Thread: straight razor blade grind question

On a high level:
-Grind has no bearing on sharpness whatsoever. That is 100% controlled by the hone and honer (assuming a well-made blade to begin with - i.e. correct geometry, no bends, twists, or warping).
-There are no "advantages" to grinds generally speaking (although many state that the heavier grinds may hold their keen edges somewhat longer, this is really somewhat speculative in my opinion). There are some different behaviors however and whether one likes those or not is 100% user specific.

As an example - a heavier grind (1/4 hollow) has more weight and mass in the hand, and the blade flexes less at the cutting edge (it is more rigid since there is more metal). this compounds exponentially with blade width. Wide blades (7/8+) in heavy grinds tend (just my observations) to be more effective for shaving thicker beards. One might say that the blade mass and less flexibility stand up better to the thicker and more rigid hairs. I use this combo when I have let my beard grow out a bit (after a weekend of not shaving as an example) and it works well for me. A drawback exists however, in that the hand gets less feedback from the blade in terms of feel and noise (audible feedback is very much a "thing" in straight shaving). Not too much of that to be found in a heavy grind.

On the flip side, a hollow (full-extra hollow) blade is lighter and more nimble, and most commonly found in smaller widths (5/8, 6/8) - although there are some fantastic notable exceptions like Fili 14s (pretty expensive these days) and some larger Henckels (not as expensive). The larger extra hollows are somewhat of an exception however, not the rule. Hollow blade edges flex a bit while shaving and can be considerably more forgiving. The are light in the had and generally pretty maneuverable. Audible feedback can be exceptional (the term "singing blade" is a reference used) as on some good extra-hollows, one can hear virtually a single hair being cut across the edge.

As many following me here will tell you, it is all different strokes for different folks. I started on a 5/8 full-hollow vintage blade and since then have tried a lot of just about everything else. I think that is a pretty good starting point to learn at least. You get the feel and feedback you need to begin to understand shaving angles and pressure which take some time to develop.