, which doesn't support skinny angles, so what could I possibly expect?
Now take your modern double edge razor blade for instance. The steel is most likely something like Sandvik 12C27 or 13C26, with a RHC 56-58. The best modern sharpening technology will only be BESS 50 Brand New. 24- 48 hours later it might lose 25 points from oxidation, correct?
Even my straight razors are going to be hanging in there with a working sharpness of BESS 75 with minimal stropping. From memory, it really does seem like post shaving sharpness measured virtually the same as pre-shaving, and to me that makes sense because I've never heard of anyone stropping to finish a shave. A blade might measure BESS 100 after a shave and oxidation, but six seconds of stropping will bring it back to BESS 75, time after time.
IMHO, edge stability simply can not be an issue for razors. Hair just isn't enough to distort an edge in my experience. Even my old razor that failed on test media acts/feels just like other blades on my face. I think that's the only way straight razor edges are always measured- by how your face feels afterwords.
I should revisit testing razor blades of all kinds. My memory isn't totally reliable, and I think it would be super beneficial if other guys could do some measuring too. Not just straights, but double edges and disposables too.