razor aggressiveness help

[nicodemus38]

standard manufacturing procedure. Its impossible to check every single blade made. seriously.

ANd I guess my engineering teachers didn't know what they were talking about then.

[Zot!]

Just my thoughts...quality methods have statistical analysis down to a science. I would think that anytime machinery would be serviced or introduced, the inspection sample would be high until QA was reasonably assured that the manufacturing process was not compromised. Although normally the sample percentage might be small, it would be increased if any defective blades were discovered, in which case the cause would be analyzed. I would think the sampling would be random as a matter of ensuring the manufacturing process is ok. Check out this video 2:40 and 3:45 minute marks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9PnTPIKd3g

[ask4Edge]

If we are to measure aggressiveness by sharpness Feather is unquestionably the sharpest of the bunch. Oddly enough they may also provide the best shave.

That the Feather blade is particularly sharp, actually helps me, in terms of smoothness.
Other (less sharp) blades, don't cut my thick facial hair as well - consequently, they don't feel as smooth as a Feather.

I can't use open comb razors like the Mühle R41, no matter which blade I put in it. They simply are to aggressive, and for me this attrubute doesn't depend on the blade being used.

I find the angle of attack for the R41 (vs that used for a closed-bar) is a much greater determinant than blade brand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9PnTPIKd3g

Thanks for posting the interesting video.

[dosco]

normally the standard it very small. on most things the testing rate ends up beinf 1-2%. so basically 10 blades out of 2000 are pulled out for testing. and the funny thing is, they wont be random samples. random samples are almost unheard of.

Could you elaborate?

Do you think that random sampling is not possible for religious reasons? (I know a guy that doesn't believe a random number generator is really random because of "God's Plan")

Or ... the method for obtaining the samples is not accurate? (like maybe the operator makes a stack of 1,000 blades and takes off the last 5 for "random sample testing" ... a better way (for example) would be to use a random number generator to pull the 4th, 237th, 535th, 700th, and 905th blades from the stack)

Cheers-
Dave

[dosco]

Don't forget there is no real way to measure the blade quality at the factory before packaging, . . . .

Yes there is and yes they do Nic, DE blade manufacturing technology has been around for more than 100 years now and these people are not fools.

Perhaps his point is that every attribute of the blade cannot be measured when manufacturing on a large scale. Therefore the production is managed using process control attributes rather than product attributes. For example the images you have captured of cutting edges/surfaces ... there is no way that any of the DE manufacturers are going to optically inspect the cutting edges, under magnification, of each blade. It's just too much.

Thus the need for sampling, etc.

A fairly common industrial approach.

-Dave

[BiffBuff]

I don't know. That phrase sums up so much -- I go into an upscale restaurant and order a grass-fed porterhouse steak for $85 and I eat what they give me. If it's not good I will never eat there again. I like the idea that there are quantifiable standards for such things as beefsteaks and razorblades, but either way I'm ALWAYS taking someone's word.

I'm enjoying my Astra SP blades, but I only have the other 95 that came in the package to go by for judging quality.
Is that glass half empty? . . .

[nicodemus38]

random sampling is the key to modern manufacturing. it lets them say they do testing, and it takes less time.

First class for my statistical analysis was all about how to fudge results, from testing equipment and from actual products.

meaning that if we had to test 3 of every 100 parts, and only 1 could be bad.. they taught us how to fudge measurements so it would stay in the ok range.

razor blades are tested just like ammunition. make 2000, test 3 or 5 and good to go.

[Julius_Rodman]

Feathers are the most "aggressive" in that I have on many occasions drawn blood without consciously realizing I cut myself.

For some of the listed blades you know you have cut yourself but you still reasonably hope that you won't bleed from it.

Some razors were too aggressive, the Vision always felt punishing, wish I'd bought the Futur first.

[Mayberryman]

My experience with different blades is limited. I have been shaving with double edge blades for only two years and it took me the first six to nine months to determine what razor worked the best for me (Gillette Red Tip). After that the only blades I have used were Gillette 7 O-Clock yellows and dollar general 5 for a dollar store brands and have actually gotten good shaves from both with the Gillette a little better and last a lot longer.

I can tell you of my absolutely worst double edge shaving experience and that happened about 50 years ago (I am 68) and it happened with a TTO Gillette razor and the Gillette blade of the day. I took about two passes on the left side of my neck and had a heck of a burning sensation, I looked in the mirror and after a few seconds blood was coming through the lather. I did not understand why I was getting such bad results until I realized that I had left the knob about a turn loose and the blade was free to move. That one shave drove me to using other means to shave for the next 48 years. Electric, cartridge, injector and disposable.
Only when I found my late father's razor did my interest in double edge shaving rekindle.

[brothers]

Mayberryman, welcome to the legendary SMF. I had a similar experience --- I went to the local drug store and paid my $1.49 or so for a brand new Gillette Slim. I was an impulsive young teenager and I decided I wasn't a sissy so I didn't buy the bs about razors needing to be adjusted. So I put mine on 9 and stubbornly left it there. Stopped using it after it made me bleed every time I used it, I soundly cursed it and went to electrics and a Schick Krona which stood in good stead for several decades until the Krona eventually wore completely out and had to be retired. Then my daughter told me to check out SMF, after that, I retrieved my old Slim from my mother's medicine cabinet where it had been completely undisturbed for all that time, and here I am. My best razors not counting straight razors are the Darwin Deluxe from the 1930s and the Mongoose, made in 2015. My best blades are few, vintage Gillette Super Stainless, Gillette Swedes, current production Personna hospital use, Kai, and most recently Russian made Gillette Platinum Rubie blades.

[CMur12]

Welcome to SMF, Mayberryman!

I started with a Schick Injector (I'm 64), which I used for five years until I grew a beard. After another five years, I bought a Gillette Adjustable and started shaving my neck, which I have done ever since then. Similar to Gary, when I bought the adjustable, I thought, "Why would anyone not want a close shave?," so I set it at or near the top of the scale.

The shaves I got with the Gillette didn't result in bleeding, but they always felt rather rough. I think this is why the new Atra (sold as the Contour in Portugal, where I lived at the time) felt so smooth to me when I bought it. It was only after I came to this forum. nine years ago, that I came to a proper understanding of mild vs aggressive razors/settings, and I now use decidedly mild razors.

- Murray