Thread: 5/8 vs 6/8

What would the difference be in the shave/fool of the blade. I'm looking to get my first razor and remember seeing that a 5/8 is a good starting width but I haven't seen a "why".

Some feel that the narrower width is easier to negotiate the various angles of the face. Others like the heft of a wider blade. The difference between a 5/8 & 6/8 will be not hardly any.

I am the same as you , I am a newbie to this but from what I understand and what I understand from also using a shavette, a 5/8 blade is a little easier to maneuver than say a 6/8 or 7/8 blade. I think you get a little more feed back from a smaller blade where a bigger blade is a little more aggressive, I went with what I wanted and got a 6/8 anyway.

I started with a 6/8 last summer and i have had no problems. I will soon be trying a 5/8 that i have been restoring. 5/8 and 6/8 are both pretty standard sizes that are easy to obtain. You won't know what you prefer until you have tried multiple styles and sizes but you have to start somewhere and when learning a more forgiving blade will reduce cuts and nicks.

When you're starting out, a 5/8 or 6/8, round tip, half-hollow is a pretty good neutral ground to start with IMO. Very small difference between using a 5/8 and a 6/8 other than preference, if you're using 5/8 as a standard.

As far as aggressiveness, once you're comfortable with shaving with a straight, it all comes down to it's only the edge that actually shaves your face, not the blade, and size then comes down to preference with different attributes to each size, but you'd probably different levels of aggressiveness more in the grind than in the size IMO.

Once you understand you're shave, experimenting is all the fun. I used to see video's of members here using huge blades and would laugh, thinking I would never use a blade that large, now they're my favorite. Also have a pair of 4/8's that are quite awesome blades, and equally like those.

I'm not really interested anymore in a blade smaller than a 7/8, with the 9/8's being my favorite! Sheesh, when I use a 5/8 now, it almost feels like using a toy, yet when I started out, a 5/8 felt like taking a cleaver to my face.

Your preferences will all develop as you go....and that's a lot of the fun!

Cheers!

There is a bit more "difference" than just the 1/8 size of the blade

The 6/8 is bigger in several areas
Mostly the thickness of the spine and tang stand out, there is just more steel there, it is a bit easier for most, to strop and hone, the added weight from the thicker steel helps with tentative beginning strokes..

It is also the Center size for razors that basically run from 3/8-9/8

JMHO but if you can get a 6/8 easily in your price range then go for it...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

There is a bit more "difference" than just the 1/8 size of the blade

The 6/8 is bigger in several areas
Mostly the thickness of the spine and tang stand out, there is just more steel there, it is a bit easier for most, to strop and hone, the added weight from the thicker steel helps with tentative beginning strokes..

It is also the Center size for razors that basically run from 3/8-9/8

JMHO but if you can get a 6/8 easily in your price range then go for it...

Hey Glen - was just about to ask what you meant by Center size and realized you mean right down the middle! Makes sense...so yes, I can see how 6/8 would be a great starting size...cheers!

Thanks. I figured they would be fairly similar.

I've found that a 6/8 razor is generally easier to handle than a 5/8. I know this seems counter-intuitive but as Glen pointed out, the greater mass of the 6/8 is what makes the difference - particularly when you start to try ATG strokes, the 6/8 is way more controllable.

Yes, what Glen said. I started on 6/8 and really don't care for anything smaller/lighter. The blade mass really starts jumping once you get to 7/8 (my current fave). At 8/8 they start getting massive, 4/8 is a bit delicate (or a worn to crap 5/8).

One issue bigger blades contribute to negatively is visibility, but that's mostly for one-hand shavers. If you learn to shave with both hands you shouldn't have to "peep around" the blade for certain strokes.

It's not going to make/break your learning shaving experience. Also it's a good clue, if you're looking at used razor descriptions, as to who knows something about razors and who doesn't (if they give dimensions other than width and omit width, they have no clue-nothing wrong with that just be aware).