From ShaveWiki
Aggression
Ranking by blade gap size
Note there are factors, other than the blade gap size, that might make a razor seem more or less aggressive.
The following, while based on a single simple measurement, will hopefully agree with most of the impressions of the shaving community.
The easiest way to measure the blade gap is with a feeler gauge.
How to do it is described here ...
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?p=592727#post592727
Blade gap, in 1/1000's of an inch [ +/- .001 inch ]
List order: Smallest gap size (mildest) to larger (more aggressive)
Blade gaps, ranked by gap size
| thousandths of an inch | millimeters | Razor | weight, grams
|
| 15 | | Merkur Progress 570 @ 1 |
|
| 17 | .43mm | Gillette Adj Black handle @ 1 |
|
| 18 | .46mm | |
|
| 19 | .48mm | |
|
| 20 | .51mm | Ming Sui |
|
| | | Gillette Rocket (UK) |
|
| 21 | .53mm | Gem Micromatic |
|
| | | Gillette New Improved Tuckaway |
|
| | | Schick Krona |
|
| 22 | .56mm | Gillette Adjustable @ 1 |
|
| | | Gillette New Norfolk |
|
| | | Gillette TECH |
|
| | | Merkur Classic |
|
| | | Weishi |
|
| | | Merkur Progress 570 @ 2 |
|
| 23 | .58mm | Gillette NEW |
|
| | | Gillette Super Speed (Blue Tip) |
|
| 24 | .61mm | Gem G-Bar |
|
| | | Gillette Adjustable @ 2 |
|
| | | Feather Popular |
|
| 25 | .64mm | Gillette Aristocrat (US) |
|
| | | Gillette Knack |
|
| | | Gillette Ranger Tech |
|
| | | Gillette Super Speed (black handle) |
|
| | | Gillette Super Speed (late 1940s) |
|
| | | Merkur HD Long Handle (38C) |
|
| | | Wilkinson Croma |
|
| | | Schick Injector Type L |
|
| | | Merkur 23C |
|
| 26 | .66mm | Bic Disposable (orange handle) |
|
| | | Gillette Adjustable @ 3 |
|
| | | Gillette Aristocrat (UK) |
|
| | | Gillette Super Speed Red Tip (US) |
|
| 27 | .69mm | |
|
| 28 | .71mm | Merkur HD (34C) |
|
| | | Merkur Progress 570 @ 3 |
|
| 29 | .74mm | Gillette Adjustable @ 4 |
|
| 30 | .76mm | |
|
| 31 | .79mm | Feather Portable |
|
| 32 | .81mm | Gillette Adjustable @ 5 |
|
| | | Bic Metal |
|
| | | Gillette Super Speed Red Tip (UK) |
|
| 33 | .84mm | Merkur Progress 570 @ 4 |
|
| 34 | .86mm | |
|
| 35 | .89mm | Gillette Adjustable @ 6 |
|
| 36 | .91mm | |
|
| 37 | .94mm | Merkur Progress 570 @ 5 |
|
| 38 | .97mm | Gillette Adjustable @ 7 |
|
| 39 | .99mm | |
|
| 40 | 1.02mm | |
|
| 41 | 1.04mm | Gillette Adjustable @ 8 |
|
| | | Gillette Adjustable (black handle) @ 9 |
|
| 42 | 1.07mm | |
|
| 43 | 1.09mm | |
|
| 44 | 1.12mm | Merkur Futur @ 1 |
|
| 45 | 1.14mm | Gillette Adjustable @ 9 |
|
| 47 | 1.19mm | Merkur Futur @ 2 |
|
| 53 | 1.35mm | Merkur Futur @ 3 |
|
| 58 | 1.47mm | Merkur Futur @ 4 |
|
| 63 | 1.60mm | Merkur Futur @ 5 |
|
| 65 | 1.65mm | Merkur Futur @ 6 |
|
| 69 | 1.75mm | Merkur Futur @ 6 .5 |
|
Note: Gillette Adjustables
- Slim and Fat Boy range from .022 @ 1 to .045 @ 9
- the Black handle Adjustable ranges from .017 @ 1 to .041 @ 9 or 1 setting smaller than the Slim or Fat Boy
Subjective differences in ranking were limited to +/- .001 measurements
so differences of .001 - .003 can be considered functional equivalent.
Aggressiveness and Exposure
Aggressiveness of a safety razor can be thought of as the degree to which a blade is exposed to the face and beard, or conversely the degree to which the face and beard are not protected from the blade by the razor's safety features.
The two things that protect your face and beard from the blade are the razor's cap and the razor's guard. The cap and guard touch the skin while shaving and the blade is exposed to the skin between the two. Thus, the blade exposure can be described as the distance the blade protrudes past an imaginary tangent between cap and guard. The "gap" discussed above is not the same as the exposure as defined here, but larger gaps will tend to create larger exposures, given that the rest of the geometry stays about the same. So, the above measurements do give an approximate ranking.
Another factor in aggressiveness might be the angle that the blade makes with that imaginary line. There is probably an ideal angle but that might be different for different beards and maybe even different for different areas of the same beard.
One advantage of an aggressive razor may be that the user has more control over the angle at which the blade touches the skin.
