Thread: The greatest misperception...

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Ain't THAT the truth!

(BTW, John....I expect that you may soon be growing shorter soon! It happens!)

"What U Talk'n Bout Willis ?"

Originally Posted by Hirlau

"What U Talk'n Bout Willis ?"

It's all good, Arnold!

Always been a 5/8 fan. Tried them all. Just got an NOS Heljestrand #24 that I didn't realize was a 4/8. The 1/4 hollow adds enough weight to help to make the diminutive little guy perform like a bigger razor and I like it. A little more robust handling than a 4.5/8 W&B that I have. I won't be making a wholesale change to 4/8 for sure but I will also not be going back over 6/8 either.

It's obvious that the issue goes beyond function. No one needs a custom razor in any width, as there are heaps of serviceable or restorable blades for sale already.

Where there's demand, someone will come along and meet it, which will attract competitors who will attempt to meet the demand for less. It's obvious that there is a significant number of people who desire a unique razor and are willing to pay a premium for it. This trickles down into production and used razors...demand for the unusual will be higher than for what is readily available by people not able to finance a custom razor but still want something different.

Then there are collectors, who want one of everything, for whom shaving is secondary to the collection itself.

There's nothing wrong with any of these; how people spend their money is their decision and how I spend my money is mine. But it's a clear market force. If 1/4" razors became trendy, you'd see them commanding a premium price and craftspeople rising to fill that demand, and big choppers would be had for a song. It just has nothing (or very little) to do with utility. Perceived quality can be a factor, but is harder to quantify.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Just my opinion...

By far, the most common size among straight razors made in the past 100 years is the 5/8.

Therefore there is nothing special about them to collect.

Now all of the razor makers are pressured to make bigger razors, because the smaller ones just don't sell, or command a significantly lower price. The required amount of effort for making the smaller blades is virtually the same, but the prices they command just cannot justify the bother of trying to make them.

If someone is going to spend over $500 they don't want a run of the mill object

The same problem exists for vintage blades. It's hard to sell a 5/8 blade, but the larger ones get snapped up.

Here is the reality. 5/8 blades work just great! Bigger is not always better.

I agree bigger is not always better!

Originally Posted by Phrank

Shaving back in the day was a chore, we do it here for fun and as a "hobby", so playing around with different brands, different style and sizes is all part of the game I figure.

I love the big razors, the heft in the hand, as well as the 5/8 and smaller frame backed razors, the way the framebacks are made for some reason fascinates me, and they are like Ninja's in the hand, so fast and so precise.

If I was just interested in the shaving for function aspect, I would probably just use a Merkur DE and be done with it, and if it was just a straight to do the job, I'd probably just use whatever I found in a local antique shop or one I'd ordered from a vendor and again be done with it...but that's the great thing about this hobby, there's lots to try and plenty of room to have fun doing it...I mean, we collect different soaps, brushes, strops, stones, we belong to an internet forum about shaving...hahaha...so we're already way down the wormhole of "utilitarian" use of tools....

I agree wholeheartedly. If all a person wanted was to shave and be done with it then Walmart and disposable cheap razors would be the way to go. But We shave for the experience of the days gone by and the people and places like this forum. I have used razors from 4/8 to 8/8. Hollow ground to full wedge. love them all. Just recently a friend exposed me to a wonderful little hollow ground 6/8 that handled perfectly and cut the beard like a hot knife through butter. Yes the smaller razors usually bring less than the larger blades and if honed right and use with the proper angle and technique the shave will be fine. It's the chase and challenge we seek. Or at least it is for me. Just an old fellow on his soap box.

Originally Posted by 32t

I agree bigger is not always better!

My wife would disagree......

Originally Posted by 32t

I agree bigger is not always better!

Well. I reckon that goes without saying!

Originally Posted by Phrank

My wife would disagree......

That?

At least we are having a fun thread....Be it as it may!

Originally Posted by Hirlau

"What U Talk'n Bout Willis ?"

Ummmmmm?