09-04-2019, 03:52 PM
Well thank you Mark. We wish you did have our Rockwell Hardness Tester . You would surely make better use of it than we do.
We had to look into the material razor blades are made of after you mentioned it in your post. To our surprise we found this reference on the Continental Steel and Tubing web site:
440 Stainless Steel
"Often referred to as “razor-blade steel” due to its frequent use in the manufacture of razors and cutlery, grade 440 stainless steel provides high strength and moderate corrosion resistance. Extremely versatile, it’s used in a wide range of industries to create specialized, small-scale products and is available in various types: 440A, 440B, 440C, and 440F."
So not terribly mysterious or exotic stuff. This one, at least, sounds more exotic though:
"Razor blade strip steel in Sandvik 13C26 martensitic stainless chromium steel delivered as cold-rolled strip steel with close dimensional tolerances and high accuracy on flatness and straightness.Combined with excellent metallurgical properties, Sandvik razor blade steel contributes to efficient razor blade production and high-quality razor blades."
Don't know what to tell you about your report on DE razor blades. We still have an inventory here of thousands of DE blades that span the offerings of dozens of manufacturers and our test results are the same as they were six years ago. Our six year old inventory might be key here though - Our Feathers, even six years ago, measured, 25 - 28 and still do. Perhaps other manufacturers of DE blades have begun chasing the Feather standard and have begun producing sharper blades. It's been five or six years since we purchased a DE blade so perhaps we should shake loose with some shekels and see whats going on. Or...we could just turn to a guy who has spent years sharpness testing every DE blade imaginable under very controlled circumstances - Chase Anderson at www.refinedshave.com.
We had to look into the material razor blades are made of after you mentioned it in your post. To our surprise we found this reference on the Continental Steel and Tubing web site:
440 Stainless Steel
"Often referred to as “razor-blade steel” due to its frequent use in the manufacture of razors and cutlery, grade 440 stainless steel provides high strength and moderate corrosion resistance. Extremely versatile, it’s used in a wide range of industries to create specialized, small-scale products and is available in various types: 440A, 440B, 440C, and 440F."
So not terribly mysterious or exotic stuff. This one, at least, sounds more exotic though:
"Razor blade strip steel in Sandvik 13C26 martensitic stainless chromium steel delivered as cold-rolled strip steel with close dimensional tolerances and high accuracy on flatness and straightness.Combined with excellent metallurgical properties, Sandvik razor blade steel contributes to efficient razor blade production and high-quality razor blades."
Don't know what to tell you about your report on DE razor blades. We still have an inventory here of thousands of DE blades that span the offerings of dozens of manufacturers and our test results are the same as they were six years ago. Our six year old inventory might be key here though - Our Feathers, even six years ago, measured, 25 - 28 and still do. Perhaps other manufacturers of DE blades have begun chasing the Feather standard and have begun producing sharper blades. It's been five or six years since we purchased a DE blade so perhaps we should shake loose with some shekels and see whats going on. Or...we could just turn to a guy who has spent years sharpness testing every DE blade imaginable under very controlled circumstances - Chase Anderson at www.refinedshave.com.