Dull blades in aggressive razors VS Sharp blades in mild razors

Gillette has really been seriously upping their blade R&D as their patents show. They are going to leave the competition in the dust if this comes to market at a fair price. I can see now why they have a crack engineering team as these boys are earning their keep. A mere perusal of their recent patents is absolutely eye opening!! :oops: Read some of these latest blade improvements:


https://stks.freshpatents.com/The-Gillette-Company-nm1.php
 
Bogeyman said:
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Seriously, the adjustable changes the blade exposure which does indeed affect the shave. That said, a blade is locked into position in a razor obviously and cannot get any closer to a face unless pressure is applied. It only goes to say that different blades have different hone angles which indeed can affect a shave in relation to the exact razor used regarding its blade gap and exposure. Then you have to factor in user + and - variation on any given stroke as we are certainly not cyborgs capable of holding the razor in a perfectly positioned angle throughout each stroke. I think most of us have figured out the "sweet spot" on our favorite razor, lest they not be a favorite. (No shit? :rolleyes: )

That said, I think the key ingredient is a blade that has a platinum and/or other alloys hardened edge that is coated with some form of PTFE and with a hone angle that suits our favorite razor. Of course, that includes proper prep & technique which if not done properly throw everything off kilter. A blade is not something "sentient" and I do believe the key factor is that many are misinterpreting smoothness as sharpness as Gillette discovered decades ago after expending tens of millions of dollars in R&D.

(Sound of stepping down from soapbox)
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Everything here is true, but I would argue you are far more likely to get a bad shave because you're in a rush and use too much pressure, or get the angle wrong on a stroke, than because the blade you're using isn't capable of BBS shaves. I'm sure there are a couple of brands that are awful. I haven't tried any of them yet. All the blades I've used were capable of giving me a good shave.

The differences in which you enjoy the most might be noticeable. I still have my favourites. But they don't change based on which razor I'm using. We're just not capable of really noticing differences that subtle. If you need a milder blade in your aggressive razor it's because your technique with that razor isn't there yet. If you find the sharper ones better in the milder heads, that's because the mild heads help to minimise the issues with your technique. Most people who have worked on it say they can get a good shave from most blades.
 
Dansco said:
...The differences in which you enjoy the most might be noticeable. I still have my favourites. But they don't change based on which razor I'm using. We're just not capable of really noticing differences that subtle. If you need a milder blade in your aggressive razor it's because your technique with that razor isn't there yet. If you find the sharper ones better in the milder heads, that's because the mild heads help to minimise the issues with your technique. Most people who have worked on it say they can get a good shave from most blades.
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I have a problem nowadays with using the word "mild" or "sharp" for a blade. Remember, the blade is fixed and cannot get any closer to your skin than in that locked position UNLESS you use pressure. The best blades are smoother, not sharper. Our senses are playing tricks on us. It all made sense for me after I read this:

... After discovering in his test lab that shavers could not tell the difference in blade sharpness, he was responsible for break-thru research that determined that blade sharpness was not a critical factor in receiving a good shave; rather a reduction in drag by hair clinging to the blade causing pulling was needed...
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http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/contact-us.html
 
Bogeyman said:
I have a problem nowadays with using the word "mild" or "sharp" for a blade. Remember, the blade is fixed and cannot get any closer to your skin than in that locked position UNLESS you use pressure. The best blades are smoother, not sharper. Our senses are playing tricks on us. It all made sense for me after I read this:



http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/contact-us.html
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Replace "mild" in my post with "smooth", and ditto for "sharp" and "less smooth".

My point is still that for the majority of blades, while there may be a difference in feel there should not be any difference in outcome.
 
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TobyC said:
I have become very easy to please, all razors work well for me, almost all blades work for me, and I haven't found a soap or brush yet that wouldn't work well enough. Variety is good, vintage makes it interesting. Haven't had a beer in decades.
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I am the same, any razor or blade i have (7 razors, 8 different blades) all work well for me. got a couple of dorco blades from my nephew. 100 from wish for £1, tried it last night and tonight, they are fine.
 
Bogeyman said:
I have a problem nowadays with using the word "mild" or "sharp" for a blade. Remember, the blade is fixed and cannot get any closer to your skin than in that locked position UNLESS you use pressure. The best blades are smoother, not sharper. Our senses are playing tricks on us. It all made sense for me after I read this:



http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/contact-us.html
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I would agree with this, I participated in a blind blade test a few years ago and the data showed that everyone preferred blades that they perceived as smooth. It makes sense logically, everyone claims Feathers are the sharpest of the sharp and they certainly feel it, however I've never had a spectacular shave from one.

The other thing I took away from the experience was that some blades I hated, some I really liked, but most were just fine.
 
Bogeyman said:
Gillette has really been seriously upping their blade R&D as their patents show. They are going to leave the competition in the dust if this comes to market at a fair price. I can see now why they have a crack engineering team as these boys are earning their keep. A mere perusal of their recent patents is absolutely eye opening!! :oops: Read some of these latest blade improvements:


https://stks.freshpatents.com/The-Gillette-Company-nm1.php
Click to expand...

They were also making dull blades intentionally back in the 80's when they were making a push for disposables and carts. Evil corp of genius.
 
Dansco said:
If you need a milder blade in your aggressive razor it's because your technique with that razor isn't there yet. If you find the sharper ones better in the milder heads, that's because the mild heads help to minimise the issues with your technique. Most people who have worked on it say they can get a good shave from most blades.
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My technique isn't there yet, so I'm finding atm a milder razor with a sharp enough blade to give me almost a daily DFS. Whatever I use in the more aggressive razor it persists being a more efficient shave, but at a cost. When I improve my technique I'm sure any blade/razor/soap combo will do, like @TobyC said.
 
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