Is there a razor aggressiveness chart or somewhere I can go to find a more aggressive razor than my Merkur 23c? I think I need a mild/medium aggressive razor. So if anyone knows where I can find this information I would appreciate it. Thanks ahead of time.
One of the other shaving forums has a wiki page with a blade gap chart, which is the closest thing you can come to having something similar to aggressiveness. A Merkur 23C is about 0.64mm, some of the higher gap options are any Gillette Adjustable set to greater than 3, Merkur 34C, Merkur Progress set greater than 3, Gillette Red Tip Super Speed, and the Jagger DE89/Muhle R89 (Feels milder than a 23C mind you but it's more efficient.
Do they the same blade to measure the gap for consistancy. Otherwise the gap would be different, depending on blade, correct? Excellent buying tool if it's accurate though. Nice to be able to put a number to aggressiveness.
Blade gap is not the only factor to aggression, just the easiest to measure. Angle and weight are also factors. The 23c is a medium to aggressive razor already, so most razors are going to be equally or less aggressive. Any adjustable can be more aggressive. in order from least to most aggressive: Black Beauty, Gileltte slim, gillette fatboy, Merkur progress, Merkur Futur. There are of course less well known adjustible razors ( eclipse red ring and valet autostrop 1s can be adjusted to a degree, for example) In terms of fixed head razors the Muehle R41 comes to mind if you want aggression (might edge out the futur on max settings, even)
The post below is an answer I gave on this subject some time ago... http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/defining-razor-aggressiveness.28556/#post-497270 Here are some of the issues that affect aggressiveness. 1. Blade Gap - The gap between the cap and the base plate. That can be adjusted on "adjustable" razors. 2. Head Curvature - This is the curve of the head. That is the pivot that allows you to create the blade angle of approach. 3. Open area versus Closed on the base plate. This is often referred as the Comb. If it has teeth that have open spaces that is an open comb. If it has teeth with closed spaces that is a closed comb and the straight bar is the the guard bar. This along with the blade gap helps to either accentuate or reduce the level of exposure along with the blade gap. 4. Weight of Head - How much the head and weighs (cap and base plate). 5. Handle Length - How long the handle is. That acts as a lever. The longer the handle, the more precision angle you can make since it take more motion to create angle chages at the head. A short handle will react with a greater angle change because it takes less physical difference to move the head at an angle. 6. Center of Gravity - This is where the entire razor (head and handle) if held on a single point would balance. If the center of gravity moves forward toward the head, it can apply more pressure so that is important. A hollow handle and a solid handle will cause two razors of the same size with the same head and materials to have different centers of gravity. 7. Material types uses and placement can also affect the aggressiveness of a razor. 8. The Blade itself. (That is another large set of issues so I will stop right there.) There are probably more that I have not listed. I know this is a lot to digest, but the design of mechanical items is not always straight forward. That is why there were so many different variant designs just on the double edge razor from the 1920s to the 1960s. Hundreds and hundreds of small tweaks to larger variations are documented pictorially in various books on the subject.
