What makes a blade better than another.

Vacumatic

Testy
Forgive that noob question but if all blades are precisely the same width and made as sharp as the manufacturer can manage why is it that one blade is better than another.

Also. The best shave I have had over the past year has been from a 1970s Ever Ready, it was perfect and much better than anything else I have used and I dont know why that should be, I would have thought that manaufacturing processes would have improved over the past 50s, not got worse.
 

R181

Grumpy old man
My guess is that when you are talking about a disposable consumer item made by the millions/billions annually you really can't expect ridgid quality control.

With the vintage blade, I say you just got lucky.

Bob
 

Blackie

Forum GOD!
Some makers don't give a toss? Some don't care as long as they get your money?
Would I buy a Chinese blade? No, as their track record is not the best. I'll let others be the crash test dummy on those blades.
Maybe some makers use a slightly different grind angle (Feather is one if I remember correctly), plus different steel, different coatings, etc. and the care that is taken during the complete process.
The blades may all look the same, but there is a lot of variables that can make one make of blade so much better than another.
It can even be down to something as simple as how often the machinery is checked and adjusted during a manufacturing run.
 
S

Steve Bowles

Guest
Blades are different because of different manufacturing methods, the coatings on the blade, and whether your face likes them or not.
 

Batch300

Extraordinarily Uncomplicated
Difficult question to answer as so many variables: metal type, coating, thickness, tensile modulus, sharpness (or lack there of), mfg. process, quality control, etc.

Repeatability (quality contrtol) is the key - will all blades give the same performance. Some forum members like a certain blade in a certain razor, some just like a certain blade.
 

Gandalf

Well-Known Member
Maybe of interest, as you can see the manufacturing process is complex. Different plants will for sure produce different blades
 

R181

Grumpy old man
Maybe of interest, as you can see the manufacturing process is complex. Different plants will for sure produce different blades
No telling if it is brand new machinery or machinery from an older plant that has been moved one or more times to different countries either.

There are standards that a product is manufactured to but there is a + or - operating room in the specs. Some places have a more ridged QC to try and assure a more uniform product and other places will bounce wildly around the specs from the extreme ends of + to -.

Some places have regular frequent routine maintenance on the equipment coupled with regular shut downs for major overhauls that can't be done on the run. Other place will bubble gum things together and run to destruction before shutting down to fix issues. Guess which will produce a better product over the long haul.

There is also the matter of the QC and how strict it is wrt raw materials used to make products.

Just way too many variables to know the exact causes.

Bob
 
D

Deleted member 476

Guest
The best blades are the ones that have consistent performance and quality that can be relied upon and provides a smooth, sharp shave.
 

Pattorashu

Senior Moment
Difficult question to answer as so many variables: metal type, coating, thickness, tensile modulus, sharpness (or lack there of), mfg. process, quality control, etc.

Repeatability (quality contrtol) is the key - will all blades give the same performance. Some forum members like a certain blade in a certain razor, some just like a certain blade.
Heat treating, thickness of the coating, angle of the bevel...

The list is long but distinguished.

What makes the best blade is definitely the individual, IMO if you find a blade that gives you a week of comfortable shaves, you're in the sweet spot.
 

Koiguchi

Well-Known Member
With all the razor and blade combos out there, there is at least one, for everyone.
Some of you even more, a lot more...
 
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