Thread: Wedges vs Hollow grinds why are they different?

I have been wondering about WHY there are different types of grinds to blades? I have used several types of hollow grinded blades and have noticed that they behave differently. I have not used a wedge blade yet but have been told that you will feel a big difference as well as a sound difference. When I shave with one of the hollow types I do hear a popping and snapping sound as I stroke my face. I have been told that when shaving with a wedge you should hear nothing. I assume that this is because of the blade not flexing as it cuts the hairs.
So, why have hollow ground blades???
Is it because of peoples beard hair being thinner or thicker?
Would a wedge blade be the best all around blade because of it's weight and ease of use?
I have read tons of stuff in Wiki and on peoples posts and have never seen any information on this.

BIG topic, but i wondered myself once.

The main reason was ease of honing, ie, the hollow grind would set the angle on a hone. Framebacks evolved first, then the hollow was derived later.

I remember the first time I tried a wedge...i rarely go back to full hollows, but prefer quarter hollows and near wedges. True wedges a quite rare, in fact I only have one that is a full wedge, most of mine being about Henckel Scale II.

Wedges are much heavier and seem to 'plough' through my beard and I find they give better shaves the longer I leave my stubble to grow. Hollows I find require more skill to get BBS.

Wedges arent without problems - the old Sheffield blades I have do not sit flat across a hone and require a rolling X to hone...

Originally Posted by Scipio

Wedges arent without problems - the old Sheffield blades I have do not sit flat across a hone and require a rolling X to hone...

That is not a problem, many blades have "smiling edges" because they were made that way. I prefer them, myself.

A full hollow is considered by many to be a more elegant tool, while wedges are rather primitive. Full hollows are easier to hone and maintain, which would be especially important if you are a barber or do not want to purchase lots of honing gear/spend time honing.

I would also guess that full hollows can be made from smaller/thinner blanks, which would mean less metal to manufacture which would make them cheaper (I think...).

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

That is not a problem, many blades have "smiling edges" because they were made that way. I prefer them, myself.
.

It is a problem for a beginner used to honing only hollows, as the rolling X is somewhat more tricky.

Full hollows are easier to hone as there is less metal to remove. They shave differently as well. Just compare driving a lorry and an ordinary car.

Many old wedges have pronounced smiles, IMHO that is why you have to do a rolling X on the strop. If the edge is straight there's no need to do a rolling X when stropping.

Originally Posted by Scipio

It is a problem for a beginner used to honing only hollows, as the rolling X is somewhat more tricky.

The grind of the blade and whether or not they require a rolling X are mutually exclusive. My understanding is that rolling x's are used for smiling blades. The grind does not dictate whether or not a blade is smiling. I have most different grinds and none of my blades are smiling.

Smile and the world smiles with you... I like a smiling blade in a hollow or in a wedge. I have a few radical smilers and they are cool but I prefer a slight smile.

As far as wedges go they have their charm. They can be beautiful to look at and there is something about shaving with a 150 or 200 year old razor that is really cool IME. As far as honing goes they tend to be a lot more time consuming no matter what stroke you use to hone them. Some guys find using a few layers of tape will get you a bevel sooner and many of the vintage pieces will have uneven spine wear.

According to Robert Doyle in his 1980 book Collecting Straight Razors by 1870 the hollow ground blade took over the market. He says that by 1880 the wedge blade had been losing popularity and that the invention of machine forging and mechanized grinding doomed the wedge blade.

I guess the barbers and the general public found the wedges more work to hone just as we do and embraced the full hollow. Especially barbers who were giving many shaves back in those days. Having an easily maintained full hollow that was light weight and easy to manipulate around the face and neck must have been a great satisfaction to them.