Thread: Straights for Heavy Beards?

Originally Posted by Phrank

Agreed - just posted my favorite shave vid on another thread about blade size, and think this one applies to beards as well:

The "Most Interesting Man In The World" who pitches Dos Equis beer needs to shave his facial hair with a straight like this guy in his next commercial.

I have spots in my beard that are very course. The smaller, lighter blades tend to leave stubble in these spots, while the heavier spined blades have a much easier time of cutting them down to size.

Dont know if that helps with the blade you are looking at (havnt seen it on the Bay), but if its a heavy blade... in my experience, it will do a better job of cutting heavy whiskers.

Nothing to do with heavy grinds vs. full hollows.
Everything to do with hard but well tempered steel, proper honing & proper technique.

I have what I consider is a tough beard. Razors which are extremely thin show a bit of difficulty on the first pass, unless they are big heavy blades. If I shave with a 5/8 thin one, I have a bit of pushing to do there. Still shaves great, just take a bit of effort and short strokes to get the ball rolling. Heavy razors and thicker grinds just mow on through.
A good analogy would be mowing the lawn. Reclaiming and maintaining are two different things, FME

It may be just a placebo effect, but I seem to get a better shave with a quarter grind or wedge after going a few days without shaving.

Originally Posted by Ernie1980

It may be just a placebo effect, but I seem to get a better shave with a quarter grind or wedge after going a few days without shaving.

My meaning, exactly! Easier to mow through. Now the next shave? Make it sooner and a fine thin one will show it's mettle as well. Easy and close. YMMV

I believe the hype behind the right razor for the right beard is about like every other choice in shaving: it's subjective. It's all about what works for you. Any razor, properly honed and wielded with proper technique, should slice through any hair provided you did a decent preshave prep. Without a decent prep just about any razor you try will pull, skip, and slice you up.

That being said, I think the common thinking is that the thinner full hollow ground blades have more flex and with especially course hair may flex enough to cause pulling and skipping whereas a heavier wedge blade isn't going to flex and will push through the hair with less resistance.

That may or may not be true: for you. As always, YMMV. Differences in who honed the edge, metal composition, shaving technique, and face prep/lather all come into play. Get a quality razor made from quality steel, find the prep that works for your hair type, and lather up. Trial and error are about your best option here.

CaliforniaCajun: The "Most Interesting Man In The World" who pitches Dos Equis beer needs to shave his facial hair with a straight like this guy in his next commercial.

I always liked that funny shaving video Cardinal Phrank shows & I have always liked the Dos Equis commercials that guy has. They are always good ones!!!
I have the same type of beard you have. It is coarse & kinda curly. Like most have said any sharp blade will do but I have found a heavier blade does the job a little better like the Filarmonics Especial Para Barbas Duras (EPBD), or many of the heavy Sheffield wedges. There even might even be a few others I can't think of now.

Lots who have an idea that everyone can shave with super-thin blades have no idea what it is like to have a tough beard.
How could they? They can not!
Back when everyone used straights in the early days, heavy grinds were all there was to use. Onward to late 1800's and 1900's as thinner grinds were introduced, heavys were still preferred my many. Even today, it still means it IS subjective.
Makers/Sellers recommended different grinds for different beards for a very long time as well.
You would think they knew what they were talking about back then, wouldn't you?

The market is broad and the shavers many. If a heavy blade works for you GREAT! If a thinner blade works for you GREAT! It's all about what works for you. If that falls into the status quo, that's fine. If your prefer the exact opposite, that's fine. There are no razor police patrolling bathrooms issuing citations for improper use of shave gear.