09-07-2019, 04:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-07-2019, 04:34 PM by Mark Reich.)
The Refined Shave site is awesome! I just scanned it quickly. A whole bunch of blades have been tested for initial sharpness, first shave and second shave, then provided the average. Most of the blades seem to be in the 45-50 range to me. Most of the blades did test sharper after the first shave, then back to about the starting point after the second shave. The Feather was sharpest at 32, I think, but it was uniquely duller after use.
Wow! Mr. Anderson did a TON of research! Thanks for the link, Mike. I'll definitely have to spend some time looking at all the data. I did see that the sharpest blade does not mean the best shave, and that is in line with my experience with straight razors. XXXtrey-sharp is slower with a straight (I haven't used a DE) because you have to be more careful IMHO. Could be just me. Not an XXXpert.
This thread has made me shave more. I shaved today after I gave my razor an actual freshening up of about ten laps on 1µ poly diamond, and the same on .5µ CBN (I just found a balsa hone loaded with it). I do have my hones handy, in a desk drawer. About 30 seconds from getting them out to putting them back.
5 minute lukewarm shower (as always), toweled my hair, my face was still wet, that's it. Maybe 1.5 minutes, face and sink clean (I'll time it next time). Plenty close (wifely verification), very comfortable. The razor was perfectly sharp for me. I'm betting I'll get two more shaves without doing anything to it, and the third will be borderline.
Wow! Mr. Anderson did a TON of research! Thanks for the link, Mike. I'll definitely have to spend some time looking at all the data. I did see that the sharpest blade does not mean the best shave, and that is in line with my experience with straight razors. XXXtrey-sharp is slower with a straight (I haven't used a DE) because you have to be more careful IMHO. Could be just me. Not an XXXpert.
This thread has made me shave more. I shaved today after I gave my razor an actual freshening up of about ten laps on 1µ poly diamond, and the same on .5µ CBN (I just found a balsa hone loaded with it). I do have my hones handy, in a desk drawer. About 30 seconds from getting them out to putting them back.
5 minute lukewarm shower (as always), toweled my hair, my face was still wet, that's it. Maybe 1.5 minutes, face and sink clean (I'll time it next time). Plenty close (wifely verification), very comfortable. The razor was perfectly sharp for me. I'm betting I'll get two more shaves without doing anything to it, and the third will be borderline.