Blade Feel

H

heroblob

Messages
814
Here's a question,

Is there a difference in the feel of a very sharp blade like a Feather and the feel of a not so sharp blade like a Derby.
I used a 7 o clock yellow yesterday and found it felt scratchy/ tingly on the skin. I had had this last week when i tried a 7 o clock yellow and thought the feeling i was getting was due to a duff blunt blade, and through it way. I Have had the same feeling when using a brand new Gillette sensor cartridge. Is this scratchy feel actually the feeling that all the sharper blades give, or is this a sign of a sharp but not smooth blade.

I don't know if anyone has seen it but a couple of weeks ago i found a very comprehensive blade review site where the guy had also included microscopic pictures of blade edges. i now don't seem to be able to find it. Has anyone got a link to it, i Had started to read it at work and found it an interesting read.
Thanks.
 
This is my first post, I have been wetshaving for 26 years but only started DE shaving 6 months ago (ironically thanks to the success of the single blade on the back of the fusion cartridge) so I'm still learning but having lots of fun along the way.

I too have noticed that all things being equal i.e preparation, razor and soap/cream the 'scratchyness' of a blades varies. I notice on B&B they like to mark how sharp a blade is and smooth the shave was. I read somewhere that some blades are smoother due to the extra coatings filling in the microscopic serrated edges more evenly.

My beard is very coarse and dense, I used to think I had sensitive skin ( i could only shave once a week with a cartridge but I can shave daily with a DE now) so i need sharper blades. I like the gillette yellows and the red personnas if a bit scatchy, I'm lucky because i find the feathers sharp and smooth (they are for me ;) YMMV), if a little bit expensive because I can get only get 2 shaves per blade, which isn't brilliant but a nice treat.

I like to find different combinations that work for my face for example a smoother blade like a gillette bleue extra in a more aggressive setting or razor, or a sharp blade like the gillette yellow on a milder setting or razor. Seems to even things out.

try these links :

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and

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=50&ltr=1&sort=&order=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdispl ... rt=&order=</a><!-- m -->
 
antdad said:
Heres an answer: Buy a blade sample pack.

You may have stubble like wire or wool as may the blade reviewer.
Click to expand...

I have a blade pack Thanks. It was more a discussion about whether the feel of blades is due to sharpness or smoothness.
 
Blade "feel" is going to be a combination of the smoothness (including the coatings used) and the sharpness.

A blade can be as smooth as you like, but if it's as blunt as your arse, it won't feel good.

Conversely it could be as rough as a badger's arse, sharper than antdad's wit and it also won't feel good.

Of course you might be a masochist and seek out these blades...
 
I find Feathers a little rough on the first shave. The 2nd & 3rd are great. Its almost as if a serrated edge is knocked off on the first shave. Maybe hand stropping or corking is the answer for Feathers.

A poor blade ( Shoguns area non starter for me ) or a dud good branded blade will feel poor from the get go.
 
Cheers for that fozz, The sensation is like a prickly feeling and could well be from a slightly serrated edge. Just wondered if others get the same from very harp blades. Perhaps the 7 o clock yellows aren't coated in the same way as the personna's
 
I've pretty much convinced myself that DE blades are less smooth than they used to be in the general run of things, which is the main reason for me taking a swerve into shaving with a cut throat. I don't know of any current blade which is as comfortable as an old UK Wilkinson, and very few come close to a Swede. Feathers seem decidedly rough to me, which isn't to say that I don't like them, but I wouldn't shave with them every day because that would be asking for trouble. I concur with Fozz - the second shave tends to be an improvement. Oh, and +1 on the 7 o'clock yellows: another roughish blade, but not a bad one.
 
Cheers arrowhead, I will concur about the yellows. Had a second shave with it this afternoon. It was a little smoother but still a prickly type of feel. leaves a little irritation and is a little to rough for a final ATG pass on my top lip. I will see how my skin feels tomorrow and my try it again, if not Saturday. If this is still the same i will put the yellows to one side and try something else from the pack.
 
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