Why does my new Wapi shave so differently?

I just got a new Wapi yesterday, it was only pocketknife sharp and took a lot of strokes (stone, film, paste, strop) to get its less than full hollow blade to pop hanging hair, and no matter what I tried, it didn't quite "feel" as sharp as some of my other (all full hollow) razors. Maybe that's why full hollows took over the market more that a hundred years ago.

I was anxious to give it a try, preped normally, gripped the razor and wow, those stout, Warsaw Pact, social realism scales really throw off the balance of the piece. Anyway, once I started shaving, it was smooth, real smooth. All my other razors are full hollow and tend kind of vibrate and jump around as they cut beard. In fact after a few swipes with the Wapi, I checked with a fingertip to feel if it was cutting at all. (For a second I thought I might have inadvertantly knocked the edge completely off it and was scraping off lather with a butter knife-like edge.:thinking:) WTG, XTG and ATG it shaved like a champ.

Is this kind of performance common with more wedgy razors or is it just the magic of super beefy stainless scales.:)

I got a similar sensation with a narrow keen kutter wedge. I don't know if the bevel angles are different or even if they have anything to do with it. Regardless of blade width, fuller grinds seem more forgiving to me than the hollows

I'll agree that while my one shave with a Wapi did feel a little bit rougher that my W&B say, the finish was superb. I had an easy time getting it to shave ready and don't really mind the weight of the scales much.

The steady easy motion is a mark of the heavier blades. Full wedges shave like ninjas.

X

I've shaved with two razors over a couple weeks now: a full-hollow Dovo and a 1/4 or less J. Wostenholm. The difference in feedback is striking. I also often find myself wondering if the wedge is actually taking off any whiskers, at least when I go WTG -- butter knife smooth, as you say. But it is!

I have experimented with both hollow ground razors and big thick wedges, and even fine small wedges like Red-Imps,Electric, Kinfolks, etc.

The wedges are quieter, that is the main difference.

The thin hollow ground razors make a lot of noise when they cut the whiskers, and wedges are pretty silent.

A heavier razor also glides a little more smoothly, though if correctly honed and stropped, they should all glide easily without pulling.

One benefit to the hollow-ground razor is that the second pass is MUCH quieter than the first pass, and you can easily tell by sound and feel if a part of your face is shaved completely.

You can also feel this with the wedges, but it is a lot more subtle.

I really felt like I was on top of shaving with a straight when I could tell by the SOUND and FEEL that I was done shaving a part of my face. No need to feel with my hands until the end, for touch ups.

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Originally Posted by shuredgefan

I just got a new Wapi yesterday, it was only pocketknife sharp and took a lot of strokes (stone, film, paste, strop) to get its less than full hollow blade to pop hanging hair, and no matter what I tried, it didn't quite "feel" as sharp as some of my other (all full hollow) razors. Maybe that's why full hollows took over the market more that a hundred years ago.

I was anxious to give it a try, preped normally, gripped the razor and wow, those stout, Warsaw Pact, social realism scales really throw off the balance of the piece. Anyway, once I started shaving, it was smooth, real smooth. All my other razors are full hollow and tend kind of vibrate and jump around as they cut beard. In fact after a few swipes with the Wapi, I checked with a fingertip to feel if it was cutting at all. (For a second I thought I might have inadvertantly knocked the edge completely off it and was scraping off lather with a butter knife-like edge.:thinking:) WTG, XTG and ATG it shaved like a champ.

Is this kind of performance common with more wedgy razors or is it just the magic of super beefy stainless scales.:)

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Amazing what a different razor can feel like, isn't it?

I haven't shaved with a Wapi (honing two up at them moment though...), but I think what you are experiencing is definitely due to the different grind. I started with full hollow Friodurs, but after going to thicker grind razors I haven't looked back! I just like the way they shave my face.

The reason for the steel scales is that Wapis were originally designed to be useful as surgical prep razors, to shave body hair before surgery. Hence, they needed to be able to survive an autoclave sterilization. Also, in that application, it's generally easier to use them with the scales at 180 degrees, sort of like a traditional Japanese straight razor. So the balance part didn't really matter.

Just another Fun Fact from the Polska Bureau of Information...:D