If you had to recommend a razor for a heavy facial hair, and fast growth, what style would it be?
Printable View
If you had to recommend a razor for a heavy facial hair, and fast growth, what style would it be?
Being based on my experience - razor 6/8+, wedge blade.
what's the type of hair though? coarse? i have thick hair, and lots of it, but have real sensitive skin and the hair itself isn't particularly thick and coarse. I'm not experienced enough i'd make a recommendation, just predicting others questions.
Red
Sharp is sharp and that's your biggest boon. Other than that, some weight to the blade will help give it momentum through the strokes. A half hollow grind or thicker will help achieve this. Full and double hollows also have some flex to them which could be a little less than optimal for tough jobs. Just my suggestions.
X
When you are starting out, a larger, heavier blade may be easier, but once you learn to shave with a straight, you should be able to shave with anything.
Choosing a size/grind/style/etc is really based on personal preferences as to what you like, as well as what your shaving style is. I have found that larger blades require less finesse, whereas I have to be much more careful with a full hollow. But, as xman said, sharp is sharp, and any sharp razor will give a great shave.
My experience is limited to about 20 different razors. The 4/8ths I had are gone or going. Maybe it was a problem with my technique or, rather, the lack thereof. But they never worked well for me.
I have been experimenting with larger blades and stiffer grinds. My favourite razor is still my 6/8ths 1/4 hollow Le Grelot, but I have a 5/8ths 1/2 hollow Wostenholm and a 6/8ths wedge that work equally well. So, to repeat what has been said by more knowlegable members before: Large blade, stiff grind, and stay away from hollow ground blades until you have learnt how to use a straight at all. There are some of those to be found in the Classifieds section of this site. If you want a new one, one of the new Dovos might fit your bill: Rasiermesser DOVO 5/8" The Different Scent: - inexpensive, but very good. YMMV.
so something like this would be ideal?
Chechen Wostenholm 7/8 meat chopper - Straight Razor Place Classifieds
That sure would do it; those are some meaty blades.
BINGO!Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27
What you want is vintage Sheffield steel, which that razor has plenty of! Nothing is smoother shaving, or as indominable through the tough stuff as a Sheffield wedge.
you want to translate that, to someone who knows nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Is it a good price?:hmmm:
Price is subjective. What Seraphim is saying is that the old wedges from Sheffield are known for being taking great edges and being smooth shavers. Plus it is a wedge, and heavier blades tend to be easier to shave with; they don't require too much finesse. Since the grind is thicker, the razor won't flex, and there is more material in the bevel, so the edge will deform less as you shave.
A good way to think of how the blades shave is: Wedges are like classic muscle cars, full hollows are like... high power rear wheel drive sports cars without traction control. I guess a half hollow would be a roadster and a quarter hollow would be a cruiser. (I'm assuming you know cars, based on the avatar.)
A high powered rear wheel drive sports car with no traction control, would very accurately describe a 60's era or 70's era muscle car.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
you talking like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, vs Muscle car.
And subjective or not, what is your opinion?
This question is related so its not really a hijack. I though that straight razors are the only shaving instrument that can shave off a heavy beard? I can't imagine attacking a beard with an electric or cartridge blade, I imagine one of my super speeds would get jammed if I used one of them to sahve off a heavy beard.
I try to shave more often, but when I shaved once before on monday and once before going out friday, I'd bust out the clippers then hit it with my disposable.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbcohen
For a heavy beard, you need three things.
A sharp razor but this applies to any razor
A razor with a bit of weight in the spine to keep the blade steady as it mows through the heavy beard
A razor with a bit of width to stop you washing the blade too often. Wider blades hold more shavings and soap.
I would suggest a full hollow 7/8" or a half hollow 6/8".
Blades less than 6/8" tend to be too light. But there are always exceptions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27
Nope.
Sheffield wedges are like this:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/3...08a615.jpg?v=0
The snow is your whiskers, the DPW truck is a beefy wedge, plowing through anything. And you are the guy comfy warm and sipping coffee in the cab....:D
$110 for what looks like a decent retored wedge, with handmade scales? Seems reasonable to me.
Holli will be translating any of my future posts, he understands where I'm coming from...;)
How would the shave differ from C-Mon Cadillac Straight RazorQuote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
The C-Mon is a full hollow. A really sharp full hollow can give an excellent shave, but requires a skilled hand to get the best results. The blade edge is so thin it distorts, which can be good for following the contours of your skin, but can be bad as it also can deflect when meeting up with unruly whiskers. That's what I have found anyhow.
I used to have a strong dislike for full hollows, now I really like them alot. Heavy grinds are more forgiving of technique and sharpness, I still love them too!:tu
A well liked new razor that has a fairly thick 1/2 hollow grind (a nice place to start...) is the Thiers Issard "Special Couffier", also named the "Super Gnome" at some vendors. There's a nice review of the Special Couffier over at Badger & Blade.
I've been pondering picking up one of these for some time now. So many razors, so little cash....:cry:
What I've noticed with the couple times I've shaved with this blade, is that by the end of the second side, I feel a significant difference from the start to finish of the shave. (now I have a strop on the way, so I haven't covered all my bases)Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
I'd suggest a wedge or quarter hollow 6/8 blade. I have a really thick, heavy beard, and I have found that the use of shave oil greatly helps whatever blade I use soften up my whiskers. So much has this helped, that I've been able to reduce my shaves to a 2 pass shave instead of the 3 pass.
I agree completely with this statement.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
Wedges and quarter hollows are easier in the sense that they're forgiving of bad shaving technique. But they're harder to hone up and to maintain. So it's sort of a conundrum for newbs with thick beards.
I have a very thick beard and my favorite razor is a 5/8 full hollow. But in my first six months I swore up and down that my beard needed either a quarter hollow or 7/8+ full hollow, nothing less.
My recommendation is a 6/8 or at most 7/8 full hollow for now. You'll have more and earlier success honing it, and its flexiness while shaving will steer you towards better technique even as its size and weight give you that umph needed to tackle the chin while you're still perfecting your technique.
Well, that is good because right now I have a 5/8th full hollow according to a previous poster... I'm still kind of feeling my way around my face, and forget the neck. I have hairs going all sorts of different directions. When I finally get my strop this week, hopefully, I'll get to really experience a good shave. And address the neck.Quote:
Originally Posted by dylandog
I think I'll pickup that wedge for sale, if I can ever get this guy to pm me back.
Not stropping the razor you have may be most of the issue you have been experiencing!
Stropping can make a remarkable difference in the keeness of the edge, and therefore ease of tackling whiskers.
If you have a genuine leather belt, that's fairly thick and flat, you can loop that around a towel bar and strop away on there until you get a proper strop (NOTE: avoid the part of the belt distorted by rear belt loop!).
That will actually work quite well. You will have to use the X pattern. I did this while I awaited my first strop,and I was very impressed by what a difference it made, even on a freshly honed (and thus, I thought not needing to be stropped) razor.
This is about the best advice you will get. It is of course subjective but generally a quarter hollow 6/8 or a full hollow 7/8+ would be best.Quote:
Originally Posted by manah
yeah, I know, still waiting they said they were shipping yesterday. Still haven't shipped yet, I should probably call em, starting to get annoyed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
However, as for the belt, all my leather belts have stitching on them, figured that wouldn't be good for the blade. So I don't shave, which is fine for me, it is a chore to bust out my mach 5 and shave. And a painful experience.
I've got another question, this is what the guy said about the wedge.
The other imperfection is that the face of the blade isn\'t as smoothly contoured as when it comes out of an actual grinder. You can notice this in the way the light comes off the face of the blade in some of the photos. I can\'t actually feel the dips when I run my finger along the face, but it\'s noticeable under the correct angles of light.
I'm assuming he means the bevel where the edge begins isn't quite straight. Is that something that requires grinding to make shave ready?
My goal is to have a couple of blades that all I have to do is strop for a while. Till I decide to completely jump in. Or stick with a disposable.
Yep. Honing is a very mild and gentle form of grinding whixh uses a much finer grit. After you finish honing the blade the edge will be fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27
1/4 grind 6/8". There is also the idea that no matter what kinda beard you have you can shave with anything. I have a tough and dense beard, in patches, and I just for kicks shaved with a 1/2" full hollow the other day but it was not for the faint at heart. I really had to work at it, gave me an excellent shave but the thing worked me to death. I find my 1/4 grinds just give me much easier time of it.
Take Care,
R
There is no doubt that a 6/8 quarter- or half-hollow will be easier to use with a tough beard. I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. I just meant if you have a 5/8 full hollow or the like and you really like it but are having a tough time with it on a coarse beard, don't immediately go selling it off assuming it's too puny for you. There is something that happens over the course of straight-shaving for a couple of years: your shaving technique improves imperceptibly – not because of this or that trick or angle you read about, but just through muscle memory and aggregate experience. Once you reach this stage, you really will find that you can shave comfortably with just about any sharp blade.Quote:
Originally Posted by riooso
I sold off some very nice full hollows when I was in my "6-8 wedge or more for this tough beard, nothing less!" stage. I wish I could get some of those back, because I liked how light and elegant and maneuverable and easy-to-maintain they were.
Another thing is that using a light razor on a heavy beard really forces you to improve your technique; and then when you go back to one of your larger wedgier razors and use them with proper technique, you're really in for a treat.
That is some GREAT advice!:tuQuote:
Originally Posted by dylandog
Don't worry, I'm a hording pack rat. You should see the crap I Have just in case. :gaah:Quote:
Originally Posted by dylandog
+1 one on this dylandogs experiences seems to be exactly like my own, right through the "6-8 wedge or more for this tough beard, nothing less!" stage.", incredible!Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
One with a sharp edge and not made in Pakistan.:gl:Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27
well I picked up that wedge, makes two razors for the stable. :rock:
Man, I can't wait to experience this! I have yet to get a "Meaty" Sheffield, but my full hollow ground Sheffield blades are my top shavers, with the notable exception of my Puma. And I have a very dense, very coarse beard. This may be TMI, but I have alot of places where I have two hairs (each as large as a small sappling) growing out of the same follicle. Now *that's* dense and coarse. :) My dainty little Sheffields make quick work of it, though. Guess I better start shopping for a full wedge Sheffield!Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Finally got my razor, and wow, that was really fun.
This is was right on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim