Thread: Shorter blade

I got one of Tony's starter kits for christmas so my current razor is a Dovo 5/8 and I feel like the length of the blade is making it hard to go ATG on my neck. If you were to draw a line from my adams apple to my ears, that is the direction my beard is growing. I've tried the reach-over-pull on the sideburn but no matter how I stretch I cant get a flat enough surface to truly get ATG.

Are there any manufacturers to look out for that have a shorter than average blade length?
Is the the tool or the technique that needs to change?

The neck is tricky for some guys (the chin and adams apple are the other usual trouble spots). It may take you awhile to figure out how to get a great shave in this spot. There are some shorter razors out there, but we're only talking 1/4"-1/2" shorter. Even the feather which has a blade about half the length of a straight can't go sideways on my neck - blade length just doesn't seem to make a huge difference. One of the razors most favored by the old barbers also had one of the longest blades of all the straight razors.

Contact either Bill Ellis or Joe Chandler. Then can grind down a blade for you to any length you want.

Frankly, I really like a short blade of either 2" or 1 1/2". I have used both.

I'm sending a couple blades to Joe Chandler sometime soon.
This could work out quite well.

Originally Posted by Shur

I'm sending a couple blades to Joe Chandler sometime soon.
This could work out quite well.

Keep us posted. I've been contemplating having a blade shortened for similar problems to yours. I'm curious to hear your results.

TI SuperGnome, at ClassicShaving, is a shorter blade than most, at least the one I received. I heard some are standard length. I got the white scales version.

I have a Dubl Duck Satinedge that has been cut down to 2½". I could hone it up and sell it to you for say $30 if you wanted. PM me if you're interested.

In my experience, using a smiling shaped edge gives me the best purchase on the sideways pass on the neck.

X

Yep - I like shorter smilies but the ones I tried weren't as sharp as smooth as I want... Maybe they just need more work.

Randy - 2 or 1.5" blade! Wow this is short! Gotta try it to see how it feels

Cheers
Ivo

forgot to say: I have ground razors myself w/ good results and WoW - I'd get that DD from X if I were you

I'm deffinately taking up Xman on that offer, but I still want to try something shorter as well. I'm thinking in the 1.5" - 1.75" range, about the same as a Mach3 cartridge since I already know it fits the area well.

Randy inspired me, I had a spare 8/8 W&B lying around...

Long story short (bad pun intended) - the Mighty W&B is now 1 5/8

Pulled hair mucho when I tried dry shaving off the 1K (setting the bevel) - surprise surprise. Actually, that's better than I expected. So I'll give it a hone workout. Will post before and after photos later.



Oh, forgot to say it had 2 big wide cracks that made it unusable. Otherwise I wouldn't have cut it, of course

Cheers
Ivo

Here are the photos. It is also shave-ready now