Straight Razor from Spyderco

[JacksonKnives]

There are a few places that make stainless razors, but they are not as popular as non-stainless razors. People say they can't see any difference in performance, but one maker I know says that the carbon steels are best. All of my razors are non-stainless. I will note, however, that 13C26/AEB-L are used in razor blades, so there's that.

I'm not saying you're wrong in an absolute sense -- there were so many straight razors made over the years, and the market now is so much smaller than it once was, it could very well be that the majority of them in the wild are non-stainless.

But "popularity" is a tricky thing to pin down. Thiers and Dovo have both been making stainless for generations now. New budget-priced brands like Gold Dollar are almost exclusively stainless. I'd wager that, even for custom razors, stainless dominates. (Edit: unless we include pattern-welded "damascus", of course, which is the hilarious exception that proves the rule--there's nothing about pattern-welding that makes it better for a razor, the facts are very much to the contrary.)

If you've been collecting "vintage" razors, your favourites are almost certainly not stainless. I have a dozen or so, none newer than my grandfather's birthday.
But the right maker with the right experience could, I have no doubt, make a better razor than any of them out of common stainless. Factory-made razors have never been especially "high performance" by the standards we set as knife enthusiasts.

I wish you well on the collaboration, Doc. I wrote about razors for a publication briefly, and I've got to say I threw away more notes than I used when I was trying to cover the basics. We've invented (and in many cases already lost) more new barber/razor/honing lore in the past 20 years than in the history of civilization.

No matter what method/explanation of shaving you come up with, there'll be a dozen of us old pedants on the internet ready to correct/contradict every detail. That's fine; the important thing is not that people know the "one right way" but that they are encouraged to try it out and keep trying.

[Doc Dan]

I know that stainless razors are made by Thiers Issard, but I don't think they are nearly so popular. C135 is a carbon tool steel and it is what TI uses. They do have another carbon steel that they use in a few old designs, but most are C135. You are right that Dovo uses stainless and carbon steels made in Solingen for the purpose, the same as many others. Ralf Aust uses a different carbon steel. He does make a stainless razor, but most are not stainless. There are a few other makers that will make a few stainless razors, as well.

I am old to wet shaving, but fairly new to straight razors. I have one vintage razor and two new manufacture. They are both exceptionally well made and well ground. I do have a Gold Dollar and a Gold Monkey, but neither have been used.

Thanks for the well wishes. Anytime a man has been through the Star Gate, that is something special.

[jpm2]

I think I'm starting to favor the thick & heavier razor grinds, no thinner than 1/2 hollow.
They say the thinner grinds get sharper and shave closer, but I haven't found that to be the case. Maybe my sharpening skills aren't there yet.

As for sharpening/honing/stropping, the thicker blades are less prone to flexing the apex away from the stone/strop, so pressure used is less critical. The thinnest blades are very flexible and extra care in how much pressure used is mandatory. I typically don't use much more than blade weight for my thinnest blades.
For this reason, I feel the thicker blades are easier and faster to sharpen and keep touched up.

I'm also not too fond of the scraping sound thin blades make while shaving due to the blade flexing during the cut. The thicker the hair, the louder it is. I suppose the ultimate sharp razor would be a very thin blade being silent while shaving thick hair, but again I'm not there yet.

From left to right, thickest to thinnest, wade & butcher, Wostenholm pipe, Colling, Wostenholm IXL, Erik Antonberg.
They are all hollow, the difference being how high the hollow is ground.
I suspect the W&B might have originally been a wedge or near wedge from the factory and later hollowed. This would explain the unevenness in thickness.

[Doc Dan]

All of mine are full hollow ground, but the Colling has that belly/horizontal stabilizer near the cutting edge and it really makes a difference in the blade feel. I still get that very thin grind, but I also get more stability from the blade. The blade is confidence inspiring. Try one of his like this and you'll be a believer.

[jpm2]

From what I've read, there seems to be two popular interpretations when describing the degree of hollow grind.
1. Depth of the hollow only, with no regard to where on the blade the hollow starts, whether its at the apex or higher up the blade.
2. How high above the apex the "hollow" starts.

Using #2 gives me a more accurate visualization.

At this time, I'm very satisfied with my Colling.
If I were to get another, I'd request a 5/8 height, near wedge or 1/4 hollow, with slightly curved spine and belly. If this isn't doable without going custom, straight is ok.

I think if Spyderco (or Colling) made one with a grind like the 2 on far left pictured above (or my description above), it would be the perfect razor for me.

[sal]

This will be a work in progress. We'll start with one quality generic piece and then take your feedback from there.

It's kinda like the Mule project, participation will be required to gather preferences and I'm quite sure this group will have an adventure teaching each other the art of shaving with a "Straight".

sal

[vandelay]

I think I'm starting to favor the thick & heavier razor grinds, no thinner than 1/2 hollow.
They say the thinner grinds get sharper and shave closer, but I haven't found that to be the case. Maybe my sharpening skills aren't there yet.

As for sharpening/honing/stropping, the thicker blades are less prone to flexing the apex away from the stone/strop, so pressure used is less critical. The thinnest blades are very flexible and extra care in how much pressure used is mandatory. I typically don't use much more than blade weight for my thinnest blades.
For this reason, I feel the thicker blades are easier and faster to sharpen and keep touched up.

I'm also not too fond of the scraping sound thin blades make while shaving due to the blade flexing during the cut. The thicker the hair, the louder it is. I suppose the ultimate sharp razor would be a very thin blade being silent while shaving thick hair, but again I'm not there yet.

From left to right, thickest to thinnest, wade & butcher, Wostenholm pipe, Colling, Wostenholm IXL, Erik Antonberg.
They are all hollow, the difference being how high the hollow is ground.
I suspect the W&B might have originally been a wedge or near wedge from the factory and later hollowed. This would explain the unevenness in thickness.

I've never tried a thicker razor but I like how they look. I'd think the main thing that would matter with a straight razor in terms of cutting ability would be how thick it was behind the edge. I'm not sure why 1/2 hollow vs full hollow would make a difference in that case. Maybe it lets you follow the contours of the face more easily.

The razors on the left look like they have a curved blade. Does that make them harder to hone?

[sal]

I need to select a handle material for our first straight razor. Thoughts?

sal

[Ashton]

I like marbled carbon fiber for a handle material.

[jpm2]

I've never tried a thicker razor but I like how they look. I'd think the main thing that would matter with a straight razor in terms of cutting ability would be how thick it was behind the edge. I'm not sure why 1/2 hollow vs full hollow would make a difference in that case. Maybe it lets you follow the contours of the face more easily.

The razors on the left look like they have a curved blade. Does that make them harder to hone?

Those are among my favorite and best shaving razors, along with the boker red injun and colling. I think it makes them easier to hone due to not needing a "dead flat" hone. It also allows for the natural rolling stroke that occurs when freehand sharpening.



If you take a close look at most vintage razors, they were made with a slightly curved spine. I think they are designed this way so that the edge devolopes a natural outward curve when honed. It's important, that you don't hone even the slightest inward curve to the edge, what's commonly called a "frown".
The only razors I've seen that have a straight spines are newly manufactured ones, like the Colling.

As for ability to cut, let's say a beard hair is 200 microns in diameter. That's 8 thousanths of an inch. I'm pretty sure the bevels on a full hollow 16.5 degree edge are wider than that, so it's a moot point how thick the blade is past that. Even a wedge should cut as easily as a full hollow, actually better due to a more stable blade.

The more hollow ground a blade is, the more it will bend and flex, both when cutting and honing. Having a belly just above the edge that Doc talks about can help with that. His is the only one I've heard of having that, none of mine do. Otherwise, the more thick, and less hollow the blade is ground, the more stable it is, given the same height of blade.

They say the thicker the grind, the less trouble shaving thick beard. My beard is average and I can tell the difference.

[jpm2]

Whatever the handle material, I would like it stiff, impervious to water and oil, and not easily wear to the point the blade and handle flop around. G10 or CF might be good?

[pinochle]

CF or G10 get my vote too.

[Doc Dan]

Carbon fiber with red or orange liner? Clear/translucent scales in red or blue? I like horn, shell, or bone, but these aren't as rugged and might cost more.

Once the design is settled upon, then a more expensive scale could be done. I don't know, just thinking out loud.

Woods are nice, but will absorb water, unless it is something like ebony or blackwood.

[Tristan_david2001]

i think contoured stainless steel would look very sweet (ti or alluminum would look good also)

[vandelay]

My first thought was 2 color G10, but marbled CF looks really nice.

[Doc Dan]

Stainless handles would have serious balance problems, I would think.

Then, what kind of material does the maker have the ability to work with, reasonably.

[Doc Dan]

Stainless handles would have serious balance problems, I would think.

What kind of material does the maker have the ability to work with, reasonably? I think we need to consider that. Buffalo horn, paua shell, abalone, are all pretty, but then the cost goes up.

[Tristan_david2001]

I don’t think stainless would have a serious balance issue. balance is kind of personal preference. I don’t see how maybe a couple ounce heavier handle than blade in a straight will hinder the performance in use.

[yablanowitz]

Been a loooong time since I shaved with a straight, but a stainless handle would result in hand fatigue quickly for me these days. I'd say G-10 or Micarta.

[Cl1ff]

How about layered G10 like the Bow River?