A Query for Wedge Users

I'm not sure if this is the best forum for this, but I just have a question for you wedge-grind shavers out there.

How long do you find an edge lasts on a wedge compared to your hollow grounds? Longer, shorter or no difference?

My recently-bought Sheffield wedge has provided some good shaves so far (I'd estimate approx 10 shaves, maybe a little less, maybe more), but it seems to be dropping off in the sharpness department a bit quicker than my hollows.

I'm interested to see if my experience is similar to others.

Oh, I forgot to ask if touching up a wedge is significantly different or more difficult than other grinds? Keep in mind I'm only talking about a touch-up, not a full bevel reset.

Well I believe edge longevity has little to do with the grind, but more to do with the steel composition and heat treatment, and there is wide variation even within the same brand and model.
However I do find my wedgies last a little longer than hollows… I think it has to do with the weight, and the fact that they don’t flex as much as hollows. And they shave well even if they may not be as sharp as freshly honed, because you don’t feel the resistance (feedback) as with a lighter hollow.

Touch up depends on the width of the bevel, if touching up is removing steel, it will be more laps if you have a large bevel than a thin one.
I suppose if the bevel is as thin as the average hollow ground razor then you there should be no difference. However if the bevel is wide, then a hone such as a barber hone may not efficiently touch up the razor.

Many wedge razors are older as hollow grinding is a relatively new thing. Heat treatment etc. has also evolved and become more sophisticated. I do not think it is a matter of grind, more a matter of steel quality and initial sharpness.

Just my 2 cts.

I should have mentioned that my razor is a Wostenholm (thanks Holli4pirating!), so it is a reputable brand; I think poor steel is not a consideration in this matter. I think I'm just as guilty as the next straight shaver of letting their razor "go" just a little too much before the next honing session. For touch ups should I employ the 45 degree stroke? I should mention as well that I'm working with a yellow coticule, one that's good for touch ups.

Hi Ryan,
I think your question is a little hard to get a simple answer cause of things just mentioned by other members regarding types of metal etc. Also there a lots of different styles of wedges. many from either factory or craftsmen at later times refreshed the wedges and made them a little hollow and not completly flat. If your wedge sits on your barbers hone where the bevel and spine hit evenly, it should not be too difficult to touch up, but lots of wedges require more advanced sharpening technique because their blades have more complicated shapes making even contact I just described while honing more difficult. Maybe some of the more knowledgeable vendors can point you in the right direction as far as buying a new one that will be easy to hone. It is worth the effort as they give a buttery soft shave for me.
Many like myself with heavy beards, like wedges cause they feel smoother. However, since your not getting the feedback a hollow gives you a novice shaver might decide to abandon(or not learn) good scything technique and plow through there beard, then the bevel can be messed up quick, real quick.
Cheers,
Michael

I think doesn't matter hallow or wedge 10 shaves way low. There is something wrong . Blade is good quality blade .
could be
sharpening problem.
stropping
which one is you are the only person could find out.
Generally wedge should last longer the hallow.
Hallow should be sharper then Wedges.
hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by Kingfish

Hi Ryan,
I think your question is a little hard to get a simple answer cause of things just mentioned by other members regarding types of metal etc. Also there a lots of different styles of wedges. many from either factory or craftsmen at later times refreshed the wedges and made them a little hollow and not completly flat. If your wedge sits on your barbers hone where the bevel and spine hit evenly, it should not be too difficult to touch up, but lots of wedges require more advanced sharpening technique because their blades have more complicated shapes making even contact I just described while honing more difficult. Maybe some of the more knowledgeable vendors can point you in the right direction as far as buying a new one that will be easy to hone. It is worth the effort as they give a buttery soft shave for me.
Many like myself with heavy beards, like wedges cause they feel smoother. However, since your not getting the feedback a hollow gives you a novice shaver might decide to abandon(or not learn) good scything technique and plow through there beard, then the bevel can be messed up quick, real quick.
Cheers,
Michael

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Thanks Kingfish. My razor is definitely a full sized heavy wedge, and it's got a bit of a smile, so that should make my honing session just that much more fun!!:rofl2: It does provide a nice shave though, once the required technique is downpat (using scything, heel/toe leading, etc).

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Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

I think doesn't matter hallow or wedge 10 shaves way low. There is something wrong . Blade is good quality blade .
could be
sharpening problem.
stropping
which one is you are the only person could find out.
Generally wedge should last longer the hallow.
Hallow should be sharper then Wedges.
hope this helps.

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Thanks for the reply, it's good to get some other opinions on wedges. Stropping isn't generally a problem for me; it still provides a shave, so I'm not worried about a rolled edge.

I do disagree about what I perceive as your assesment of blade longevity; 10 shaves is not very low before an edge requires some attention (chrome ox, other pastes, barber hone) and many members will attest to that. Personally I do generally get more than 10 shaves from my edges, but I've heard of far fewer than that from other people.

Do you mean that by 10 shaves the razor, though not scary sharp, will still provide a smooth shave? I would very much agree with that. It might not be as sharp as when it was fresh off the hones, but will still shave well.

How was it honed, Ryan?

The same paradigm as on your other razors?
Or another treatment?
I ask because I have noticed, for my beard, it makes a difference. Sharpness delivered by pastes tends to disappear within a few shaves. (It seems not be dependable on how abrasive the beard)

How easy it is to touch up, depends on the width of the bevel panes. The wider, the longer it will take for your Coticule to refine the edge a bit. That is because more steel needs to be removed (even on a touch-up) and on top of that the applied pressure is spread over a wider area, diminishing the hone's efficiency.
If tape was used to hone the wedge, you need to exactly match the tape thickness and number of layers.

Best regards,
Bart.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

I do disagree about what I perceive as your assesment of blade longevity; 10 shaves is not very low before an edge requires some attention (chrome ox, other pastes, barber hone) and many members will attest to that. Personally I do generally get more than 10 shaves from my edges, but I've heard of far fewer than that from other people.

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I should say again. Properly honed razor should last at least 3 months without pastes.chro2 etc. (please note we are not talking about crappy razor 's)

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Do you mean that by 10 shaves the razor, though not scary sharp, will still provide a smooth shave? I would very much agree with that. It might not be as sharp as when it was fresh off the hones, but will still shave well.

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This part i am having problems to understand. what you mean scary sharp? and comfortable shave?
At the moment i am shaving only with 1 razor .i have shaved 11 times without any hone ,chro2 etc. only strop. i do strop a little longer now approximately 50. blade shaves exact same as day 1.
Lastly if you think your blade has been sharpen great and your stropping is excellent then Sorry i can't help. As long as you are satisfied with your blade that is all matter. GL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

This part i am having problems to understand. what you mean scary sharp? and comfortable shave?
At the moment i am shaving only with 1 razor .i have shaved 11 times without any hone ,chro2 etc. only strop. i do strop a little longer now approximately 50. blade shaves exact same as day 1.
Lastly if you think your blade has been sharpen great and your stropping is excellent then Sorry i can't help. As long as you are satisfied with your blade that is all matter. GL

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Let me kow how it goes with your one razor experiment (I assume it's an experiment?)

What I meant was that after several shaves a razor will clearly not be performing at it's peak, the peak being an edge when it's fresh off the hones and/or pastes (commonly referred to as "scary sharp" etc). Keeping a blade at that optimum level of sharpness could be perceived as high maintenance, and I'm sure most guys are not honing on a daily basis (save for barber hone use). It doesn't really matter, as once that peak starts to drop off slightly a razor will still provide close comfortable shaves for quite a while, even before hitting it with some chrome. It's when you let the edge go TOO far that you end up spending more time honing then you bargained for, and I think we've all been there. That's all I was referring to.

As for your statement about how a blade "should" not need any attention whatsoever for 3 months, well I don't know about that. If you're talking about using only one razor daily, and assuming you're shaving once a day, we're in the neighbourhood of 90 consecutive shaves before you even think of using pastes or hones. Please clarify this as it seems to me that you either a) are on a multy-razor rotation, or b) have a face made of hardened leather by now, or c) are in possesion of one magical razor ;)