Thread: Hollow ground vs. non-hollow ground.

Originally Posted by Rawaz

I once asked this same question and was told: "a full hollow is like a sports car and a wedge is like a station wagon" this was in connection to what has already been said above.

Nah. A full hollow is more like a double edged razorblade (light, flimsy, noisy) and a wedge is more like a real straight razor (beefy, sturdy, silent)

Once again, personal preferences

Most of my razors are hollow grinds, but I find my favorits are less hollow blades. Quarter and half hollow seem to have grabbed ahold of me lately and making their pressence known.

Why all these grinds have fallen away from the "modern" razor style is not fully known to me, a guess whould be standardized mass production issues. But I'm likeing the smoother feel of a wedge, or heavier blade, shave.

All the posts above have pretty much covered what the grind is like. It's all about the individual useing the edge that matters. Until you try razors with different grinds it's hard to judge what you will like more.

Oddly enough, I find that I'm the opposite - I've tried larger blades, and I've tried wedges and quarter hollows, and I find I now much prefer the feel & feedback of a smaller 5/8 or 6/8 full hollow. I really can't stand razors that don't make that great noise when you shave with them, it's one of my favorite part of straight shaving!

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Nah. A full hollow is more like a double edged razorblade (light, flimsy, noisy) and a wedge is more like a real straight razor (beefy, sturdy, silent)
Once again, personal preferences

In that vein, I would argue that a full hollow is like a stick shift, and a wedge is like an automatic - sure, that SUV is easy to drive, but give me the performance of a vintage sports car any day!

Originally Posted by cotdt

I have a Friodur and a Sheffield full hollow razor that has a bevel thinner than the width of human hair (30-50 microns) so the thinness of the blade helps cut hair more aggressively. These indeed feel like aggressive razors. This is my daily shaver, it is full hollow ground with a 14° inclusive angle, yet you can't see the edge bevel with the naked eye:

Most full hollow razors have bevels that you CAN see with the naked eye, in this case it will not cut better than a wedge as the cutting edge would be the same. It's just more flexible and lighter. I prefer the more rigid action of the wedge, and the better weight balance. My wedges are some of my best shavers.

P.S. That is one gorgeous razor.
A Friodur in that condition is definitely on my list of buy-before-I-die razors

I must say that I have come full circle in my own preferences .
In the last 3 years I have owned & used most of the types of grind that are easily available from a Maestro livi 7/8 , which was my first custom, down to a Puma 3/8 full hollow.
i am now in the process of getting a custom Japanese razor made for me & have come to the conclusion that I prefer stiffer grinds & one of my own all time favorites is my Kinfolks wedge that I got from Max.
I do have a collection of different grinds But I will be getting rid of the full hollows & the 6/8 razors as I prefer the feel& feedback from the small stiff blades that I own.
As usual the Maestro Livi was more like a 8/8 blade , the only razor type of razor that is doing the rounds in the vintage makers i havent tried yet is a frame back. So that may well be another blade to try.Paul

Originally Posted by cotdt

I have a Friodur and a Sheffield full hollow razor that has a bevel thinner than the width of human hair (30-50 microns) so the thinness of the blade helps cut hair more aggressively. These indeed feel like aggressive razors. This is my daily shaver, it is full hollow ground with a 14° inclusive angle, yet you can't see the edge bevel with the naked eye:



Most full hollow razors have bevels that you CAN see with the naked eye, in this case it will not cut better than a wedge as the cutting edge would be the same. It's just more flexible and lighter. I prefer the more rigid action of the wedge, and the better weight balance. My wedges are some of my best shavers.

I usually really like big, wide blades.

But that razor is pure class! The inlay on the scales seals the deal!

Thanks for posting it!

Both get the job done well. The hollow ground makes more noise shaving (feedback) is lighter, and flexes a little.

It always comes down to the following: does it easily take an edge and does it give you a great BBS shave.

Pabster