Thread: first shave with a wedge

Tonight I tried my first shave with a W&B 5/8 medium hollow razor though it looks more wedge than hollow!

My other razor is a dovo 5/8 special. Didn't shower, just ran some hot water over my face and used a hot towel for a few seconds.

Had a good stubble going, last shave was friday morning. Man, I really noticed the difference., especially in the chin area-where the whiskers seem like wire. The blade didn't catch once-it just mowed right through them. Shave was smooth and close, razor was easy to work with.

I'm diggin' the wedges!

That's an excellent indicator that your technique needs a lot of work

Originally Posted by gugi

That's an excellent indicator that your technique needs a lot of work

probably why he posted in the newbies corner...

explain more on the technique needing work please

Well, imagine what a hair sees - a sharp edge. It knows nothing of the rest of the blade.
How the edge moves through the hair is determined by your hand, and the most significant thing your hand is affected by is the weight (aka inertia) of the blade.
If your hand can provide a smooth motion at the proper angle there will be no issue what blade you use. When you lack the skill, larger inertia of the blade can help a bit and cover for the lack of skill.

It's like driving a giant truck versus a sports car. If you lack driving skills you can't get a smooth ride from the sports car - it will just respond to your errors immediately, while the larger inertia of the big truck will cover them.

Originally Posted by gugi

Well, imagine what a hair sees - a sharp edge. It knows nothing of the rest of the blade.
How the edge moves through the hair is determined by your hand, and the most significant thing your hand is affected by is the weight (aka inertia) of the blade.
If your hand can provide a smooth motion at the proper angle there will be no issue what blade you use. When you lack the skill, larger inertia of the blade can help a bit and cover for the lack of skill.

It's like driving a giant truck versus a sports car. If you lack driving skills you can't get a smooth ride from the sports car - it will just respond to your errors immediately, while the larger inertia of the big truck will cover them.

This is a useful post. I wanted to get a wedge to compliment my full hollow for this very reason.

Originally Posted by gugi

That's an excellent indicator that your technique needs a lot of work

I read and re-read the first post, and I don't know how you can jump to critiquing the poster's technique, the smiley face notwithstanding. Some razors are more fun to shave with than others, and I definitely have better results with some than others, and variances in results on different days. I believe noobs need encouragement, not putdowns.

Originally Posted by igitur55

the smiley face notwithstanding.

No, it is definitely standing right there.

Originally Posted by igitur55

Some razors are more fun to shave with than others, and I definitely have better results with some than others, and variances in results on different days.

Yes, same thing here. and the subpar results tend to happen exclusively when I switch a razor.

Originally Posted by igitur55

I believe noobs need encouragement, not putdowns.

Yeah, you should perhaps reread my post as many times as you read the first one, may be you will change your opinion of it.
A person shaving 3 months with straight razor is not exactly the same as person shaving 3 times with one.

everyone has a learning phase but nothing that practice, patientce and time wont cure

Originally Posted by gugi

No, it is definitely standing right there.

Yes, same thing here. and the subpar results tend to happen exclusively when I switch a razor.


Yeah, you should perhaps reread my post as many times as you read the first one, may be you will change your opinion of it.
A person shaving 3 months with straight razor is not exactly the same as person shaving 3 times with one.

I don't think gugi was trying to put anyone down.

It's a common experience - and often posted - that a relatively new shaver will try their first wedge be amazed at how smoothly it shaves. They, then often think they "like" wedges better than full hollows. Very often, after a few more months or year or whatever, they realize that the full hollow can be just as smooth as the wedge and gives much better feedback and control - at the edge. They conclude that the wedge is not better than the full hollow - just different. This happens all the time and I think gugi was pointing to that. Correct me if I'm wrong, gugi.

EDIT: I went through this process myself, so this isn't a criticism of anyone.

Jordan