Thread: 13/16 vs 7/8

i honestly feel no real difference in blade width but like the look of anything 5/8 and up. when i havent shaved for a few days i like to use a wedge or near-wedge to easily mow thru. when i only have a day or twos growth i like the lighter, thinner blades. i enjoy any/all point styles but you really can pay a price if you start to wonder with a square point!

half the fun is opening up a case and deciding which to pick. =]

Originally Posted by RezDog

As far as shaving goes, if the other parameters meetvyou preferences you will not notice the difference in size.
I have several razors of different grinds, and point styles, and widths. The only difference I note going from a 5/8 razor to a 7/8 razor is the 7/8 holds quite a bit more lather, which is a pretty minor difference. When my edge and technique are perfect so is my shave.

As RezDog said.
I only would like to add that I find smaller blades easier to maneuver around the corners of the chin and jawline.

To my way of thinking, blade size is a compromise between the ability to carry away lather and the ability to maneuver around the corners of one’s face.

In my case, I prefer blades in the 5/8 to 13/16 range and while I have no problems with larger or smaller blade, I enjoy them less.

I have an extremely well made +8/8 Koraat that I probably would use it more often if it was just a wee bit smaller. I own also two +7/8 size Friodurs (17 and 17½) that are identical except for the point (one square the other one round) and never found that the round point was at any disadvantage. If anything, I find that the round point handles better.


Regarding the point; I prefer Spanish, French, and round. If I buy a new razor, I tend to avoid square points, but historically round and square points seem to have been the most popular, possibly because square points may have been cheaper to manufacture. National preferences may come into play as well, with round points more common on vintage razors that were made for the German market and square points more common in the US. (In fact, Ralf Aust refers to square points in the English version of his website as “American” points.)


B.

One occasionally stumbles on exceptional razors that challenge our beliefs on what's best.
I had a 4/8 Nowill & Sons that shaved like 7/8 wedge. Kinda regret letting it go.

I started and shaved with a 4/8 Torrey, for nearly 30 yrs.
But after finding this forum, and the great bunch of enablers within, I can honestly say I now have a full spectrum of razors from 3/8 to 10/8.



This goes for points and grinds as well, but as I've gotten older I've found myself gravitating towards the wider blades, being my hands aren't what they used to be.

My biggest eye openers are the late 1700 - early 1800 razors of cast steel. Incredible shavers by my standards, and come with incremental widths built into the blade, which causes them to auto scythe, while shaving.



But overall, they all do the necessary job they were intended to do. Its just a matter of what YOUR preference is, and what's comfortable for you to use.

Only trial and error, can decide that.

Some like monster trucks, others want economy cars, and standard size pickups.

Originally Posted by outback

Its just a matter of what YOUR preference is, and what's comfortable for you to use.

Only trial and error, can decide that.

Some like monster trucks, others want economy cars, and standard size pickups.

Ultimately I knew it's my preference, just had a bit of a "grass is greener" moment. So I'll probably go check out the other grass and find it's the same grass, but maybe I'll like the view better.

Oh, and that 10/8 is crazy big! I'd be worried about loping off body parts. It does look pretty cool though...

As far as shaving goes, there’s not that much difference provided they’re all honed well. As far as price goes yes, they go up quickly with width, but this isn’t an unusual condition.

A big Japanese whetstone goes for more than a small one, in general. A big steak costs more than a small one. A big diamond costs more than a small one and so on. Many things follow the the same ‘rule’.

Except Japanese whetstones unfortunately go up exponentially with size.

Originally Posted by Steve56

Except Japanese whetstones unfortunately go up exponentially with size.

And if they're yellow

Most of my razors are full hollow 7/8's. I enjoy them more because they scoop more lather and the added heft just feels nicer. I also find them more aesthetically pleasing than say a 5/8.

Weight is more my preference than width. A 5/8 near wedge I would take over a 5/8 full hollow. As the width goes up my preference for more and more hollow of a blade goes up. There is definitely a sweet spot for me with weight. I find it effects my comfort much more than the size. My preference is a 7/8 full hollow square point.