Thread: coarse heavy beard & hollow

my beard isn't that coarse but i find the heavier blades work better for me also

I AGREE, It seems the hefty-er the razor, the better, but that's me. I also prefer stainless. It has less flex and more wight. I just got a DOVO stainless micarta the other week. My favorite razor yet.....

One of the reasons I like framebacks is my REALLY coarse chin & moustashe hair.

I must be a lucky guy. I haven't found a grind I can't get a good shave out of if it is honed and stropped to shave ready. Back in my DE days I noticed that there was a disparity between DE blades favored by various shavers. Then I got to thinking, I had never shaved anyone's facial hair but my own. I had assumed I had a tough beard but with nothing to compare to maybe I was fortunately mistaken. Own way or the other it is nice to be able to shave with any grind I choose.

I'm with you Jimmy, I am lucky like you I can do this job with anything and get a BBS results, as long as it is either a safety or a straight. I can shave with any darn grind that suits my fancy, as long as its not a Gillette (my skin is quite clear on that mater - NO GILLETTE EVER).

I do have a very very coarse and heavy beard. I do find a heavier grind works better for me like 1/4 or 1/2 hollow, however I do not like wedges at all esp framebacks. I find that either extreme doesn't work so well for me. I have 3 full hollows I shave with their German steel too, so their extra stiff steel.

Jimmy has a great point, I think any razor is shaveable for a bbs if it's honed and stropped right. However, the cavait to it is that a 1/4 or 1/2 hollow will shave great even if the edge is not perfect for a man with a coarse beard, but the slightest problem with a fullhollow on a heavy beard will equal an uncomfortable shave.

Here is my example, I have 3 full hollows 2 of which have been my best shavers, but I keep them in tip top condition,however recently I have been restoring quite a few antiques and havent had time to upkeep my other shavers as I was in the past. Needless to say I went to shave with one today on a full day's growth which for me is like 100 grit sandpaper and my full hollows felt like it was tearing my face off.

I went straight to my Joseph Rodgers and it shaved it like a dream a full bbs.

cheers
D

How can you tell if you have a really coarse beard compared to the average shaver? what is the sign? without having shaved different people, can you really tell?

Back on topic, I too prefer the stiff grinds over the extra full hollow razors when it comes to shaving across and against the grain. the bigger they are, the stiffer I prefer them to be. But I find hollows to be a very close and clean one-pass cutter so since I often only shave one pass, I keep a few full hollows around