Thread: The Zowada Michi-gane Razor Review

Simply stunning! Definitely out of my price range, but beautiful none the less. Enjoy in good health.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

It is a beautiful razor. Thanks for the review, Tim made at least one with steel from a meteorite that I would have loved to have gotten. I heard it is out of this world.

Quote of the year!

Originally Posted by Kifi

. Of course, there are also advantages to Michi-gane over modern steels (ie, no pastes needed).

Hey, no pastes are needed on any of my razors....could it be that all my razors are of Michi-gane?? I'm rich! Rich I tell you, rich!!!

Nice razor. I would try it without interim stropping.

Originally Posted by Kifi

There is only one company currently making Tamahagane razors in Japan (Iwasaki and Co), and only one in North America (Tim Zowada).

I've had an Iwasaki western-style tamahagane razor for several years, so it was interesting reading your impressions of Tim's tamahagane-like razor.

Originally Posted by Kifi

The shaving experience was exceptional; I would compare it to shaving with a Hart razor (not surprising since Tim trained the Hart team), although it requires frequent stropping during shaving. I like to give it several passes on leather after every two shaving passes. While it does require more stropping than most razors because of the Michi-gane’s unique nature, you get used to it quickly. Another point to mention is that Michi-gane steel stains even more easily than regular carbon steel if you don’t dry it properly. I made this mistake early on, but Classic Shaving came to the rescue and sent me some 3 micron pink paper and some 2 micron green paper which quickly fixed the problem. I’ve also used Peek metal polish with good results, and the blade and scales are now protected with Renaissance Wax.

Mine shaves exceptionally well, but it doesn't need any more frequent stropping than any other razor. It does rust if you so much as look at it sideways though; so I keep it dripping with oil. Not sure why Tim's needs such frequent stropping. I wonder if there's some natural vanadium or molybdenum in the Japanese iron sands.

Originally Posted by Kifi

Michi-gane is a high-carbon steel, with a carbon content of about 1%. Because, unlike modern steels, it lacks chromium, vanadium and other alloy materials, Michi-gane has relatively low abrasion resistance. For that reason, CrOx or other abrasives aren’t required; a few passes on a clean linen strop are all that’s required to keep the razor sharp for months. I currently own a “Mountain Mike” American Leather strop from Classic Shaving which I love, but the nylon webbing ‘canvas’ that comes with it wasn’t giving me enough abrasiveness, so I ordered a clean linen ‘single component’ strop from The Well Shaved Gentleman, which I’ve been thoroughly impressed with. I also like that I didn’t have to buy a new leather strop to go with it.

It may not have the modern alloying elements, but it is still a hypereutectic steel, so it will be full of abrasion-resistant carbides. But the steel between the carbides will wear away more readily, so a strop will sharpen it very well. My Iwasaki and my TI "wootz" razors both seem to sharpen easily with a strop the way the old Sheffields do. But lots of razors will stay sharp for months with just a strop, I had a Heljestrand that went for nearly 200 shaves with just stropping, and a number of solingen and american razors go 120-150 shaves.