Thread: A hollow apology

Originally Posted by English

Interesting post. But no need to apologise. I don't think the best has been made yet and I'm sure you will discover new razors you prefer.

I've tried many razors and my favourites are always SMOOTH.
Some razors are and some are not. It's almost as if different batches of steel work and other batches don't.

As to hollow v's wedge, weight v's light, you may find that you prefer different razors at different ages and stages in your life.

Your beard will change as you get older. Variety and experimentation is part of the fun of it all.

Having said that my son is waiting for some form of lazer treatment to be invented.

Yeah, well that's why I'm thankful for my realization. Because I had pretty much written off full hollows as being "not my style". Now that I'm beginning to appreciate what they can bring to the table, it allows me to choose what style I feel "in the mood" for!

So, this morning's shave with a full hollow Wusthof was maybe the closest shave I've had yet. Really a damn fine shave.

2 1/2 days of stubble was whisked away with a feathery light touch of the full hollow to my skin. Alum gave only spotty stinging in a couple of places my touch wasn't quite "feathery".

Anyhow, as has been said by those wiser than me: "tough" whiskers don't require a heavier grind. What is most likely required is a very sharp razor!

Thanks for sharing your experience Craig. And thanks to all the other guys for sharing their experiences with full hollows. I have only recently started shaving with a Wapi (thanks to Craig) and have noticed that I get better shaves with it compared to the full hollow W&B 11/16 I own. I was planning on selling my W&B and invest that money into buying a new 1/4 hollow razor. Now, having read this thread, I think I have to try using a lighter touch when shaving with the W&B. Thanks to you guys, hopefully I won't have to sell my W&B which was my first straight and I am very attached to it

I'm yearning to add a thicker grind to my rotation for the reasons you mention; so, actually in my current shaving evolution, my desire is to go in the opposite direction as you're turning. Give me the tanks that plow through and allow for a firmer hand. I tend to have a heavy hand and my full hollows sometimes remind me of that. I'm not saying I don't like them, I'm just determined to add a good wedge to my rotation and right now I haven't added a good wedge in quite awhile. The most recent was a 1/4 hollow that I enjoyed.

Chris L

When I begun to shave with a straight, I had a Le Grelot 6/8 quarter grind and a TI 5/8 full hollow. I couldn't shave comfortably with the full hollow: she was giving too much feedback for my taste and I was a little afraid to cut myself. On the contrary, the 1/4 grind was stiffer, heavier and was giving less feedback; I felt far more comfortable and it gave me wonderful shaves (I could change hands - I am strictly right handed - and shave my whole face since the beginning).

After a few weeks, as I felt more confident and learned more technique, I get back to the TI. I had the impression that I was getting a closer shave, as comfortable as the one with the Le Grelot. It seems to accompany better the curves of my face. So, happy, I bought more full hollow and shaved almost exclusively with them.

But, lately, as I bought another 1/4 grind (a W&B) I get back to them to see that, having learn more and improved my technique, I was having as close a shave as with the full hollow!

So, in conclusion - and this is VERY bad for my RAD: with technique, I think you can have a close and comfortable shave with every grind - at least I can

I think that my progression was a good one because with the 1/4 first, I learned to shave with more comfort than closeness but without too much feedback to scare me, second I improved my technique with the full hollow to learn the curves of my face without being scared (I think it is not enough to only know the way your whiskers are growing) and now third, I can shave with whatever grind I want (I still haven't try a wedge though) I have a wonderful shave!

Well, I certainly won't be selling off my W&B wedge nor my 1/4 grind LeGrelot!

But the last two shaves with the Wusthof have been phenomenal. Really, the idea of just lightly squegeeing(sp?) off the lather with this razor works like a charm.

And I had never bought into the story about how a stright shave can last longer than a DE shave, but these last two shaves have remained BBS for a good 12 hours. Prior shaves have lasted about ~8 hours or so.

I still have to try out my new Fernando Esser 5/8 full hollow before getting back to the heavier razors in my rotation. I'll be interested to see how the heavy blades feel again after working with the full hollows exclusively for 2-3 weeks.

Heavier grinds are like beer & wine-- everyone likes them, and they do the job well.

Full hollows are like a good Scotch--they seem horrible and harsh to begin with, but if you aquire a taste for them, there's nother better!

An update:

I have now been shaving with full hollows quite a bit, and I am LOVING the feedback they give!

Gave one of my wedges a go last week,a sI hadn't used one in a while and found I was using too much pressure with it, as it didn't give the same feel and sound to tell me how I was shaving....

I used to be a "wedges only" kinda guy. Lately I've been completely digging the full hollows!

Originally Posted by Seraphim

...now I am coming around to realize that the issue wasn't that full hollows didn't shave me as well as heavier grinds. What was going on was that I couldn't shave as well with a full hollow as I could with a heavier grind. I now feel that a full hollow makes me have to be a better shaver.

My apologies to full hollow razors everywhere!...

Augh why was this thread bumped

PS A year on I am still not shaving nearly as well with the full hollows except with the grain. Maybe I need to see a seraphim shave video?

1. Get your full hollow razor as absolutely sharp as possible.

2. Keep your skin stretched taut as Joan Rivers after her 6th face lift.

3. Keep the spine of the razor almost up against your face, practically laying it flat against your skin like as if your were honing it on your face.

4. Enjoy the feedback, and keep a very light touch.

Originally Posted by Seraphim

1. Get your full hollow razor as absolutely sharp as possible.

2. Keep your skin stretched taut as Joan Rivers after her 6th face lift.

3. Keep the spine of the razor almost up against your face, practically laying it flat against your skin like as if your were honing it on your face.

4. Enjoy the feedback, and keep a very light touch.

The flat angle is really KEY for me to get a smooth shave off my hollows, very good pointer!