New Ralf Aust vs Feather DX

[@dnamol]

Happy birthday Bill!

[@billm.2677]

@@dnamol thank you Johan

[@justinremple7986]

Hey Bill!! Good to see another shave video👍 this bevel talk is great it absolutely determines how the razor shaves i brought my razor to a knife sharpener and he ruined the bevel I should have just kept up what I was doing based on the stuff you show, because they sure shaved a lot better BEFORE I brought them to get sharpened 😕

[@billm.2677]

@@justinremple7986 thank for tuning in Justin. I think a good rule of thumb is to make sure the guy who sharpens your razors also shaves with a straight.

[@nonamebear1136]

I have the same model, minus the horn scales, that I bought used that had the same issues. It has been the most challenging razor to hone that I have used. Unfortunately, it was in my beginning stage of my honing razors and I caused more issues than fixed. So it has been sitting at the bottom of the stack until I am ready to try to fix what I did. I am planing on doing a video addressing the things I have learned about grind correction, in hope that others will not make the same mistakes that I did. :) Thanks for sharing Bill and hope that you take care.

[@billm.2677]

@@nonamebear1136 Thanks for watching. I’d love to see your vid. I suscribed to your channel so hopefully it will hit my feed when you get it done.

[@nonamebear1136]

@@billm.2677 Thank you Bill I appreciate it.

[@borbelyhaz321]

Hi Bill. On some weekdays I do a one pass shave. Like you're saying not a 100% bbs but a socially acceptable shave. Have a good rest of your week

[@billm.2677]

@@borbelyhaz321 Thanks for tuning in. If I need to “shave and run”, it is a 2 pass DE shave in about 10 minutes. I think the key thing to target is the comfortable shave. When I was daily shaving and always “chasing the baby” I found greater levels of skin irritation.

[@greggallant5058]

I don't own a high quality micrometer, and I have not done any thickness measurements at edges of straight razors. But I should. Ever since Cliff Stamp pointed this out, and I started paying attention to CATRA cut tests, I've understood that thinner blades cut more efficiently than thicker ones. Now, those cut tests are on rope, and mimic slicing a cucumber whereas shaving is more akin to peeling a cucumber. That aside, an Artist Club blade may have a bevel angle of 19 degrees, while a 6/8 may have one of 16 degrees, but the thickness of the blade as measured 3 microns back from the apex determines keenness. I don't know, but I suspect that even though an Artist Club blade may have a wider a bevel angle, it is still keener than the edges we typically put on hollow ground straight razors.

[@billm.2677]

@@greggallant5058 It is also my understanding that all final grind angles on replaceable blades are more obtuse than what we commonly hone our straights to. The Big Bang in replaceable blades is the coatings. The liquified metal is many times identified as platinum. I have no idea what it actually is but for sure it fills in grind scratches and is responsible for the perceived cutting keeness. Then you have the teflon coating, which I think is the key in shaving. Interesting enough while a Feather Professional Super will do the packing peanut, it is not quite as good as a straight. If you have some and can throw one under your scope, it would be cool to see. Thanks for tuning in Greg, I am way behind watching yours, but they are in my watch later list.

[@RaymondJ06]

Looks like You did it again bill. But I was wondering what the powder was for never heard that. I was also wondering what brand of strop you have I hear a lot of people can keep a good edge for a long time with a good strop.

[@billm.2677]

@@RaymondJ06 Thanks Ray. At one time all baby powder was talc, a mineral from the earth. Lawyers then found some impurities and a person with cancer so the product suppliers moved to corn starch. I can’t comment on the corn starch based baby powder because I never used it for shaving, but as an anti-chaffing powder I did not like it. Supplies of talc mostly come from Europe these days and can be found on Amazon. Make sure to check the ingredient list before buying. I like Yardley Gentlemen Classic marketed out of London but appears to be mined out of India. For stropping I have a bunch, but have gravitated away from hanging strops. I effectively use a convexed balsa loaded with a very small particle abrasive and another of the shame shape that I mounted leather to.

[@RaymondJ06]

​@@billm.2677 yeah they put a lot of bad chemicals in a lot of our products nowadays nothing is what it seems to be. And I do like Yardley I have a shaving soap that comes in a little wooden bowl 33 old bond street. I love it. By the way there was a hiccup in trying to send the racers out couldn't do it until Monday we had a lot of family issues so should be getting it this week.

[@billm.2677]

@ No problem, I’ll let you know when they show up.

[@BigEShaves]

Vote early and vote often!

[@BigEShaves]

And happy birthday Bill! That Carnivore diet sure keeps you young.

[@billm.2677]

@@BigEShaves thanks Eric. I probably have some good genetics in that area too.

[@warrenstanford7240]

I could easily see the warp on that razor, my view is this defect comes during the forging which would be drop forging for mass production, my opinion is as a quality control measure any warped blanks should go into the recycle pile, if too high of a percentage end up in that pile then the manufacturer should re-evaluate their process, i.e temperature of blank and pressure of drop forging. 🤔 It’s Budget Day today here in the UK where the Labour government are going to rob us blind, think they are going to raid my pension pot. 🤬

[@billm.2677]

@@warrenstanford7240 You and I agree on the suspected root cause the warp or bend. Unfortunately Solingen razor makers do not forge in-house and have a single source who probably considers straight razor blanks a nuisance. The demand for straight razors is driven by collectors and hobbyists rather than the grooming practices of the masses.

[@warrenstanford7240]

@ Fewer and fewer companies taking pride in their product without a doubt. Thanks.

[@michaelshults7675]

No, not at all did you offend me😊! I really didn't sent it 'shave ready'. I told you it wasn't my best, amd my best will pass the hht4. I planed on walking away and coming back, but i just walked away and never came back, because that double bevel on the toe made me sick, on that 'Ralf Off' If i would have kept going that last day i layed it down i would have smashed it!! I never would have been satisfied if i even had a shave ready edge and had that double bevel yuck!!

[@jpo31]

Hi Bill. I only have one Ralf Aust. This also has a slight bend, just like most Dovo razor. This particular blade is a so-called braud sword. I.e. a longer blade. This is more curved then my Dovo razor. I was not born with a flat face, so these shave just as good as any other 'better ' razors.

[@billm.2677]

@@jpo31 Don’t worry John, I won’t tell anyone you are actually that crazy Viking who actually thinks you can sharpen off a curve. 😎

[@danblacksher6289]

I’m a DE shaver and I have to agree the Cajun blade is one of if not the best performing soaps I have ever used. I actually add a little Cajun blade to my stirling bowl lathers to improve performance. Don’t just Vote vote right if your going to vote left os sanity please do your duty to the US and don’t vote.

[@billm.2677]

@@danblacksher6289 voted with RFK 😎

[@ChrisDaBOSS7]

Cool video, I have found most my vintage razors dont have this warp issue Dovo/ralf aust has. I wonder if this is good luck, or it was more standard back in the day for them to be closer to flat. From what I see on the forums today more people recomend vintage or vendors known to have razors more easily honed. I don't think ralf aust guarantees quality, but does offer 14 days to return an item if user does not like it. Think it is good for people familiar with honing, but can be a problem for new people that don't know what they are looking for. I like to recomend DE/shavettes as well though for people just looking for a cheap/better shave. Can be a shiny penny getting a decent set up while learning the skills, not to mention all the variables. It is funny seeing a "democrat" talk about the cheating they will do. As an individual in the faith, Kamala has my vote. It is crazy what the other guy has said and done. Even crazier people in the faith choose to ignore most of it. Cheers

[@billm.2677]

@@ChrisDaBOSS7 • Vintage razors, I have seen my share of old stuff with very poor geometry, most of which would be difficult to hone unless you are already skilled and equipped to do so. Almost all had significant hone wear on edge and spine without correcting the inbred defects. Buying vintage razors is every bit the risk as buying a “new modern manufacture”. The difference is often the $20 spent on an eBay throw away vs the $250 brand new piece that fails. It is easy to conclude that many of those excellent vintage examples have survived only because they ‘were’ excellent examples, and not necessarily the standard for production. • Ralf Aust, will not guarantee a razor that the owner has honed. On this one, the purchaser did not see the severity of defectiveness until he tried to hone it. Dovo now uses tape. Theirs Issard has abandoned all hand honing for machine work that uses a progression of flat discs and a pasted paddle strop, then leather. Materials, times, and craft levels change, maybe it is time for straight razor makers to stop eyeballing stuff and start by guaranteeing a good “Tap & Wobble Test” as a pass fail for a Certificate of Analysis. • I became a democrat to vote for RFK Jr in the primary because I had long thought Ole Joe was taking too many naps and mumbling too much. RFK was not on the primary ballot and neither was Karmela. RFK says it was rigged and we find “the gubbamint machine” endorsed Karmela is the candidate based on ZERO votes. It does take some honesty to make the assessment that me and my party have cheated somehow. And, who can deny the “Orange Man Bad”…anybody is better approach worked! Sorry to disappoint my adoring Karmela fans, but I jumped the Democarat fence with DJT RFK, Tulsi, and Elon in hopes of saving the Democratic voting process before we give illegal walk ins legal voting rights to take stuff they want, just because they need it more. Oh, and while foreign wars are great for the economy, I am not a fan of all the people that have to die. If we let people march across our border, why can’t Ukraine at least do the same?