Thread: Extra Hollow vs. Hollow vs. 1/2 Hollow

Hey guys,
I just bought my first straight edge! Check it out: Amazon.com: Boker Silver Steel Straight Razor, 140512 Tortoise: Health & Personal Care
I decided to get a straight edge because my facial hair grows in pretty quickly. If I wait for two weeks, I have to do multiple passes with a 5 blade razor because hair gets clogged in-between the blades. I shaved with the straight edge for the first time yesterday after growing my facial hair out for a month and it was glorious.
I realized though that the blade I got is extra hollow ground, what I've researched out to mean a more fine blade and less chisel/triangular shaped. My hair is more coarse than usual, so I was thinking that a 1/2 hollow or full hollow would be better. Any thoughts? I only have a month to return the blade to amazon

Welcome to SRP, just be aware that your razor depending who the vendor was will probably not be "shave ready" and should be honed before first shave.

Originally Posted by Grazor

Welcome to SRP, just be aware that your razor depending who the vendor was will probably not be "shave ready" and should be honed before first shave.

so to all the posts about my blade not being shave ready, I do have a strop and stropped(right verb?) it before shaving. When I used the blade I got a very clean shave with 1 pass with the grain and 1 pass against the grain. I did feel a little pull on dense areas, which I thought is because of the hallowness

Originally Posted by cuddergambino

so to all the posts about my blade not being shave ready, I do have a strop and stropped(right verb?) it before shaving. When I used the blade I got a very clean shave with 1 pass with the grain and 1 pass against the grain. I did feel a little pull on dense areas, which I thought is because of the hallowness

Well you did a damn sight better than me on my first shave, well done. Pulling isn't caused by the grind, more how sharp it is. Grind preference is more a personal thing, some here prefer a full hollow, some a wedge.

Originally Posted by cuddergambino

so to all the posts about my blade not being shave ready, I do have a strop and stropped(right verb?) it before shaving. When I used the blade I got a very clean shave with 1 pass with the grain and 1 pass against the grain. I did feel a little pull on dense areas, which I thought is because of the hallowness

If it pulled or tugged at some point, it is NOT shave ready. You should send it out to a pro to hone it. If you look in the Classifieds & at the bottom it says, Member Services & you will find a person there who will hone your razor to perfection. Then you will know what shave ready is!

send the razor back now. Get to know SRP and the folks here,Ask lost of questions and two things will happen.

1. You will learn alot more than you thought you knew about Straight razors and shaving with them.

2. You will make friends here and find out who is in your area as well thus your state peer group as it were.

Welcome to SRP and enjoy. I have a half hollow myself and a full hollow. I find I like the 1/2 better to to semi course hair. Everyone is different but, that is also why I suggested ending back the razor. Carbon is usually better than stainless especially if your new because carbon hones easier and keeps a good sharp edge.Stainless does too but just harder to hone for the inexperienced. Seek out Honemasters here and when you get a new blade ,Remember what every one else has already said. Just because it comes sharpened doesn't mean it's always shave ready and there is a definite difference.

Welcome! For heavy growth, I personally found that heavy grinds are better. However, much depends on personal preference and other factors

I'm not voting because I only have extra and full hollow and 1/2 hollow (or maybe 1/4...it's vintage), but I tend toward the heavier blades, although any of them will shave well...purely preference.

The one piece of advice I will give is that no mater else what anybody else says about your current razor, send it to a reputable hone master like thi=os in the SRP classifieds to get it made shave ready. Razors from Amazon are not shave ready, even if you were kind to get a passable shave from it. You'll get much better. I have the one you have a shave ready dealer, and it is fine. However, GET IT HONED PROFESSIONALLY. Stropping isn't honing.

Hope you enjoy. Don't buy any more straight razors off Amazon!

Also...Bongos charts are an excellent start , and I tend too agree with his view on wedges vs Hollow. I do much better with the 1/2.

Beginners advice threads. They could do so much good. But often they vex me, and this one is a prime example of such.

Originally Posted by Grazor

Welcome to SRP, just be aware that your razor depending who the vendor was will probably not be "shave ready" and should be honed before first shave.

But it was shave ready. He shaved with it, comfortably. It probably does not need to be sent to a professional to be honed for an additional $20 + shipping. What he needs is practice.

Originally Posted by puketui41

Why would you want to send back a razor that gives you a glorious shave? The only way to tell which grind is best for you is to buy one of each and try them. And that's how it begins

No. No, It is really not the best for the OP to go out and buy lots of extra razors. He has one that shaves. He got a great shave with minor pulling, the first time around. What he needs to do is get to know his razor and aim at getting a good to great shave every time. Adding more razors will only make things unnecessarily difficult.

Originally Posted by Willisf

Welcome to SRP!
Not all straight razors come shave ready. They might be "sharp" but not sharp enough to shave you comfortably.
And yes there are many different types of grinds out there. You'll find out which ones you like and don't like.
And yes it begins! Love that RAD!

No offence, but sometimes I wonder whether people actually read entire posts, or just answer based on the apparent dogmas that "new bought razors are never shave ready, because naniwa" and "heavy grinds are better for heavy stubble, because squeegee". The Böker came shave ready, sharp enough to shave him comfortably. And again, he has all the razors he needs for shaving.

Originally Posted by engine46

If it pulled or tugged at some point, it is NOT shave ready. You should send it out to a pro to hone it. If you look in the Classifieds & at the bottom it says, Member Services & you will find a person there who will hone your razor to perfection. Then you will know what shave ready is!

Compared to a cartridge razors ALL straights pull, especially the first few times around when technique is probably still an issue. It was definitely like this for me when I started. And even after almost five years of straight shaving I notice it when a blade catches my stubble. I know it will cut cleanly, but I still feel it grab. Maybe there is something wrong with my edges, my razors, my face or my stubble, but I have NEVER felt the sensation of wiping off whiskers with a squeegee. Maybe that is because I mainly use full hollows, which always sound like I am buttering toast.

Originally Posted by Nightblade

send the razor back now. Get to know SRP and the folks here,Ask lost of questions and two things will happen.

1. You will learn alot more than you thought you knew about Straight razors and shaving with them.

2. You will make friends here and find out who is in your area as well thus your state peer group as it were.

Welcome to SRP and enjoy. I have a half hollow myself and a full hollow. I find I like the 1/2 better to to semi course hair. Everyone is different but, that is also why I suggested ending back the razor. Carbon is usually better than stainless especially if your new because carbon hones easier and keeps a good sharp edge.Stainless does too but just harder to hone for the inexperienced. Seek out Honemasters here and when you get a new blade ,Remember what every one else has already said. Just because it comes sharpened doesn't mean it's always shave ready and there is a definite difference.

Honestly, why on earth should he send back a razor that shaves him, in to his own words, gloriously? In the end, that is what matters. And I cannot remember the last time anyone mentioned their extremely light stubble; adult male stubble is usually coarse. And a full hollow shaves coarse stubble at least as well as a half or quarter hollow grind. The less hollow grinds might be slightly more forgiving with regards to technique, but in my opinion those are nuances, not big differences. I regularly shave only once every few days or less, and have more than once ploughed through up to a month of stubble with a 5/8 extra hollow. No issue. None.

Riddle me this: if "shave ready" is really so relative and personal, how is it possible to judge someone's edge based on two lines?:

Originally Posted by cuddergambino

I shaved with the straight edge for the first time yesterday after growing my facial hair out for a month and it was glorious.
[...]
I did feel a little pull on dense areas

To me, that sounds shave ready enough. Because my definition of a shave ready razor is just that: you can shave with it relatively comfortably. Which seems to be the case here for the OP. I am sorry, but I feel the advice being given here more confusing to the OP than helpful and creating problems where there were none.

My advice would be: do not send your razor back, do not get it re-honed just yet and do not buy another one.

Instead, practice and hone your shaving technique with this razor that apparently shaves you well. The fact that cuddergambino only feels a pull on the denser areas, such as the chin, to me sounds like more of an issue with technique (high pressure to get through denser areas) rather than a faulty edge. A razor that pulls because it is not sharp enough pulls because it is not sharp enough to cleanly cut stubble, so it will be troublesome all over, not just in denser areas. That does not seem to be the issue here. I am not saying his edge is perfect or as sharp as it gets; most edges can always get sharper.

Cuddergambino, I did not mean to hijack your thread and I hope you take away something from it. I also hope that what I said was not just a rant for the sole benefit of my own piece of mind but added some perspective.

To me it sounds like you are doing just fine. You have made a change for the better. If you have a chance to sit down with someone locally who is willing to help you out (and there should be plenty of Californians here willing to help a fellow out), I would most heartily recommend that you do so. If there is a fundamental issue with your edge (which I doubt), it will show and someone will be able to give you some hands-on assistance in getting it fixed. Keep up and enjoy.