Thread: How is a wedge supposed to feel?

Well, let me tell you, wedges are the most difficult things to hone satisfactorily. 100 laps on 1000 grit tells me you are doing something wrong.

The specific answer to your question is that no they don't feel the same. But it should feel as sharp.
The blade is rigid and the skin wraps to it rather than a full hollow were the blade flexes a bit. It will however cut the beard easier because of the weight behind the blade. You will either love them or hate them. I found that soap would often catch on the back of the blade and stop the smooth flow of the razor cut. But the big wedges are very popular, especially it seems with those men who shave every three days or so rather than every morning.

As to the honing, you have two ways to go. Either with or without taping the spine.

If you tape the spine, and start from scratch with a 1000 grit hone, you will develop a new V edge very quickly. You hone this V all the way up to the strop as you would a full hollow blade. The method works and works well. It has the advantage of keeping the blade looking unworn because there is no wear on the spines honining edge, because it is protected by the tape. I have found that two layers of electrical tape works best.ie, layer one over another. Try to make sure the tape is symetrical. Also be careful especially on the 1000 grit that you are not wearing the tape thin or you will actually be putting a U and not a V as your new edge. If you suspect wear, just change the tape and carry on. Remember the fulcrum for honing becomes the edge of the tape.

If you don't tape the spine, be careful that you don't over hone on the 1000 grit. You need to feel for when you have developed that grippy edge and stop. Then move onto the higher grit hones, always making sure you don't loose the gritty edge as the edge gets polished.

When you come off the final hone, I would strongly advise that you give the edge a final polish using a flat bed leather hone that has been lightly coated with chromium oxide. 5 to 10 return passes will do the job. Chromium oxide improves the edge on the wedge better than anything.

As for stropping, you will get the best results by laying your strop flat on a table edge and stropping the blade on the flat. Because the blade is so heavy and totally inflexible, unless you hold a hanging strop very taught, you will likely roll the edge dull rather than achieve the smooth edge you desire.

The leather chromium oxide strop is great for touch ups as well. The wedge does not hold an edge as long as a full hollow and so revisits for touch up may well need to be between 7 and 14 shaves.

Anyway good luck. You will not be the first to find honing a wedge quite a challenge.

I've done it, but I must admit, I struggle to get good results consistantly.