Thread: Curious about bellied hollow blade grinds and their rarity...

Hi all,

I've been collecting straight razors for a while now. I've probably got at least one razor from most of the well known historical manufacturers and a couple of new custom razors. I know as collectors/users of SRs we all have our preferences as far as what we consider the best blade. After using various razors (big choppers to small shaping blades), I found that my favorite blades tend to be between 5/8 - 7/8, shoulderless, but most importantly, they MUST be bellied hollows to pique my interest. However, when searching for razors to buy, these blade grinds are very elusive, or so it seems. I can find W&B FBU, etc all day, but not bellied hollow grinds.

Which brings me to my curiosity and the question I have: are bellied hollow blades special in some way that makes them rare? Someone said they were how bladesmiths showed off their skills back in the day. That these blades were limited releases or something, but I've never had it corroborated.

I added a few pictures of examples of the grind I'm talking about. Can anyone provide more information about these particular grinds? Any information is appreciated.
Have a good day.