6/8 or 5/8 ?

[Gibbs]

Is there an advantage to a 6/8 blade over the 5/8 blade, especially for a beginner?

[MNstCloud]

The Wiki link at the top has some great information, this was taken straight from it:

What makes a good starter razor?

Size = 6/8
A wider blade is easier to keep flat on the strop, which is very important for a beginner. 6/8 is also dead center on the size chart, so you can decide which direction to go on your second razor. Finally, it has some heft for those less than confident first strokes, and is still easy to handle.
Grind = Half hollow
Again dead center on the chart, so you can decide which direction to go after your first razor. A half hollow grind offers enough heft for beginner shaving, yet also has some flexibility for comfort.
Round point
A round point is a little safer, anyway, not a lot but every little bit helps at first.

[xman]

Round point
A round point is a little safer, anyway, not a lot but every little bit helps at first.

I, and others, would contest this point. I find round points nick me more than any other style. I'd recommend starting with anything else.

6/8 just feel better in my hand.

[AlanII]

A 6/8 is slightly easier to keep flat on a strop though IME this is negligible (stops being at 4/8 though, again IME). 6/8 is in the middle in terms of size which can give a beginner an idea of which way they'd like to go in terms of future acquisitions. An advantage? Depends on your bank balance I suppose.

[Soilarch]

They are ever so slightly easier to strop...but aside from that it's all personal preference.

5/8 are everywhere, you have to look a little harder for anything bigger. (Not hard to find, but "harder" to find.)

I wouldn't let it sway a decision on what to buy either way.

I'm not ignoring you P.M. ...I'm just wasn't sure what/if you where asking.

[AFDavis11]

I have a preference for 6/8 as a good shaver. It has a little heft to it. I think the idea of buying a mid-sized razor as a baseline for your next razor is false logic. I find full hollows shave better and I think your first razor should be a good razor over any other characteristic. I think the advice in the Wiki is just dumb.

I like razors with good shank size, that is important as well as balance and heft.

Otherwise, if you think it makes sense to buy your first razor to help you determine what you want as a second razor, that's cool too. I'm just not sure you'll know what to buy second. Would you use the same logic to buy a car? Buy a 4 door sedan so you can decide what kind of car to buy next?

5/8 razors are really nice too.

I think my sense of how important the grind is leads me more concern than size really.

All my best shavers are 6/8, and I would recommend a really good shaver, even for a beginner.

There is nothing wrong with the thousands of guys who have started out with a vintage blade of whatever size they could walk in the door with. I'd argue that more guys have failed at straight shaving because they took too much evaluating meaningless variables and failed to focus on the actual skills.

[AlanII]

I think the guidelines in the Wiki are as good as anything for a newbie who has no points of reference and comes here looking for them. Sure, to say, "just get a good shaver" is a correct answer but it doesn't really give them a lot to go on. I agree that ultimately it's down to the individual to make up their own mind and acquire good technique, as I did from my first (5/8 full hollow) razor but don't really see how that makes the advice in the Wiki, dumb or even an addition of meaningless variables.

[Utopian]

I think the idea of buying a mid-sized razor as a baseline for your next razor is false logic. I find full hollows shave better and I think your first razor should be a good razor over any other characteristic. I think the advice in the Wiki is just dumb.

Absolutely completely agree with this.
The vast majority of razors out there are 5/8 full hollows. There is a reason for that. Apparently a few guys thought they worked just fine.

Gibbs, I read your previous account of the cruelty you perpetrated on a razor with a belt sander. Your subsequent posts indicate a continued interest in these toys so I'd like to help. If you send me one of your recent acquisitions, I will hone it up and mail it back to you the next day. You'll only need to pay postage. PM me if interested.

[gssixgun]

Since I wrote the "Dumb" logic in the Wiki let me take a few seconds to explain it to you...

Writing something like "Buy anything, then get it honed" is just not a good option for a beginner, because that is "exactly" what they will do...

If you give an actual objective perhaps they will look a little harder and get a bit more educated before sinking money into a bunch of ebay junk that will never shave...

Again these are just recommendations, they are not written in stone, there is very little difference in 6/8 and 5/8 on the strops, but it is there, and they do have just a touch more heft, and a slightly stiffer blade does help just a tiny bit in an inexperienced hand.. -But- way more importantly they are harder to find, used, they are not out there on e-bay and the antique stores by the hundreds for in-experienced shoppers to buy junk... They have to slow down and actually look, the more they look the more they learn...

They are also very easy to find brand new from many -Reputable- vendors that sell them "Shave Ready" for around $75 so in the long run perhaps there is a bit of logic in there after all... The more interaction a newb has with experienced people the more likely he is to succeed..

[onimaru55]

Is there an advantage to a 6/8 blade over the 5/8 blade, especially for a beginner?

Maybe yes & maybe no. As a beginner has no real point of reference for comparison it is hard to say.

Maybe if you have large hands a 6/8 is more comfortable to manipulate but maybe not. Ergonomics is a consideration tho.

I find the thin tangs on some 4/8 very awkward in my stubby hands. I also dislike large wide scales for the same reason... But 5/8 or 6/8 I really can't argue for one over the other. I'm not a beginner so maybe my opinion is not appropriate but if it feels manageable in your hand at least that's one problem solved.