Thread: Hollow-Extra blade grinds

First, I am not a bladesmith but have an observation of two blades I own that are custom made. The first blade I received with a hollow/extra hollow grind was the Mastro Livi 2016 club razor. I only want to address the grind. I found the blade to be extremely flexible and for my preference uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if it was the steel used, the extra hollow grind or both. Recently I purchased 2 Koraat hollow bellied grind and I absolutely love the way these shave. I realize the steel is different but the assumption I have drawn is the bellied grind makes the blade perform in a completely different manner. I am interested in hearing from those of you who have razors with hollow/extra hollow grinds, have shaved with hollow/extra hollow ground blades and what your experience is.

I enjoy the extra hollow blades. The thinner the better for me. The sound and the flex is what i like. The thicker grinds or near wedge shave well too but are not my top choice. And the bellied grind is also a favorite but extra is best for me. Learning how to shave with each type of grind is part of the fun. I dont find much difference in the bellied and extra when shaving. Some, but not much.

I do not think the difference you are feeling is from the steel used but mainly the grind. You don't like the flex in an extra hollow ground blade and the belly in a bellied hollow ground is a longitudinal stiffener so the blade flexes less. I have shaved with both grinds and will use either happily but they do provide a slightly different shaving experience one from the other.

Bob

For a long time my preference was 1/2 to 1/4 hollow blades because they have a bigger sweet spot. Once you get the sweet spot figured out on the extra hollows they are great. It may take some time to develop the relationship.

Have many blades but only two extra hollow blades. The edges are fine, I just never have gotten a great shave from either one. It's not the edges, I just think either I don't like them or they don't like me

I prefer the full hollow over the bellied hollow, but I like both of them. I do have to use a little bit of pressure with the full hollows, but just the right amount of pressure to cut the hair close without flexing the blade. It took me about 5 bad shaves to figure the pressure out with those.

I own 3 full hollow koraat razors full hollow belly . I have a very thick strong stubble and they shave me perfectly well. I also in the past had a good four plus mastro livi full hollow ground blades and could not get good shaved from any of mine for some reason. Other than that I do like extra hollow grounds such as dove prima klang and that and among other extra hollows shavede really nice . Full hollows are my favourite I am not a fan of wedges or near wedges

If you have a chance, you should see one of Victors razors. I will show him this thread.

Cedric Christ knocks out some seriously good full hollows.

I have a number of different grinds in my collection and the full and extra hollow grinds tend to be some of my favorites for my daily shave. The feedback that these razors provide, both audible and tactile, allows me a bit more information when it comes to how I am holding the razor and how the edge is performing. I will say that the single near wedge in my collection almost never gets used simply because if feels "dead" compared to my more hollow razors.

I will also admit that while I am quick to grab a full or extra hollow razor for a daily shave I tend to avoid them when I've let a couple of days' growth accumulate. In those cases I'm much more likely to reach for a quarter or half-hollow simply because I will tend to use too much pressure to mow down the growth. I'm not entirely sure that this is because it is a mental issue that causes me to use more pressure or if it is because I need more pressure to push through a thick beard that has gained more length than I normally remove at once. Either way I know that I generally get a more comfortable shave in these situations if I stick to a heavier piece of steel that has less flex.