Thread: A hollow apology

Great thread, as I slowly get more experienced I'm finding I actually prefer the feedback from my full hollows to the silence of the heavier grinds

+1. my first razor was a dovo special. my next three were a w&b 1/4 hollow, a le grelot 1/4 hollow and a w&b barbers razor.

I was getting much better shaves though i'm sure some of that was due to just starting straight shaving.

As my technique improves, i find myself reaching for the full hollows again.

I like my hollows and my wedges. I find the width of the blade has much more impact on my shave than the grind. I really like the narrower blades.

Originally Posted by Disburden

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

Interesting..... I find that this pretty much doesn't work for me. Standard angle and extremely light pressure seems to do the trick personally.

Oh, and since this is a thread about hollows, I should say that I love the feedback and the close shaves they provide. No complaints here.

Forgot to mention that for my ATG touch-ups I do flatten the angle significantly, so I guess my above statement isn't exactly true.

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.

It also has a lot to do with how sharp your blade is and what level of sharpness you need for your particular beard. Beard prep is as important as a sharp razor too. Theoretically, all things being equal except the grind; you should have the exact same sharpness on a full hollow vs. a wedge. All other things being equal i.e. steel, hardening/tempering process, blade width, etc.

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.

You can't fool me! When Joan Rivers is on TV they use trick photography to blot out the turnbuckles on her shoulders. She tightens her face down for every show.

I believe my only true full hollow is a Robert Klaas (Germany), and I get my best shaves from it. That's over a Boker Red Injun and a W&B 11/16.

I can't say for sure if it's because it's full hollow, or because it's sharper than the rest, but it's my first razor, it was honed by Sham, and it shaves like a dream. For comparison's sake, my W&B was also honed by Sham -- so the benchmark should be set at even. I would say the W&B is close to full hollow but not quite -- it doesn't really "sing" like the Klaas does when it's shredding whiskers off.

Sorry for my rambling, but maybe my experience matches up with what Seraphim is saying, only that maybe I (contrary to what I originally believed) have a light touch to begin with?

I prefer full and singing hollows to heavier blades too, but yesterday I shaved for the first time with an old Wusthof 100 that's only 1/2 hollow or so and it was quite in the same league as my best hollows. I knew it would be good as the original owner went to great lengths to make sure his razor would not get displaced (name and address inscribed both on box and on scales) but it still surprised me.

Nothing beats the Otto Deutsch and the Fisher though!

(and the chronik

Hmm, I am really not appreciating the silent killers at the moment - the shaves are great, but I miss the auditory feedback. Nearly put my wedge on the classifieds today and yesterday - but it's french and I don't have any other french blades!