which super steel for shaving?

gwgang said:
If I ever decided to shave my armpit, I will use my electric shaver, thank you very much. Is high carbon steel the best answer? I have a Spyderco Caly 3 in Super Blue. I don't remember being super impressed. Is there a steel with higher carbon content made into a folder? I am not looking to buy something to shave my arm hair. I am just curious which steel willl hold a shaving edge longer.
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Hmmm, knife sounds defective. Please send to me and I will tidily dispose of it.
 
Rypper said:
definitely*
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This is blade forums, not grammar forums. People like you definately are annoying...

singularity35 said:
I grew up in on two farms(my mother and father owned one each) and have been taught to use sharp edges and points since I was a child. I had my own farm by the time I was 25. I built my own bamboo and thatched roof hut(more than twice) with rudimentary tools too(including a bolo and a knife).

Anything that adds knowledge is never stupid.

The OP just managed to phrase his query in terms that aren't very practical but the desire to know about which steels hold a razor edge the longest is a pretty legitimate question here.

What's stupid is the inability to look at the words and derive the meaning.
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Ok, I agree with you. Maybe op should be more clear then. How I read it was: "let's test steel by shaving arm hair", not "which steels hold a razor edge longer". The latter is a valid question, however I believe that's been discussed in the many "which steel is better" threads.


Gavin S. said:
What makes you guys think he's lying about having a Sebenza?
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That was tongue in cheek on my end.
 
Sonnydaze said:
Lots of knives are used every day for this...much more than for anything else, unless you're part of Lewis and Clark...
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Cool, I'll be Lewis since I mostly cut cardboard, straps, and plastics at work. Who wants to be Clark because they whittle wood? :D:p
 
singularity35 said:
I grew up in on two farms(my mother and father owned one each) and have been taught to use sharp edges and points since I was a child. I had my own farm by the time I was 25. I built my own bamboo and thatched roof hut(more than twice) with rudimentary tools too(including a bolo and a knife).

Anything that adds knowledge is never stupid.

The OP just managed to phrase his query in terms that aren't very practical but the desire to know about which steels hold a razor edge the longest is a pretty legitimate question here.

What's stupid is the inability to look at the words and derive the meaning.
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Yes, but theres also such thing as looking too far into the meaning of a dumb string of words that, in fact, ARE just as dumb as they appear ;)

Although, now that I read it again with your comment in mind, I see that youre most likely right. It DOES seem that deep down, OP had a valid question to ask (albeit one thats been asked a million times before).
 
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Thank you for your lengthy post. You actually post something meaningful, so it's not time wasted. I actually understand that geometry play a very big part in cutting, that's why I qualify my question with "keeping everything else constant". Regarding my sharpening skill, I kept the Para at working edge. While it can't shave as long as Sebenza, it slice cardboard and paper effortlessly, no edge rolls. But the same can be said of my Sebenza' s edge.

I just realized that it sounds like I shaved hair all day to the extent of dulling the knife. No, I only shave hair when I got bored after finished cutting down a whole bunch of cardboard boxes. When no customer coming through the door, and I am out of reading material(because I cut them up for fun?), then I shave a little to see if the edge is still shaving sharp. Honest to goodness, I still have plenty of hair on arms and legs.

On a side note, does shaving cream make the shaving edge last longer? I don't think my tough and dry leg hide did the edge any favor.
 
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Questioning which steel keeps the razor sharpness (as opposed to working edge) longest is a valid question, IMO. Something that I have been seeking as well.

Reason: I shave with my knives. So anything that can last longer is preferable. It also challenge me to improve my sharpening skill as I am my customer.

So far, I have not found anything definitive, meaning most that I have tried lost it's nice shaving edge once the blade is used for other EDC task. It might be a futile goal as of now, but I'd keep dreaming.

PS: a lot of people on the forum are not native English speaker, and being on this forum helps improving the written skill while having fun at the same time. Please help us with correct spelling (I am not native speaker either;)).
 
RevDevil stated
14C28N razor steel
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Jim Stated:
I would go with AEB-L for a razor....
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yeah, pretty good ideas. Tried and no surprises. If I wanted carbon steel, which is a good possibility I'd try 1070-1080, or one of the alloys like 1084, etc. W1 or W2 maybe? Just guessing now. I had a slippie in 1070 I reground for shaving and used it at work between jobs. It had a decent grain structure and reacted to stropping and cut down on the actual resharpening I needed. It needed steady hands because of it's shape but it did fine with the "state soap" Lye soap bars we had pallets of for institutional use.

Joe
 
For the ultimate test maybe try and shave your coin purse...if you slip its a free vasectomy! :D
 
Yeah, super steels are definitely not the first choice for razors for a reason. Like using a hummer to commute in the city. It can be done, but it can be done a lot cheaper and more efficiently if you pick the right material.
 
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