I got interested in straight shaving when I saw one sold by a satellite TV infomercial. When it arrived I didn't know Shave Ready from Shiny. Brought my brand new Razor Shaped Object to a knife shop I found in the yellow pages. Yes they honed razor, & no this wasn't a proper one. Nice letter opener, but bad geometry. That lead me to The Interwebs and shave forums. Despite the wisdom of those that shaved before me I located a local shop selling Annie brand DE shavettes much like @Bama Samurai's Magic. With a VDH soap, bowl, and brush set I commenced to get blood on steel. Convinced me quickly that I ought to get a real straight. Whipped Dog's Larry was recommended, and I agree - good starting point for SR Newbies. Been through the SRAD, but I slowed down using them when it got to honing. There's another Rabbit Hole especially when I purchased many $12-$20 vintage straights. Still have my favorites tucked away, & a couple out of scales for future restore projects. When I spotted a couple Weck brand blade holders it renewed my interest. Very similar skills but zero edge maintenance.
Yep. It's not only possible it's likely. It takes understanding metal and knowing what to feel for while honing. But yes...That's one of the reasons I switched to regular straight razors...So I could get a sharper edge than a manufacturer could provide. Feather AC is the sharpest manufactured blade out there. But the edge is gone in one shave. No fixing it. But I can strop my straight and I'm back and it will be sharper than those. Again...A matter of practice and understanding.
Imagine not feeling the hair getting cut and you have to feel after the razor to see if it has shaved.
An excellent article by Ryan http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/shavettes-the-truth-about-disposable-straight-razors.29942/
The bevel on a DE is quantifiably thinner than a manually honed straight. I perceive DE as sharper, and would bet the mortgage on any random DE blade being sharper than the median sharpness of all the Straights on the planet. I have no doubt that your Straights are smoother than factory blades, and I think sometimes this difference in bevel smoothness is easily confused for sharper. "Likely", if even possible at all, is unattainable for newbies.
I started my SR journey years ago with the shavette. Bought a Parker SR1 & a Fromm Hair Shaper Razor from Sally Beauty. Next I bought a shave ready Gold Dollar Straight Razor from Rupp Razors with a leather strop. I have bought a couple more Gold Dollars direct from China. They all need honing to make them really shave ready. But they give very smooth shaves - when they are sharp. And you need to learn to strop properly to keep them that way. Don't have any vintage razors yet. I get good shaves from all of these tools, but the shavette is virtually maintenance free. A fresh DE blade is sharper than any of my Straight razors. I get several excellent shaves from the Parker SR1 with DE blade, and have no need to even strop. I usually (palm) hand stop my blades between passes, and have even used my leather & cloth strops on the shavettes. But it is not necessary. I say give the shavette a try. You may really like it, and it does not require a big investment of money or time. I still enjoy shaving with mine. And they give a great BBS shave. Good luck!
Not to be argumentative here, but to cut hair any blade has to be taken to a certain thickness, say 40um. I would wager that the perceived sharper de blade is not in fact sharper, but more serated which is not sharper, but harsher; not as smooth if you will. Again that difference is what gives the perception that a de is "sharper".
A new DE blade sharper than the average straight razor, probably. Is it possible for a straight razor to be as sharp or sharper than a DE blade, yes. I do not know what grit they finish DE blades with but I would bet money it is not as fine as some of the finishers used with straights. Also DE blades are machined and that does not mean better when it comes to honing, from a skilled honer taking the time fine tune and edge, I don't think there is a comparison. DE blades are much thinner and flex more giving a feeling of being sharper. I can feel this on my straight razor that is an extreme hollow grind, it always feels sharper than my other straights but I doubt that it is. DE blades usually have coatings while straights do not, this always contributes to how the edge feels in both smoothness and sharpness. Most of the times straight razors are honed to have both a smooth feeling edge and sharp, the objective is get both properties. A well honed straight has always been easier on my skin and feels smoother than a DE. I can achieve an excellent shave with a DE or SE or straight(provided it is well honed). As @Bama Samurai says technique trumps tools. That being said I find the 'kindest' edges to my skin have been straight razors. I have had some straights that were amazing smooth but wickedly sharp, but you real did not feel the sharpness unless you made an operator error.
No need to plan on bleeding.lol be positive. Interesting looking thing for sure. Never heard of that one. Congrats and enjoy!!!
Just a cheap one from ebay. I figure they are mostly the same if they will hold the blade in place....
