Thread: Straights for Heavy Beards?

I will say for my experience both blades being of equal sharpness a wedge blade inspires greater shaving confidence. I am going to agree with mass and Inertia being a big player in this. The heavier weight of the blade tends to help my hand muscles understand whats going on with the shave better. This of course is just my own dexterity issues and my hand prefers a heavier tool. I can shave much faster and with confidence with a wedge type blade, the strokes are smoother and deliberate no hesitation and I believe the razor weight is helping with this as i seem to fuss less about cutting angle and pressure. I love my hollow blades as well certainly a different experience. When I first started using Extra Hollow grinds they inspired a bit of fear and hesitation, imagined or not they felt less forgiving and dangerous to me whether that was the flexing of the blade or just that they were so light and demonically sharp, I felt the need to really pay attention to pressure and angle and found due to my apprehensions the blade would skip and chatter across my face inspiring more and more hesitation, the enemy of a good shave. I have since made friends with all my shavers and in the end its really about understanding the nature of your tools. I don't believe one is better than another as far as shaving hair off your face but I can see how personal preference plays a huge role here we are all different some folks like a big hammer others would rather hit a nail more with a lighter one.

Originally Posted by Razorfaust

I will say they were so light and demonically sharp,.

Totally stolen description for how I like my razors edge!
Thanks.

Originally Posted by Razorfaust

I will say for my experience both blades being of equal sharpness a wedge blade inspires greater shaving confidence..... I don't believe one is better than another as far as shaving hair off your face but I can see how personal preference plays a huge role here we are all different some folks like a big hammer others would rather hit a nail more with a lighter one.

I missed this post. Now that I remember better, I'm glad that my first razor was a 1/4 grind. I believe that it was better to learn on... more forgiving, less play/flex, and other subtleties that escape me.
Though I still think that sharpness is most important, that fact is a given regardless of the grind and so should be omitted from preference and or argument for which is better for... so my sharpness argument was off topic.
I need more experience with "wedges" and less grinds. But what I can say is that the arguments that I have read in favor of "less grinds" for heavy beards is accurate.
I forgot the learning curve and the harshness that I experienced with full hollows as opposed to the relative ease of shaving with a blade that was closer to a wedge.
When I've let my beard grow in, and then shaved, my face is always happier when i use my 1/4 as opposed to my full hollow. For what ever reasons.

IM sure there are folks out there with coarser beards than me. Mine is just really kinky. Its a real perv.

The Robeson's and Genco's claims to match a razor for a specific type of beards is all gimmicky to me. Way to many variable to claims that this type will work better for your type of face. I most certainly agree that a heavy ground razor works better for a heavy beard or a few days worth of growth, all about the heft behind the blade, just like self-propelled mower is easier to use then one without but in the end its the same results.

I do have a Puma "Pour barbe tres dure" = for heavy beards, full hollow great shaver, but in the end after a few days without shaving I will still reach for a self-propelled razor.

I think ones razor usage is personal preference. Some might shave with one hand & some might be ambidextrous. Everyone has their own opinion & myself I like a heavier blade but have used hollow ground blades as well. I have very fine blonde hair & I measured it after reading JimmyHAD's comment & while my blonde hair is .0015" thick, my beard hair is .0045" & I'm sure some might even have thicker beard hair. Everyone has their own opinions & have posted them but when I woke up yesterday & I saw a certain member suggest that Gugi should change his name to an insulting one, I was in shock. I also read under his name & saw what happened & for one thing, I think he got what he deserved because he was being very disrespectful. For another reason, there is no room on this forum for such crap! Sure, we joke around sometimes with names & such just like Tom laughing at me the other night in another thread on how funny my avatar is, how I looked like Ted Nugent & that he was going to call me "The Nuge" but he was joking & I knew it. He even posted an emoticon after it. I didn't bother me one bit, but this other member was serious & he has to suffer serious consequences. That's all there is to it. I would never suggest such a thing! We are all here to be friendly with one another, share our opinions & to give help when needed. Some might even disagree with others but they're still opinions. There should also be some humor but not any insults. I joined this forum because of the reputation it has as a friendly, very knowledgable & educational website. That's what forums are about.

So, taking this whole thread into consideration, what hones should I get and should I use tape or not when honing? What is the best aftershave? soap?

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Originally Posted by Haroldg48

So, taking this whole thread into consideration, what hones should I get and should I use tape or not when honing? What is the best aftershave? soap?

The hone is easy - once you determine what your beard type is, medium, heavy, tough, wiry, or tough and wiry you simply buy the respective razor and respective hone for it.

No need to worry whether it makes sense or not, I read it in a book, and so can you!


It's just like deciding which bridge to buy. Some will tell you to go for the oldest one because it's time tested and the preferred choice of the Wall Street bankers; others will tell you that if you are a truck driver it makes no sense to get a bridge for bankers and you're better off with 'a bridge that suits your face'; yet others will insist that it's all relative, a matter of personal preference and there is no such thing as the shortest route from DUMBO to City Hall, the distance through the Queensboro Bridge is just as short as long as that's your preference.

The point is there's a fine bridge for sale - don't miss the once in a lifetime opportunity!

YMMV. This is posted time and time again on this forum, and never has it been truer than with this thread. So, whichever grind or make of razor you prefer, then so be it. Good for you. There are no right and no wrong answers. YMMV!! The one thing we can all surely agree on is that your razor needs to be properly honed, stropped and sharp as... a razor! Now, can we all be friends again? Group hug anyone?