Quote Originally Posted by Orville View Post
My first Straight was a 5/8 Ralf Aust full hollow round point. I followed that up with a vintage Wostie medium hollow (1/4 wedge?). Having just finished a shave with the full hollow after a few promising goes with the Wostie, am I correct in noting that the full hollow is much less forgiving of a newbs technique? I am only 15 shaves in, but I find that I can get a better finish, with less effort and irritation, with my Wostie, than with the Aust. Both blades are similar in size, the only real difference being the grind. Things just seem so much easier with the vintage blade.
This non-newbie certainly thinks so. On my scale-of-things, a quarter-hollow is fine, and a near-wedge is preferable, but anything half-hollow or greater has me focusing on the potential for slicing my face, rather than getting a good shave -- and this is irrespective of the blade's sharpness; I get a much better shave (and enjoy it!) with a non-HHT, quasi-shave-ready near-wedge grind, than with a half- or full-hollow. I'm hesitant to call it "technique" (or lack thereof), just psychological; in fact, it's probably good technique that gets me a DFS with a less-than-stellar honing job.

Smooth shaving!