Pondering your preference

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Each person has there likes and dis likes. For me it's these type of razors. Not a lot wrong with them and doesn't take a lot of skill to clean them up and hone and shave with them. The names of the razors aren't very well know so they don't sell very high but once cleaned up and honed they look and shave well. one is S. Bell Londonbarry (I hope i got the name right) one is an Asprey and the other I forget the name but they are all Sheffield and they were fairly easy to clean polish and hone. I've not been at this for any length of time and certainly not as long as a lot you guys but I've gone up and down in razor sizes from left to right on the different points and from wedges to extra hollow. I wonder about the distance others have traveled in experimenting and re search of what's out there and what you prefer. There must have been thousands of razors and makers of razors since shaving has been introduced to people . What have you tried and what do you prefer?:hmmm:

IN the beginning I tried everything I could get my hands on , and came down to my preference, I like big blades 7/8 or above, 1/2 hollow and custom is my favorite brand, and now only 4 makers. Or US made vintage, hard to beat the edge they will take, and of course, Ivory scales is a must. Tc

Im with TC on the vintage US made. But im also liking full hollows and 13/16 or 7/8. And no staibizers with a point of some kind. As long as its not round. Just dont like the looks of the round points. Ive not made up my mind 9f scale materials yet but im now getting ready to play with some woods to see if that is to my liking. Ive got a set of ivory razors but it so thin i worry about them so its not my fav.

Oh no! I think i might have just been knocked off TC's cool list. Its hard to stay in the top group. :)

Like many newbs, I became a kamikaze with a hundred missions. The joy of the hunt and cleaning and honing was a delight.
So I've tried most everything since late 1700's.
My face likes 5/8ths to7/8ths plus old Sheffield in the 7/8ths +. Point styles not a problem. I just look and decide how quickly I will shave that morning!
~Richard

In the beginning of learning to restore and hone, I bought all types of razors down to 4/8. I've restored lots, honed and sold them for the experience and practice. I developed a thing for nothing under 6/8, though I still have a couple. My favorites are ones I have made, customs, and then larger razors. I don't care for a full wedge, but a little hollow to 1/2 hollow with a smile are my favorites. I've honed a few 10/8 for folks, not a real fan as I shave under my nose & I don't care how much you can pull up your nose...a 10/8 will not get in there!

Here it comes.........:nono: You are back off the cool list. Tc

:cry::cry::cry:

I knew it wouldnt last. :(

I don't really shave much BUT when I did I liked to use 6/8" & up near wedges best. I own most all types & sizes. Having a stiff thick beard the bigger near wedges just worked best for me.

Slawman

I have razors of different styles and sizes, but like mostly full and extra hollows on the larger side: 7-8/8. Also large framebacks. I think that wide and thin blade has incredible transverse flexibility unavailable in smaller or less hollowed grinds - and this is the quality I'm looking for. Prefer shoulderless - for the very same reason. There are exceptions though: I love my 1/4 hollowed 8/8 Riga, and I also love classic 5/8 Swedes (CVH, Berg, etc.) Slightly smiling or not. I do like jimps and thumb notches, but can go without. Squarish-sectioned shanks are easier in stropping, but doesn't matter in shaving. Points with no preference, although I'd mute on glass any particularly bloody stinger. Scales I do prefer of natural materials only: silver, horn, wood, bone, MoP, and of course ivory.

Still kind of new to the entire thing, but I can say that I seem to prefer a round tip to anything else. My favorite so far is a vintage Geneva. Big pretty blade and a forgiving shave for a newbie like me.

I haven't got many razors, but I have got a wide variety in my modest collection. I have vintage blades from Sheffield and Germany I have new blades from France and Germany. I also have some custom blades.

I can't say that I have a real favourite, but I can say that I am not a huge fan of full hollows as I don't like the noise they generate. That said one of my favourite razors is an old Hamburg Ring razor which sings like a canary, so go figure.

I tend towards 7/8" half hollow or quarter hollow, I like a point that has some shape to it rather than it just being round, Spanish point or Barber's notch that sort of thing.

But so long as it shaves well I am not too fussy.

For me, it is not so much what I like, but what I do not like.
1. I do not like wedge or near wedge razors.
2. I do not like thumb notches.
3. I do not like 5/8" blades or smaller.

However, my "ideal" razor would be a 7/8" full-hollow, mirror-polished blade with Spanish point and no thumb notch.

I like variety, but only one thing I consistently look for are shoulder less razors.

After collecting plenty of old razors I found that I've had to grind off stabilizers in order to properly hone 'em; ergo why I like em without stabilizers.

I usually do it by hand on my DMT, my DMT is very worn and it's a PITA and takes a long time to grind 'em off nowadays. But it works very well.


I've also seen very old razors surfacing on the web being sold where people in the "old days" have done the same thing.

I have mostly been collecting older German razors, but am also very interested in razors from other origins.