Why big blade width?

Hi everyone,

As an amateur learning the ropes it is suggested 5-6/8 are good blade widths.
I have seen allot of more experienced members showing their razors or potential purchases and they are all larger widths, 8/8 13/16 big wedges or the like. Obviously they have the skill to use a straight razor properly.

Why is a wider blade better?
Is a smaller blade not more manoeuvrable around some areas?
Also there has been a bit of talk about the higher prices on some vintage blades because they are in high demand at the moment.

I've been on the Electronic Bay a bit lately looking to pick up another blade for a back up and for learning reasons.
i have seen a few popular brands in 4/8 that are reasonably less expensive than a 5/8 or bigger.
why does this size seem to be unpopular and would they be suitable for the learners out there?

My biggest blade at the moment is a 6/8 but i can tell you that the big factor i can see is the weight. a larger blade has more momentum and the hairs just don't stand up to it as well. kinda like if you are going to be hit by a car while driving you would much rather it be a compact rather than a truck. the smaller blades are more maneuverable but there is always a trade off. I know that it feels like i am working harder when i use a smaller blade if it is hollow ground. if it was a wedge it would be a little better with that extra weight to help it along.

A good part of it is personal preference, I personally like 5/8 to 7/8 for daily driving.

This is my take on it.

A few of the reasons 5/8-6/8 are recommended starting out:

1. They are easier to maneuver and see around
2. They are a mid size so it will help you determine which way to go up or down when the time comes
3. The balance tends to be better at least IMO
4. They are easier to learn to strop (4/8 and smaller can be a challenge)
5. The weight seems to be enough to assist but not to much, I have found the smaller blades require you to work them, this would make getting the pressure right more difficult in the beginning.
6. The larger blades will about run on auto pilot due to the mass which may not be a good thing if your technique is not spot on.

Again just my thoughts on it and I know there are many more schools of thought on this subject.

IMO - as one who prefers bigger blades, it's just a matter of personal preference. For me, I get just as satisfying a shave with a 5/8 frame back as I do with my 9/8 Chopper...

Bigger is not better,think about it, your only contact with the blade is the edge,the end result will be the same with any blade width.
My prefferance is big blades,why?? is just me.
Guys like Big trucks, big motercycles, big anything,get a 5/8,go from there.

My bigger blades are my best shavers. The extra mass is like a buffer against any twitch or rough hand movement and they usually come with a smile that makes them all the more easy on the face.

Also it will take some time to get to know a new razor no matter what the size. the smaller blades are a lot more forgiving when you are starting out.

I like all the blades, But...at my advanced age, the heavier blades are easier to control due to the weight. That said; I usually shave with anything of about 9/16ths" or larger.
The previous posts have a lot of good information!
~Richard

Mostly it's personal preference.

For me 6/8 is my sweet spot. They tend to be a fraction longer, have a deeper tang, and hold more lather per stroke.

I do also have a few 5/8 and they shave well but always feel dainty compared to the 6/8. I do have big numb hands and I think that plays into it a lot.

The biggest razor I have is 7/8 but it is identical to a 6/8 other than been a fraction deeper. The 7/8 is also extra hollow and is lighter than the hollow ground 6/8.



The higher price on vintage blades can be misleading. Some well liked manufacturers go for big money these razors only make a small percentage of the razors available. And provided your not wanting specific makes then you can find very cheap blades on Ebay. Grind and metal wise a vintage 1950's or earlier razor will shave well. There are no bad razors because they were intended to be used, And without an advertising system like we have today reputation was everything. So the quality control that went into the blades is a reflection of the pride a company would have for it's product. The cheap razors tend to be 5/8 or 6/8 since even a no-name vintage 8/8 will command a higher price.

4/8 for me is something I have avoided. Not because I don't want to try them, Simply for the fact if I get one I want it to be very cheap as a tester model, And I tend to skip them when looking down the auction page.



If your ebaying blades then make damn sure you know what faults to look for. There is a subforum dedicated to auctions, and people put up a lot of information in there about auction listings that have problems. Say for instance a seller is house clearing, they may have no idea about razors. Because of that you need to learn to look for cracks, Chips, Cooked blades, Warps, spine wear, Incorrect scales/blade/boxes, pitting ect ect.

I have a wide variety to choose from. Stick with the 6/8 for most of my shaves which are every morning nice shaves. If I want to play, I grab something else. Every time I use a smaller 4/8 5/8 I ask myself why I don't use one on a regular basis. They seem to give an effortlessly close shave. The reason you hear "start out with 5 or 6/8 is because they are easiest to learn with and you have a base to go either way. Then there is the grind. It all boils down to what you like to use. Of course you have to buy them all to find that out. This is called RAD. Or you can just pick a couple and if they please you , stick with them. Being like most of us was never considered the smart thing to do . Just fun.

Great information guys thanks for the insight.
I Have a 5/8 king cutter and a Dorko 6/8 that were handed down to me.
The king cutter is in good shape and the dorko is away being rescaled and restored as it had some cell rot starting.
I'm just looking for an in expensive razor to practice stripping technique etc so I don't wreck the two I have already. I have to be careful as I fear RAD will be something I will pick up very quickly if left in supervised lol.

Srp is fantastic, I have learnt so much in a short time.
Sometimes I end up reading posts on here all night just learning about one aspect of the process to getting a good shave.

Thanks again for the help.

Sounds like you have what you need all ready. As said earlier the smaller razors are great shavers too, but IMO are harder to strop. My personal opinion, the 6/8 is the easiest to learn how to strop with, and my favorite size to use. Either way no matter what you have, you will learn how to use it.

I think that my friend pfries hit it pretty much on the head as did others. I will add that 99.9% of Everything involved with straight razors is 'Personal Preference'.

Personally I started out with a 9/16 Genco that was my Uncles and it's still one of my favorite razors, however I 'prefer' a 6/8 to 11/16. I didn't find that I preferred that size for a couple of years.

I like the weight just as Geezer said. With that said, if you have a stash or goatee that you trim a 1/2 would do well. I personally know of one member who uses some 3/8 to trim his goatee (I honed them for him). As my good friend pinklather will tell you those 3/8 are strop eaters! :banghead:

If you can start in the middle of the road you will be fine. If you decide to lean toward one side of the road or the other, there will not be any police to tell you that you are on the wrong side of the road as it's your private road and you can go down it however you please:tu

Sanfte Rasur, mein Klingenbruder!

(Smooth Shaving My Brother In Blades)

This may seem ridiculous but anything less than a 5/8ths and I tend to over shave and look like a lobster. It's a habit I can't break and although I am not a seasoned veteran I have been using straights for a year and a half. I had a great 4/8ths Henckels that shaved like a champ but I had more trouble with lighter weight as far as dropping my blade angle. I know its completely backwards but even after a year of shaving every day I still have to correct myself more with the small blades. Also I have a very pronounced square jawline and my 7/8ths Greaves is my go to because I just do my best shaving with it. Its personal preference imho and just what works for you. I don't over shave with a big blade and get lobster face and I would say I'm 10 times less likely to cut myself with a bigger blade. That's just my two cents and what works best for me.

I spent over a year consistently using a 5/8 full hollow straight razor 99% of the time and I really have found that it is really what I prefer. I have liquidated most all of my razors to enjoy them in particular. The larger blades are favored by many and they command premium prices but for me give me my Heljestrand MK31's and I will be happy!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ADG638

Hi everyone,

As an amateur learning the ropes it is suggested 5-6/8 are good blade widths.
I have seen allot of more experienced members showing their razors or potential purchases and they are all larger widths, 8/8 13/16 big wedges or the like. Obviously they have the skill to use a straight razor properly.

Why is a wider blade better?
Is a smaller blade not more manoeuvrable around some areas?
Also there has been a bit of talk about the higher prices on some vintage blades because they are in high demand at the moment.

I've been on the Electronic Bay a bit lately looking to pick up another blade for a back up and for learning reasons.
i have seen a few popular brands in 4/8 that are reasonably less expensive than a 5/8 or bigger.
why does this size seem to be unpopular and would they be suitable for the learners out there?

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I took an opposite track. As a new straight shaver I preferred the large "meat choppers" because they seemed to compensate for lack of skill and get more whiskers. As I gained experience I began to prefer the smaller ones. My favorite size is 5/8 because for me there's nothing finer than one of those fine tuned. 9/16 and 11/16 are only 1/16" apart so I really don't notice much of a difference. I have one 4/8. It is a nice razor but I haven't used it in so long that I forgot what it was like. But that's still only 1/8" difference from a 5/8.

In Shaving Made Easy (https://archive.org/details/shavingmadeeasyw0020th), they suggest that 4/8 is the best on pp.15-17.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I took an opposite track. As a new straight shaver I preferred the large "meat choppers" because they seemed to compensate for lack of skill and get more whiskers. As I gained experience I began to prefer the smaller ones. My favorite size is 5/8 because for me there's nothing finer than one of those fine tuned. 9/16 and 11/16 are only 1/16" apart so I really don't notice much of a difference. I have one 4/8. It is a nice razor but I haven't used it in so long that I forgot what it was like. But that's still only 1/8" difference from a 5/8.

In Shaving Made Easy (https://archive.org/details/shavingmadeeasyw0020th), they suggest that 4/8 is the best on pp.15-17.

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Cajun makes a very good point about 'preferences' as he said he started out with the really big razors as they do as he says compensate for the lack of skill (due to mastering the angles). Then as he became more experienced he found that he 'prefers' a 5/8. He's found his 'preference'.

While the blades may differ in only an 1/8 of an inch when you go from a 5/8 to a 1/2 that's a big jump (IMHO). Lynn has a video out there with a shaving demonstration where he says that the difference in the width of the blade makes a difference on the angles. He is quite right!

As I've said time and time again, 99.9% of Everything about buying using maintaining honing and storing Straight Razors is Personal Preference.

Sanfte Rasur, mein Klingenbruder!

I too am fairly new to SR shaving. I got a Dovo 6/8" Bismarck to start and have no regrets. It shaves very well and I now have two Bismarck's (one ebony scales the other faux pearl scales). And there is a difference between those two. I also got a bit of RAD and have quite a few razors from 4/8" to 6/8" -- with most 5/8". The smaller blades are great for shaving around my Van Dyke, other than that I prefer the Bismarcks. Some of the razors I got were picked up inexpensively and I use them to help with honing and stropping skills. It was a good way to go from that stand point. Eventually I'll probably have a nice collection of sharable SRs. But for now my Bismarcks are my go-to blades. They just feel good as I shave. Of course, one of them was honed by Lynn and shaves better than the other.

In my rotation I have from 3/8 to 8/8 and find easier using 4/8 and 5/8 because they are much more agile and easy to drive everywhere in my face.
It's like for cars: in urban traffic a small smart or ford ka are much easier to drive than a big hummer.
But we all dream of custom 8/8 and big rolls.
:thinking::thinking:
:idea:
I think that it's in male essence dreaming of big and great things, big blades and big guns, big cars and big di :cen ks

I started with a 13/16 then got a 5/8 as a practice & back up found myself using the 5/8 more for a while as it was lighter easier to maintain & manuvoure when shaving
But my preferred size now remains is in the 6/8 to 8/8 range

I'm not at all sure it all breaks down to preference, but even if it does my preference is to enjoy my shaves. My shaves are more interesting, more challenging and more fun with a big blade, and the bigger the better.

I haven't shaved with anything smaller than 8/8 in over a year and have no intention of doing so. Personally, I think a 6/8 might be hard for me to handle. I routinely shave with 10/8, 12/8 and 14/8 razors. Those blades give me fine shaves and are no less maneuverable than smaller blades. The difference for me, however, is that they are more enjoyable to shave with.

Seems there is/was a reason the 5/8 and 6/8 sized razors were popular when straights were in their heyday. They were relatively inexpensive and got the job done for the majority of users with no fuss no muss. The same thing that damns with faint praise the 4 door family sedan. They have what most need and nothing more.

Then there is the fact that most shavers are likely male so you might have to factor in the mine is bigger than yours syndrome or not. That might account for some of the interest in 1 inch plus blade sizes. Also 1 inch plus blade sizes are not the common in late vintage razors so they are different if that is what you want.

Personally I find 4/8 to be kind of fiddly to shave with and to strop and the one 8/8 that I have seems like I'm shaving with a spatula. I like the 4 door Chevy sized razors, 5/8 to 6/8, best. You can always dress them up a little to make them have more curb appeal. In the end though it is each to their own.

Bob

I do find the huge blades to be fun to shave with but outright and categorically refuse to pay the prices demanded for them at present. 6 or 7/8" works nicely enough for me.

I find the grind to be a more important factor than the actual width. A half hollow or near wedge will have a nice amount of weight even in the smaller sizes - and it's the weight that I prefer rather than any physical dimensions.

With this said, I have a tiny 3/8" razor of no provenance that takes a killer edge and gives a seriously close shave. The only thing that stops me using it more often is the light weight that I find, frankly, terrifying with something so sharp. Of course, your mileage may and will probably vary bladesin all of this.