Pocket knife used as a razor?

Gunsnknives

Gunsnknives

Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
647
For more tangible home sharpness testing (no offense to other tests, especially Ankerson and his rope testing...that ongoing test is awesome and is great at determining relative edge retention of steels!), I am testing my pocket knives as razors to shave with...not hairs on my arm, but shaving my face. I am wondering if any/many of you knife nuts also do or have done this?

I use my BM 581 with M390 steel sharpened on a Lansky. 4 shaves and going strong...only a few minor cuts but generally a pretty close shave. Getting better with each shave.

I'm guessing the Spyderco Gayle Bradley would do awesome here with the M4 steel and hollow grind, but am worried about maintenance on the M4 in a shower environment.
 
There isn't very many steels that will hold an edge like M390 will especially at high hardness 62-63 HRC. ;)

Although there are better steels that are made for razors and will give a better shave because they aren't loaded with carbides, they won't hold an edge as long but you face will be happier.
 
Last edited:
i have recently, but thats because im killing the time before my straight razor gets here. I cant stand how expensive disposables are nowadays. but my Buck Vantage Pro seems to do a pretty good job, im gunna try my Delica in ZDP-189 pretty soon as well
 
I'm always using a custom hunting/utility/kitchen knife made of 1.2842 (IIRC similar to W2) for shaving - it works pretty well and it's way more interesting and fun for me to use a blade I sharpened myself than a regular razor. :)
I usually sharpen it with a 1000/6000 grit waterstone, the ultra fine rod from the sharpmaker and some leather with some steel polish. I've used my other knives (s30v, cpm-m4, 1.2510, 1095) for that too, but this one still gets a little bit sharper than the others.
 
I do that all the time, but am currently not allowed to do so, as my wedding is coming up, and my fiancee is worried about razor burn. There's just something satisfying about shaving with a knife. I shaved with my kabar kukri machete once when my sister's boyfriend was over for the first time :)
 
At the price of disposable razor blades for my Gillete Mach 3...I don't blame anyone for testing alternatives.
 
I dry shave every other day to keep the 'burns in check, but that's the side of the face.

I've only really shaved with my Sebenza a couple of times, and it was a little uncomfortable, but probably because I had never shaved with a razor before.
 
I dont shave with a knife unfortunately, just never tried it. I do hate disposable cartridges, and have been shaving with a DE lately. great shave!
 
I've been shaving with a lawnmower blade for the last month.
I finish sharpening with the 6000 grit tape on the Edge Pro, then give it a final strop on leather.
5 shaves per sharpening and going strong!
: )
 
I've been shaving with a lawnmower blade for the last month
Click to expand...

Lenny, what kind of steel is that...1095?

I guess I'll keep shaving til my face complains...or I give myself a nasty cut :)
 
[video=youtube;7PNEAhDA7D4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PNEAhDA7D4[/video]
 
Nternal said:
[video=youtube;7PNEAhDA7D4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PNEAhDA7D4[/video]
Click to expand...

How coincidental! Here's an interesting one that we just uploaded today, actually. Murray was shaving a student with a knife that the student hand forged in one of his bladesmithing classes.

[video=youtube;aznVqK19Z7s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aznVqK19Z7s[/video]
The student had about five or six days of growth. If you watch the video you can see that Murray did a better job on himself with that machete than he did with the student. :)

I have shaved with my knives - I don't do it often, though. It works, but it's not as comfortable for me as using a safety razor.
 
Blade thickness plays a big role just like the steel, the thicker the knife the more uncomfortable the shave and harder it will be to get a proper level of sharpness. I've done the 1k 6k plus newspaper Murray Carter method and it works but much prefer a finely polished edge around 0.5 microns for smoothness.

Preferred knife: Spyderco mule team, 52100 @ 62 Rc
 
I do. Daily. Best ones are the two Enlans I have, EL01 & EL02. All my knives should do the job, but these two achieved the smoothest polish.

I have Sanrenmus, couple of SAKs, CRKT Point Guard AUS 6.
 
I've done it once with a Mora #1 just to say I could, but don't plan to ever do it again.

I wouldn't do it with any of my better knives for the simple reason that I don't want to reprofile the blades that thin, besides, I have several straight razors for this role.
 
I just wander, if anybody ever came with the idea of using razor for a poket knife. You know - sort of cutting a rope or some vegies... opening some boxes, cutting branches and wood...
Sharpening a knife razor sharp and using it instead of the real thing is discussed in various knife forums so often. Why not the opposite - if people do not see the difference...
 
So the poket knife to be used as a rasor may just make a bad rasor and a bad knife as well - for being sharpened too thin and prone to get damaged for other (original) purpose... :D
 
The sharpening angle does not need to be extreme, 15 per side will easily do it. It's about the same angle for razors too IIRC.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top