Audible razor feedback

I find that the sound my razor makes whilst mowing down my whiskers is very pleasant, and really useful too -- I can judge my blade angle and cutting effectiveness from the sound alone. I'm still paying close attention with my other senses too, but this adds another dimension to my shaves.

I must credit Michael Ham and his wonderful book GOURMET SHAVING with the notion of a quiet place for the shaving ritual. Even the sound of running water, while pleasant, is masking some of the singing that my razor does while working. (whistle while you work?)

Also, each razor has a different voice -- I find this especially noticeable with open blade straights, but even a Trac II manages a faint hiss, if you're paying close attention.

I would like to know how many other folks have noticed this -- and, if so, which razors give the finest serenades?

Merkur futur sings like no other razor.

I could agree with that.  It was as though I could hear each whisker go with a metallic pop.  My ATT's have good feedback too, when your angle is right, it sounds like you're buttering toast.

It's funny when I get a new razor my son always comes into the bathroom wanting to hear the sound, followed by a "Daddy that's a good one". He ike the r41,but he gets a kick out of the futur...I'm starting him young...

Gem Streamline. Some have referred to it as sounding like buttering toast. I would say that's right on.

Yes, some razors do make that scraping toast with a butter knife sound and others don't. I like the sound but I don't think it indicates anything other than a thin blade in use with a straight razor or lots of blade exposure in a DE. An old near wedge straight razor is near silent when shaving but still does a good job of it.

Bob

Good point Bob. I was solely considering noise with my choice.

I have to concur with Bob. Nonetheless, I have had quite a few DEs that makes some lovely sounds. My Wolfman WR1-SB, probably, makes the loudest sound, at the moment. I also enjoy the other sounds that accompany my razor, as well, such as my brush generating the lather when face-lathering, especially, when using robust paint-brush strokes, the running water as I rinse my razor between passes, the sound of the water as I rinse the soap off of my face/neck and, finally, the sound of my hands moving across my neck/face/head as I apply my unrefined shea butter.

Nicest SOUNDING for me is Ikon Slant....like Niagra Falls......"crisp"....

weber polished head

My favorite sounding razor so far is my FaTip Piccolo. It has the loudest feedback of all the razors I currently own. The best way I can describe it is that it has sort of a ring to it. I'm guessing that's a result of the large amount of blade exposure this razor has. With that much blade hanging out, it has room to sing. The sound is also very useful as an indication of angle.

No DE really has sound. Even the Fatip doesn't. Now if you want loud (buttering toast) get any of the GEM 1912 razors or an Ever Ready 1924. But really any SE has better audio feedback than a DE. 

That is part of what I like about them. The auditory and tactile feedback they give allows them to communicate with me and prevent nicks. 

(05-13-2015, 08:20 AM)fram773 Wrote: No DE really has sound. Even the Fatip doesn't. Now if you want loud (buttering toast) get any of the GEM 1912 razors or an Ever Ready 1924.

To my ears only R41-2011 sounds the same(or near) with GEM 1912,of course YMMV.

(05-13-2015, 08:20 AM)fram773 Wrote: No DE really has sound. Even the Fatip doesn't. Now if you want loud (buttering toast) get any of the GEM 1912 razors or an Ever Ready 1924. But really any SE has better audio feedback than a DE. 

That is part of what I like about them. The auditory and tactile feedback they give allows them to communicate with me and prevent nicks. 

I must have fantastic hearing as all of me DEs have a lovely sound.

Hard to say which of my razors that sounds the best, but I know for sure that my Yuma is the loudest one I got; the hollow handle acts like a megaphone for the slight vibrations the blade make each time it slices through a hair 

Yes, for me Ever Ready/GEM 1912 and Streamline. In my opinion no DE can compare to a SE when we talk about sounding. 

(05-12-2015, 10:21 AM)opsimath Wrote: I find that the sound my razor makes whilst mowing down my whiskers is very pleasant, and really useful too -- I can judge my blade angle and cutting effectiveness from the sound alone. I'm still paying close attention with my other senses too, but this adds another dimension to my shaves.

I must credit Michael Ham and his wonderful book GOURMET SHAVING with the notion of a quiet place for the shaving ritual. Even the sound of running water, while pleasant, is masking some of the singing that my razor does while working. (whistle while you work?)

Also, each razor has a different voice -- I find this especially noticeable with open blade straights, but even a Trac II manages a faint hiss, if you're paying close attention.

I would like to know how many other folks have noticed this -- and, if so, which razors give the finest serenades?

I really like the Merkur Futur DE for that wonderful sound.  Nothing beats the sound a full hollow straight razor makes.  It really sings.  Each straight manufacturer's razors make a distinct sound like a fine violin.

Although I think it is best to shave without auditory distractions, I can't help but listen to the radio while I shave. So I guess I'm not really able to judge my razors' sounds. I do recall being shocked by the "racket" my Super Speed made during my first DE shave. At first I thought I was doing something wrong, but my face stayed intact, so I figured it must be normal.

Interesting post. I was actually thinking about this this morning as I shaved. I usually listen to music when I shave. Some DE's were audible and some less so. I am a newbie when it comes to straight razor shaving. So, I decided to go silent this morning when using my Dovo Pearlex. The sound was beautiful. Freshly honed. It had a singing feel to it. It definitely helped me as I attempted to adjust the angle, especially in the more difficult spots to shave.

I have to agree my Merkur Mergress sings ping,ping,ping!
I love the feedback so well I just gave my son a Mergress long handle.
He loves it!