Razors under the Microscope

Nearly every men's magazine in the world has reviewed the shaving options for men including razor blades. Since so much has been written already, there is seldom any new piece of information that can be termed as new. However, a recent study at University of Oregon revealed that fresh blades rival the best brands equivocally. Joel Johnson undertook the study at University's Bio-Optics Laboratory where the razors termed as ‘simple machines’ were analyzed in detail.

The research studied different brands of men's razors such as Gillette Fusion disposables with vibrating handles, the Hart Steel 6/8 Quarter Ground, classic Thiers-Issard from Classic Shaving and Braun 7 series (790cc) which is the latest electric shaver. It also included the iconic yellow handled BiC disposable shaving razors.

Joel reviewed all fresh razor blades under the microscope and firstly analysed that the blades of even simple razors like those of BiC are equally hard-honed like any top brand's razor blade.

An analysis of BiC blades revealed that the flat edge of a BiC disposable was 100 microns and since the human hair is anywhere between 50-150 microns, the first shave from BiC disposable will definitely be a good one.

Gillette Fusion shaving razor blade turned out to be much cleaner as compared to BiC when put under the microscopic inspection and analysis. Each razor head has 5 of such clean blades which spread the cutting job evenly between each of them. Although the front blades are taxed more, the other blades also do a fine job of cutting hair evenly.

Joel also inspected the all time favourite straight shaving razor – Thiers-Issards. The process of ‘stropping’ or dragging a straight razor back and forth on a sharpening surface was not done. It revealed that the edge was no better than any other razor in the market. The edge needs to be perfected on a sharpening surface to make it sharper for a clean shave. This is usually well-suited for practiced hands of a fleet handed barber. Later Joel observed his used Mach 3 blade and found the edges to be rough, toothy and horribly mangled.

In his observation, Joel found that the leading edge of the shaving blade as well as its surrounding material also makes a difference in the finesse of the shave given by any razor. He also observed that the rigidity of the entire blade makes a difference in the type of shave a razor delivers. It is not only the finest edge that is responsible for the best shave. This is the reason that straight shaving razors last a lifetime as their blades are tough enough to cut through the bone. On the other hand, BiC disposables snap up too soon as their blades are quite thin as compared to other popular razors like Mach 3 or Gillette Fusion.

It was also inferred that popular shaving razor blades especially the disposable ones are subject to wear and tear quite easily thus they are tossed out very frequently. Contrarily, straight edge shaving razors are brought to near perfection quite easily by using a sharpening surface.

Finally, there is no perfect shaving blade but a good razor is largely the one that suits your shaving style. Thus, some men like to replace their blades every week or even every day while some tend to use straight edge shavers and spend a few minutes every day to perfect their blades against the sharpening surface. Having a perfect razor is simple a matter of choice by each individual.