Thread: Question from a new member.

Go figure. I tried a lot of straight razor sizes and types looking to find "THEE" difference. The good ones are all good. The big ones are too big and the small ones are too small. I honed a brand new Dovo for a guy and it was the best shave I ever had. Then I hone my el-cheap-o 6/8 Sheffield flea market find and thought the same thing. The pingy Henckels Inox? The quiet old wedge? The really worn unbranded notched half-hollow Torrey look-alike? Proper edge set off the stones, 50 laps on leather and they each seem magnificent.

That said, either of my 6/8 full hollow Sheffields are the best.

Well, except for the Heljestrand.

Hi and welcome. The answer may lie in the size and grinds. The dovo being 6/8 full hollow and the W&B being 5/8 and likely a heavier grind. Then again some razors just take a better egde or your honing may have been better. Try touching up the dovo and comparing again.

Welcome aboard to SPR
I can also relate to your dilemma Superfresh
I started with 13/16 W&B probably ¼ hollow

got a cheap 5/8 W&B probably ½ to ¾ hollow from of the bay for $21 AUD delivered to practice stropping & refreshing with a barbers hone
it looked like a dog in the photos (due to bad eBay photos) so thought for $21 it won’t hurt if I bugger it up practicing, when got it was in great shape compared to what I was expecting (I love bad eBay photo surprises when in my favour)

so I gave a clean-up with a bit of Autosol polish only, disinfected it, then about 30 laps on my Crown Barbers hone, if that, then about 50/100 laps on the felt & leather
I found it shaved a lot better & easier than the 13/16 that I started with
I found it was a lot lighter with the wedgeless horn scales & a lot easier to manoeuvre whilst I was still new, so I used it exclusively for a couple of weeks improving shaving skills.

this also made me realise just how much I had dulled my 13/16 with bad stropping technique, so went back to the hone with the bigger blade & got it right
still love that $21 5/8” W&B and is a definite keeper in my rotation

I too had a similar experience. Bought a W&B off the bay, had a hell of a time getting it honed. The planets must of lined up right or I was holding my tongue just right and finally got it sharp. It's one of my best shavers. Good job getting it right the first time.