I've seen the topic of razor materials on sci.materials before but I just had to resurrect this thread of discussion. I use sensor xcell razors. I get 2 excellent shaves with one of these, followed by 4 tolerable shaves, followed by a really poor shave and then I toss the $1 sob into the trash. This means I spend nearly $50 a year on these damn things and only get a really good shave 30% of the time.
I want a non-disposable razor that will outlast me. No, I don't mean those straight razors of the 1800's. I want a non-disposable razor that works like a safety razor. I would have no problem spending $150 on such a razor if it gave me an excellent shave 100% of the time for decades of proper use.
I don't care if Gillette etc go out of business, I want a good shave ALL THE TIME damn it.
I have "craftsman" in the title because of their reputation for replacements. If it goes bad, take it back, get it replaced for free? That sort of arrangement would be stellar.
I presume these disposable bastards are made of stainless steel. About the only practical thing this material affords that super materials won't is flexibility and biocompatibility. Even with its flexibility I still cut myself on a dull blade around the chin and places where my face isn't very flat.
A super hard material like cemented tungsten carbide is probably not biocompatible, even with nickel binders. I'm not sure about binderless WC, or B4C, or TiC. How about a sapphire blade? Sapphire isn't hugely expensive and it can be polished and sharpened on a lap. I don't see why it wouldn't be biocompatible.
I think the flexibility issue can be resolved with a narrower blade. Xcell blades are 1.5 inches wide. How about a sapphire blade ¾ inches wide? It usually takes 4 passes to get a clean shave on an xcell, if I can do it in 2 with an ultra sharp sapphire blade, I'd be happy with it.
Sapphire's Vickers hardness is about 1400, stainless is about 200. Sapphire is only 7 times harder, how long do you think it would last?
-Scott