Simple rotary blade sharpness test

Rmac86

Member
Hi guys,

For those of you using rotary razors/shavers I have found a fairly good way of testing how sharp blades are.

Obviously the main sign is pulling and tugging on the hair, but let’s say you want to hone in on an individual head (if you suspect blade damage or excessive wear etc) or want to know roughly how much life is left in a cutter, then I have found this method works well for me at least.

As always, ensure your blades are clean and free of any hair before starting. I would recommend a complete clean with alcohol to ensure a reliable result.

After cleaning and drying, very gently touch a finger (I use my thumb) on the blades. If the blades are sharp they should feel almost “sticky” as you lift your finger away from the blade. And if they are dull there will be next to no feeling as you remove your finger. As long as you don’t press on the blades you would be unlikely to cause any damage.

I’ve heard of some people scraping the individual blades on their nails to test them, but I wouldn’t recommend this as nails are significantly harder than skin and this practice will almost certainly damage any blade edge irreparably. After all, the blade edge is microscopically thin.

This method can potentially save you money also, as some people think blades are dull when in fact all they need is a good clean, saving you from buying new blades which can be very expensive.

Give it a go and tell me what you think guys!
 
As an update guys, I’ve made some further observations.

Older Philips blades like the HQ3/4 and 55/56 types tend to retain their sharpness better over time, certainly when compared to the newer Philips sh30 blades.

I say this because I recently cleaned my Norelco 2000 (SH30 heads) and decided to check the level of sharpness. To my touch they felt quite dull, but they obviously still cut. The cutters were replaced in September of last year and have seen very little use since then, maybe about a month in total. The hq56 in my Philips 6990 were cleaned at the same time and have had significantly more use than the SH30’s.

One could argue that the 56 heads are not working as hard as the SH30 because damage is being distributed a bit more evenly across 15 cutters per head as opposed to 9 on the SH30. Or it could be the case that because the Norelco is being regularly cleaned under water in various locations (it’s my dedicated travel shaver) it’s maybe effected by mineral content in the water?

Then again I have an unused Philips series 1000 and the blades feel as sharp as the hq56 currently does?

I suppose it’s all very subjective, anyway just food for thought!
 
Interesting. This kind of relates to an issue or hangup I have. Philips says whether for my corded 1000 or my Prestige Ultra, I should just run the headsunder water. I hadn't thought about the mineral content in water, but every time I rinse with water, I sometimes take the cutters out of the combs and still see debris. While this can affect, I guess, the efficiency of the battery and motor, the real issue is it's not clean, at least for me. But here is the dilemma....Philips says just RINSE and don't take off the plastic retainer unless you're changing cutters/combs. Well, if I really want to clean them well each time, is it possible I might wear out the plastic retaining fixture? Those are not something you usually see for sale. My gut feeling is don't worry, if it wears out, the shaver will likely be wearing out too. But do you think it is overkill to disassemble and thoroughly clean the cutters each time to keep the shaver operating optimally?
 
Interesting. This kind of relates to an issue or hangup I have. Philips says whether for my corded 1000 or my Prestige Ultra, I should just run the headsunder water. I hadn't thought about the mineral content in water, but every time I rinse with water, I sometimes take the cutters out of the combs and still see debris. While this can affect, I guess, the efficiency of the battery and motor, the real issue is it's not clean, at least for me. But here is the dilemma....Philips says just RINSE and don't take off the plastic retainer unless you're changing cutters/combs. Well, if I really want to clean them well each time, is it possible I might wear out the plastic retaining fixture? Those are not something you usually see for sale. My gut feeling is don't worry, if it wears out, the shaver will likely be wearing out too. But do you think it is overkill to disassemble and thoroughly clean the cutters each time to keep the shaver operating optimally?
I never take the cutters out of the frame. I just put the complete head in an ultrasonic bath with a few drops of washing up liquid........rinse and oil
 
I never take the cutters out of the frame. I just put the complete head in an ultrasonic bath with a few drops of washing up liquid........rinse and oil
Thanks. I know dishwashing, or washing up liquid does cut grease well. I may try that a few times as when I simply rinse with tap water, it doesn't get them clean.
 
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