Thread: How hollow is a full hollow?

I have often wondered this and thought I'd post it here.

At what point do you consider a blade to be a full hollow? The nassrasur site seems to indicate that a full hollow should have that ridge that runs parallel to the blade, a half hollow being a similar grind without that ridge.

Now the henckels chart on the other hand just has a continuum and none of the images shows that ridge.

I ask because I often see people reference how different their full hollows can behave and I wonder if it is because we are calling everything that has a thin grind full hollow when in fact there is a big difference between a full and a half hollow even though they look very similar.

Thoughts? Idea?

I have looked at those sites in the past also, and here is what I use as my reference...

I don't really care if I am right or not it works for me....

Wedge = a wedge the whole blade will touch the hone

1/4 Wedge = most of what we actually see and call a wedge has a very slight hollow in the middle of the blade that doesn't touch the hone..

1/4 Hollow = A Wapi has a small hollow cut to the blade face or about 1/4 of the thickness of the blade....

1/2 hollow = Has about 1/2 the thickness of the blade cut away you can see the hollow very clearly but you get no "Ting" if you strum the blade edge..

Full hollow = A double cut hollow and the blade is very thin and light the blade gives a small tune when strumed...

Extra- Full Hollow/ Singing blade = Now you find the ridge down the blade where the hollow is so extreme that it is cut beyond the angled side of the blade and you get a full concert when stropping....

Funny enough I was just trying to search for better pictures and stumbled across the image from that nassrasur site too. The henckels chart is cool to give you an idea, but I wish someone with the time, equipment, and knowledge could add a post here and/or subsequent section to the wiki that has the 6 or so actual "toe" photos of the grind of the different types of real razors. I'd rather look at real pictures side-by-side than the charts, but maybe it's just me.

That sounds like a good description Glen. I like how you have full hollow, and extra full hollow.

I do have a couple blades with the ridge, and even though they look so similar to a grind without the ridge I have to assume that due to the different grinds they behave differently. Keeping this in mind it would be unfair for me to group them together and assume that because I don't like the feel of one I won't like any of them.

FWIW I don't think my personal honing abilities are great enough for me to compare the two grinds and assume that any inadequacies in one one of them was due to anything other than my lack of honing abilities.

JC I don't know about assuming anything with razors
Just when I start thinking I have something figured out, somebody sends me a razor that I haven't tried yet and it blows all my "assumptions" out of the water....
Me I group my razors in three catorgories...

1. Oooooo I like that razor...
2. Hmmmm yeah not bad, but not for me....
3. Yeah that one is crap...

Ok, I think I like those categories a little more. For me, since I'm still working on my honing skills I have 2 categories.

1. Ooooo I like that razor...
2. Not to bad but maybe it's my honing....