Thread: Smiling razors. Does it matter?

So I'm looking at vintage razors in save money in the beginning. And one thing I notice is that they all seem to have a slight curse to the cutting edge as opposed to what seems to be flat edges on new razors. I guess this is the smile right?

It would seem to me that would reduce surface contact with your face requiring more strokes and possible induce an urge to swipe or arc the blade and maybe cut yourself.

Am I confused? Does this effect t learning curve or just the shave in general?

Thanks for your help.

Smiling blades don't require more strokes or cause more cuts than straight edges. I love the design aesthetic, and how they are more efficient in the hollows of the neck. If you get into honing eventually, they are trickier to hone, but I learned on them, and still prefer them. Pretty much any vintage smiling Sheffield razor will give a fantastic shave with the right edge in the right hands.

Most of the parts of your face are curved too, so either blade configuration only has a limited span making contact while you are shaving. Like when you are slicing a tomato, you don't push the blade straight down, you make a sort of sawing slice. A smiling blade tends to aid in that slicing motion. This is why many barber manuals explained who to create a smile at the point end of the blade.

Regardless, both straight and smiling edges can shave you just fine.

They are an advantage for sure. My goal is to hone towards a smile, most times if the spine is fairly straight they will only ever smirk, but happy is always better.

Originally Posted by RezDog

They are an advantage for sure. My goal is to hone towards a smile, most times if the spine is fairly straight they will only ever smirk, but happy is always better.

Smirking razors are the best!!!

A smiling razor is always preferable to a dead flat straight one at least to me

Most of my razors are pretty flat, but the ones that smirk do seem to work best on my neck and lower areas of the jawline, but

Either one works as well as the other, I like smiling blades. Gets in the hollows of my face a bit better. But as stated they work just fine straight or smiling.

You rarely if ever use the entire cutting surface offered by a straight razor, be it straight or smiling. That is especially evident when doing your chin where even the much smaller DE blade is not in full contact with your chin. Like all have said straight or smiling makes no difference except possibly in the hollows where a smiler may be a tad better.

Bob

More often than not you're using an inch or less of a straight bladed razor. On your cheeks and portion of your neck you might just get away with 2-2.5 inches, but I often find that to be more likely to end in a cut or razor burn because you're shaving round flesh with one of the sharpest things known to mankind.

The art of wet shaving will teach you thoroughly that patience is a virtue, and less is more. You rush a shave, you get cuts and razor burn. Use too much pressure? Cuts and razor burn. Too much blade? Cuts and razor burn.

At any rate a smiling blade takes no more time than a straight edge. In fact I find it beneficial to have a smiling edge to get into the hollows. YMMV.