I've seen the price Stainless Steel Razors are commanding. Pretty pricey. Can someone tell me what the weaknesses of a stainless steel razor are or does the premium price make these the perfect razor?
Downsides-rust. Stainless steel is just rust resistant but it can rust. I don't own one but people say that you have to disassemble them or the blade rusts inside them.
I have to second that. But I am not sure if it's only true to the stainless steel razors about blades rusting inside. I have a 1968 Gillette knack Razor I left a blade in it and we went camping in our RV. I used another Razor I had in the RV. We were gone for two weeks.When I got home I wanted to shave I went to change the blade in my Razor and it was rusted really bad. It was a Generic DE Razor Blade, I had gotten from K-Mart.
Stainless razors are still relatively new on the market and as yet pretty much untested. On the surface they do show promise for being well made and potentially durable, but though stainless is much sturdier than it's pot metal counterpart, the metal is nevertheless susceptible to corrosion under certain conditions such as those founds in the damp enclosed areas of a razor head. There are all really reports of rust forming inside the cap and on screw section. IMO probably the razor will hold up, but will require a disassembly and drying after each use for the long haul...
My Weber has no rust issues. I can leave a blade in it for 4-5 days - no problem. I do put some mineral oil on the parts from time to time when it's disassembled. My Ikon Slant however definitely has a rusting problem. Leave a blade in it for a few days and it's got rust forming even with mineral oil.
I abuse my Weber. It hasn't seen a cleaning yet between the now many blade changes. No rust issues yet. I certainly don't waste my time disassembling it after each shave.
I use an ikon open comb deluxe and the blade will begin to leave rust marks after 3 or 4 days even though I soak in alcohol after each use. But it cleans right up with bartenders helper.
From B&B Wiki: for straights but can certainly be applied to safety razors as well. "Stainless steel razors typically do not require any special oiling/treatment for most area/conditions. Stainless steel however CAN rust/corrode, as it is not stain-proof steel, it is stain LESS steel. In VERY humid conditions, you will still need to keep a coating of protective oil on the blade, or periodically tuff cloth/glide the blade/pivot. For most however, a stainless steel razors blade will never need to be oiled/protected. No matter what type of steel the razors blade is made of, or the conditions the razor is stored in, periodically apply a VERY small amount of oil to the hinge to keep it in good working order. " I think this follows common sense as well. If you live in a humid environment then you will most definitely want to remove the blade and dry the razor. If not, rinsing well and drying (air) will suffice for most of us. Certainly nothing wrong with removing the blade or applying mineral oil, but for most of us probably not necessary. In my case it is so dry (low humidity) in the winter I never worry about it then. When we have those 90 degree days with humidity that feels like 90%, then I will remove the blade and make sure parts/blade are dry.
Thanks for the responses. I can't see myself disassembling a razor each time i use it.... I guess Stainless Steel isn't for me at this point.
Brass is a pretty ideal material for making razors I'd say. But the right stainless alloy is fine too. Weber picked a good one and their razors are a good deal for what you get.
Its not hard to have to dissasemble and dry a razor but I refuse to struggle when there are other options that : will never rust, are way cheaper, made of proven materials, have no annoying three piece design.
I kind of like the three piece design they are no problem for me to clean. I guess different strokes for different folks.
I own a weber and give it a little swish in Rubbing Alcohol to help displace any moisture. I just recently started to loosen the cap slightly before the dunk . It has gotten some staining but SB will remove it.
I just clean it when I change blades, and I've never had any issues. I don't have a stainless head, but I'd treat it the same way.
I don't have a stainless steel razor, but I always remove the razor blade and wipe all moisture from the blade and the razor. I also don't bury the whole razor under water, or rinse the whole thing. There's no need to get any part of it wet that is not used to shave with. Just the head. I would do this to any razor I had, regardless of the metal it's made of. With my straight, I wipe off the blade and put a light coat of baby oil on it. Every month or so I will also oil up the moving parts of my DE. It does not take that long to take care of your equipment, and IMO if you can't find a minute or two after you have finished shaving to care for your gear, how in the world do you find the time to wetshave in the first place?
To me it's not about not able to find the time to do it. I simply put don't want to deal with it. It doesn't add anything for me so why bother?
To me the "added value" is the possibility that my razor and blade will last longer, and that they are CLEAN. If I'm taking a sharp blade to my face with the possibility that I might nick or cut myself, I don't want soap scuzz and little bits of razor stubble on the blade or the edges of the razor head. Worth it to me, and adds value to me. Again, MHO. YMMV. It's all good.
True. But you asked if one couldn't find time to do it, how would one have the time to shave. It was just that I answered from my own perspective.
