Thread: The great experiment

Originally Posted by Firefighter2

Great group of guys here. To help out people they don't even know, that's something special. Hope your trial goes well.

TBH, I know Harold quite well! Would never send that pile out to a stranger!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

TBH, I know Harold quite well! Would never send that pile out to a stranger!

Yeah, Tom knows me well, but I'm not sure he knows how tough my shaving challenge is! I'll put those edges to the test!

So on a more serious note, I'm on full week two with this great seven day rotation, and I'm going to take them in order. #1 in the rotation is a 6/8 Manhattan Sheffield blade, I'd guess 1/4 hollow, in beautiful scales. Tom can tell you more about it since he's spent more time with it.

I did my second shave with it last night and as with most razors, shave 2 was better than shave 1. I'm used to mostly hollow and extra hollow ground razors, although I have a couple of heavier grinds. The more experience I've gotten with straights the more I find myself leaning toward the heavier grinds.

In my first shave with this razor I gave it an 8 out of 10, because it was a little hard for me to handle. I think I was babying the scales too much and not paying attention to my grip. So I got a better than average shave but had trouble in the harder to get to areas of chin and neck. In shave #2 last night, I used Castle Forbes in a bowl lather (I usually face lather) and I got a great shave (gave it a 9). I had no problems at all, anywhere and really like the little smile it has.

To be fair, I have a variety of weights, sizes, grinds and scale materials in this great collection that I'm trying and this being my 2d time through, I'm adapting to the angles, grips and approaches that suit my face with each razor.

Here is the razor, and tomorrow being my lazy day, I'll post a list of the seven that I have of Tom's that I'm trying out.

Yes, Harold, I figure since you have big hands and that razor is the shortest of the bunch, it has it's own characteristics.
The blade was reground long ago and may have lost some length. The scales hail from a different blade and I shortened them at the pivot. I was afraid to thin them out much at the new pivot as to the fragile nature of stag horn, so I left them a bit thick and 'chunky' up there. Maintaining and keeping a comfy grip while stropping and shaving might take some getting used to?

So as promised, to answer any curiosity you might have about what gems Tom has lent me to try, they are:

* A Manhattan in stag scales
* A Wade and Butcher heavy full hollow with 3 silver "dots" inlaid in the scale (shown below)
* A W&B FBU heavy blade (1/2 hollow?)
* A Mother of Pearl scaled Henckel smiler
* A frameback Sterling silver Tally Ho
* An Ivory scaled Ellliott
* And a huge (long) Filarmonica full hollow

Yesterday was shave 3 with the W&B which looks to be full hollow but is HEAVY -- 7/8 with a spine that is a tad more than 1/4" across. Again I got a great shave...actually better than my first shave with this one, which I think proves the "learning curve" theory -- suggesting that beginners, or anyone who is struggling would do best to stick with one blade shave after shave. I was surprised that this one, although pretty hollow a big blade, need more angle from my face than usual. I definitely got better as I went along.

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I think proves the "learning curve" theory -- suggesting that beginners, or anyone who is struggling would do best to stick with one blade shave after shave.

thanks for the updates mate,
reading this re-affirms my own current change in rotation method, as for the last 3 months I have changed from changing razors for each shave to using 1 blade for a full week, which is generally 3-4 shaves then moving to the next Str8 just to get to appreciate each blade better.


keep up the good work, I look forward to the rest of your feed back on each blade

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

So as promised, to answer any curiosity you might have about what gems Tom has lent me to try, they are:

* A Manhattan in stag scales
* A Wade and Butcher heavy full hollow with 3 silver "dots" inlaid in the scale (shown below)
* A W&B FBU heavy blade (1/2 hollow?)
* A Mother of Pearl scaled Henckel smiler
* A frameback Sterling silver Tally Ho
* An Ivory scaled Ellliott
* And a huge (long) Filarmonica full hollow

Yesterday was shave 3 with the W&B which looks to be full hollow but is HEAVY -- 7/8 with a spine that is a tad more than 1/4" across. Again I got a great shave...actually better than my first shave with this one, which I think proves the "learning curve" theory -- suggesting that beginners, or anyone who is struggling would do best to stick with one blade shave after shave. I was surprised that this one, although pretty hollow a big blade, need more angle from my face than usual. I definitely got better as I went along.

I had the same observation on that one, Harold! I am most positive it began life as a huge wedge which was reground quite finely as the 5/16 spine and stabilizers seem to tell the tale. Funny how the grind of a razor means little as shaving angle when it's roots are from a far different animal. Definitely some good weight left in that blade.
Knocking them down! Hands-on is best!

What a great idea for a thread Harold...and Kudos to Tom for helping out with the experiment. Tom!

I think your idea to shave with the same razor several times to really get a feel for it has a lot of merit, and really lends itself towards helping you ultimately decide what type of blade/grind/size you're most comfortable with.

The only problem with that concept is that if you turn out to be like me, you'll end up really liking something about every blade, and then you'll have no choice but to aggressively embark on 'collecting' shavers of every size, shape and description!

It's a dangerous road my friend...

Originally Posted by Wolfpack34

The only problem with that concept is that if you turn out to be like me, you'll end up really liking something about every blade, and then you'll have no choice but to aggressively embark on 'collecting' shavers of every size, shape and description!

It's a dangerous road my friend...

And it's an icy downhill road, and I'm on it