The Spyderrazor

[Doc Dan]

... that would be a must buy for me.

Bloke, that is not me. That is my wife!



This is me.

[sal]

This has been an ongoing discussion in-house for many years. I'm interested in all of the input I can get.

sal

[Bodog]

Would it be better to have it fit feather's blade if possible or better to have one that needs sharpened? I think a lot of us can get folders screaming sharp but not smooth, comfortable sharp meant for daily shaving.

Personally i think a mirror polished stonewashed akin to the slysz bowie would be great but if it was sharpened like razors are supposed to be sharpened, setting the spine down on the stone and letting that act as the angle guide, then the finish wouldn't be great for long. Maybe having some kind of spine protector to protect the finish while sharpening accompanying the razor would be welcomed?

You guys also use quality leather workers. Having a nice stand and simple spyderco branded strop available would be an option?

Don't know if that would be unnecessarily expensive or too much to take on, but i could see this as a kit for upscale gifts and whatnot.

[Jazz]

I like to get in and out of the bathroom quick as possible. Don’t like fiddling around shaving, etc. So, I guess I don’t want a razor that makes shaving take longer, is what I’m saying.

[M4Life]

Who wants to see a Spyderco razor? I think it'd be a good idea :)
Obviously not in Maxamet

Doesn’t the Spyderco Roc already kind of check off that box?

[sal]

I shaved with a straight razor for many years until my eyes started to go. "They don't make eyes like they used to". It's an interesting and worthy adventure.

sal

[zhyla]

This has been an ongoing discussion in-house for many years. I'm interested in all of the input I can get.

sal

I’ve been using a straight razor for about 5 years. I think Spyderco could probably improve ergos over the traditional western razor. Or they could do a kamisori style which has much less representation out there.

I don’t have a complaint against the carbon steel Gold Dollars that I use. Especially the more recent model I picked up this summer for $25. Holds a shaving edge forever. I wipe it down with oil to keep it pretty. So I might pay $50 for a stainless razor that performs the same. I mean, I would pay a lot more if I had to, but the low end razors are so good so why?

People will pay for aesthetics in razors much like they will knives. So a nice looking ergonomic razor in the $100 might work out... possibly more if you had a steel that actually performed better than what is out there.

[supracor]

Doesn’t the Spyderco Roc already kind of check off that box?

VG10, the saber grind and a belly on the edge make the Roc a suboptimal razor

[Woodpuppy]

Mmm would be a sweet patch knife for my muzzleloader!

[JacksonKnives]

Seems to me that Spyderco faces the same problems here it does with kitchen wares: too much competition, not much room for innovation. Sure, Spyderco could make a great straight razor that collectors would buy, but a ton of other factories are already churning out razors that are basically perfect. The best razor steels are well-known and widely used, and there's already plenty of pricing pressure on consumer-grade manufacturers. If Sal could get Dovo to make one with a Spyderco logo on the handle, I guess I'd buy it, but it's not like it would shave differently than other razors.

I like the idea of a Feather AC handle, as those are difficult to find here outside of Feather's own models. (In Japan, Kai, Schick and a few other manufacturers make competing holders that expand the price spread.)

The old Weck system is still usable with modern "hair shaper" stylist blades. They're a little stiffer than Feather's blades (with a crimped spine, like a Gem blade) and even easier to find. That's the system I'd make a new handle for. The Personna and Fromm blades aren't quite as sharp as Feather, but they're still much sharper than most straight razors are out of the box. The existing holders are a functional design, but it's just a metal tube that the spine jams into, not very elegant or confidence inspiring.

[anagarika]

Edited - comment not helpful.

[Daveho]

I really think going the handle route is the way to go.
firstly, maintaing a straight isn’t like your folders
Secondly, the razor market is quite saturated however quality shavette handles and disposable blade Kamisori is not-

If I could get an artist club handle in G10 it would be ON!
Omg The spydie hole would be the pinch grip to release the blade.

[Sumdumguy]

I just want a Japanese carbon steel kamisori from a maker I know and trust.

Sorry I'm not more help.

[soundshaman]

I would be very interested in a Spyderco straight or Kamisori. How about a small flash batch to test the waters :)

[NickShabazz]

I would absolutely pick up a Spyderrazor, either with conventional scales or in fixed-blade Kamisori style (particularly if that opened it up to easier sprints). Maybe I'm overestimating what modern metallurgy can do for straight razors, but as a guy with some pretty aggressive facial hair who tends to get half a shave between stroppings on a conventional straight, I'd be very interested to see Spyderco experiment, mule team style, with a selection of steels.

[JacksonKnives]

Maybe I'm overestimating what modern metallurgy can do for straight razors, but as a guy with some pretty aggressive facial hair who tends to get half a shave between stroppings on a conventional straight, I'd be very interested to see Spyderco experiment, mule team style, with a selection of steels.

"In the wild" experimentation would be very, very cool.
That said, Landes and Verhoeven (along with the entire modern razor industry as we know it) make a pretty compelling case for AEBL/13C26 as a nearly-ideal steel for the task. (Not sure how brave the German/French/custom makers are with hardness/brittleness in the carbon steel lines that are still around, now that Sal has a 52100 supply "figured out" maybe there's an untapped resource there?
Edit: forgot about honing; restorers of vintage razors tend to loathe high-hardness razors.)

Maybe Larrin will read this and chime in with insight about possible avenues of exploration.

If Spyderco has a way to perfect the honing process so that they're more consistent than the big names, that'd be awesome to see, but it's not a process I'd wish on my worst enemy. The only people more picky than knife enthusiasts are wet shavers; even experienced hone-meisters who spend hours hand-finishing an edge get complaints about edges that "aren't as sharp as they should be."

[Bodog]

restorers of vintage razors tend to loathe high-hardness razors.

Maybe Larrin will read this and chime in with insight about possible avenues of exploration.

If Spyderco has a way to perfect the honing process so that they're more consistent than the big names, that'd be awesome to see, but it's not a process I'd wish on my worst enemy. The only people more picky than knife enthusiasts are wet shavers; even experienced hone-meisters who spend hours hand-finishing an edge get complaints about edges that "aren't as sharp as they should be."

There's a lot to contradict the general sentiment found in that B and B thread.

[JacksonKnives]

restorers of vintage razors tend to loathe high-hardness razors.

Maybe Larrin will read this and chime in with insight about possible avenues of exploration.

If Spyderco has a way to perfect the honing process so that they're more consistent than the big names, that'd be awesome to see, but it's not a process I'd wish on my worst enemy. The only people more picky than knife enthusiasts are wet shavers; even experienced hone-meisters who spend hours hand-finishing an edge get complaints about edges that "aren't as sharp as they should be."

There's a lot to contradict the general sentiment found in that B and B thread.

For sure, plenty of nuance to the discussion. This thread (from the most recent time we got a substantive comment from Sal) is probably a better reference. (Including a testimonial to the insanity of strange stuff like ZDP razors.)

[Bodog]

restorers of vintage razors tend to loathe high-hardness razors.

Maybe Larrin will read this and chime in with insight about possible avenues of exploration.

If Spyderco has a way to perfect the honing process so that they're more consistent than the big names, that'd be awesome to see, but it's not a process I'd wish on my worst enemy. The only people more picky than knife enthusiasts are wet shavers; even experienced hone-meisters who spend hours hand-finishing an edge get complaints about edges that "aren't as sharp as they should be."

There's a lot to contradict the general sentiment found in that B and B thread.

For sure, plenty of nuance to the discussion. This thread (from the most recent time we got a substantive comment from Sal) is probably a better reference. (Including a testimonial to the insanity of strange stuff like ZDP razors.)

That was 11 years ago, friend. A lot has changed in 11 years. A lot of new steels and new knowledge have been acquired. And i don't believe anyone wanting a straight razor wants a high wear resistance steel, rather a strong and tough steel. Big difference between high hardness ZDP189 and high hardness AEBL or white paper.

If anyone asked for rex121 at 72 RC (which is absolutely possible) then I'd contend they're crazy or ignorant. Even CPM154 would be too much. This is where edge stability matters much more than raw wear resistance people clamor for in pocket knives and i pity the fool who tries to get a good shave off of a 400 grit stone with a high carbide steel.

Yes, i can and have made 15V at 69-70 RC shave my face. Yes, i have made rex121 shave my face at 68 RC. Not something I'd want to do everyday. Even finished at 14000 grit and semichrome polishing could make those comfortable enough to regularly shave with.

However, i feel fairly confident that AEBL at 63-65 RC would perform very well and wouldn't need touch ups very often. I don't even think stropping would be all that necessary.

Speaking of which, anyone know the hardness and steel feather runs their double edged safety razors at? Known to be some of the sharpest from the factory razor blades out there. For me they last about 4 comfortable shaves and maybe 10 less comfortable shaves while still getting the job adequately accomplished. I could push them further but the price and process to replace the blade hasn't ever required me to do so.

If this hypothetical spyderrazor could get used daily with a stropping once every several days and a trip to the stones once or twice a year, that'd be a winner in my book as Sal mentioned in the thread referenced by you that he needed stones twice a year but stropping every day for unknown steels at a lower hardness.

Personally I'd like a spyderstrop hanging from my drawer handle and a spyderrazor sitting in a nice stand on my bathroom counter, as long as it was worth justifying to myself why they're there instead of something else.

It's like trying to steel a Japanese kitchen knife made of blue super at 66 RC vs steeling a European kitchen knife made of whatever steel at 53 RC.

[curlyhairedboy]

Man, this would be great! It would be a novel experience to shave my arm hair (one of my go-to practices while sharpening) with a spyderco designed for it.... :D