Thread: hollow 4/8 vs half hollow 6/8 or a any combination of these

All things are rarely "equal", and after eight years of regular straight-razor shaving, I've learned that I get a much better shave from a 5/8"-6/8" blade, with a half/quarter-hollow or near-wedge grind and a round, French (oblique), or muted-spike point. If any one of these aspects stands-out, it's the blade's grind -- in every instance I can recall, anything more than half-hollow has proved to be too flexible, which manifests as a distinct fear of cutting/slicing myself while shaving, and prevents me from concentrating fully on the shave, itself. I get consistently excellent shaves (and enjoyable ones, too) from the "milder" grinds of half/quarter-hollow and near-wedge.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Of course, YMMV.

Smooth shaving!

There are some who say that a half-hollow is better for a new shaver than a full hollow. I believe their reasoning is that the full hollow is less forgiving on the face when it comes to wrong angle, too much pressure, and blemishes and obtrusions on the skin (facial speed bumps, if you will).

I'm a noob as well, and all my razors are full hollows, so I won't presume to talk about grinds. I have noticed, though, that like with motorcycles and aircraft, "more maneuverable" equals "less stable". A wider blade that is a little less easy to maneuver around the tricky parts of your face, is also a little easier to maintain proper angle with on my face. More importantly (to me) the wider blade is easier to keep flat on the strop and the hone. If I found a great deal on something less that 5/8 I'd definitely scoop it up, but I'd like a little more experience before I tried to strop or hone it. Just my over-cautious opinion...........