Thread: Dealing with a square point

I usually have no problems. with any kind of point ot tip...but today I nicked my stretching hand with my spike tip.......

I am relatively new to shaving with a straight, but most of the few razors I own are either square point, spike point, or French point. I do own a couple of round points, as well.

I find that with any of them, concentration is the key to not losing blood. I have cut myself with the roundpoints as often as I have with a spike or square. I did cut my cheek slightly ONCE with a spike, but it was when I was being much less than attentive to the Devil's Corner.

Whether a Spike or Square is more of an advanced tool or not, I really like the look of a squared tip much more than I do a round. They just look better to me. I am looking at three razors right now, and all of them are Spikes or Squares. Is it just me??

I too have a tendancy to nick myself with the square points. I think it is due to a lack of concentration on my part more than the razor point. It seems I can get away with a bit more with the round ends. I really have to pay attention to the job at hand not to cut a furrough in my cheeks!

Gregg

I have never had a problem with the spike tips much to my astonishment at first. David Uthe (where are you?) generously rounded my first order so that it was a little more like a round point, but it still fuctions well, like a spike, but very safe.

To dull any overhoning on the tip I just draw the tip itself over the side of the 8000 Norton a few times in a rolling motion from nearly edge straight down to nearly straight up. That nice round motion only three times after each honing keeps all problems away.

X

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Ofcourse I dull the point, the very edge. Its crazy not to. The point should still shave without trouble. I raise the blade at a 45 degree angle and wipe it along the edge of the hone. Honing will over sharpen the tip or point and you'll tear yourself up on what is essentially an overhoned tip. You want the edge of the razor shaving all the way to the tip but the tip NOT cutting or tearing the skin.

I'd say if the entire 1/3 of the edge is a problem that it may be overhoned in that one section.

Thanks for this information, I have about six razors that I use, one of which likes to bite every once and a while. I ofter wondered what the difference was, now I know...

xman,

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to give it a try.

Ed

I always nick my cheeks with a square point. Maybe I have big cheeks, but it is definitely an issue of technique. I prefer the round points partially for this reason.

Originally Posted by JLStorm

I always nick my cheeks with a square point. Maybe I have big cheeks, but it is definitely an issue of technique. I prefer the round points partially for this reason.

JL, thank-you. This response strikes me as logical. If for whatever reason, technique, preference, whatever...you decide that spike points are not your cup o' tea, then it makes perfect sense to use another type of point. I would expect that is the main reason why so many different types of razors exist.

I fail to see the rationale behind anyone 'removing' the spike point on a razor. If you didn't want it, why did you buy it in the first place?

Sorry...end of rant.
Ed