Thread: Razor sharpness question

I have been straight shaving for a little over a month now and I have an old 7/8 wade and butcher that I got restored recently. I got it restored by a reputable person on this forum. So when it came back it was supposed to be shave ready. However when I shave with it, it just doesn't remove any hair. Is it my technique? Since he said the razor is shave ready, I am forced to trust him since he knows much better than I do.

Then again I have another razor that I purchased here that removes hair with ease and I get a great shave with it. That razor is a 5/8. How can I get a great shave with this razor but not the other if they are both shave ready? Is there a different technique that should be used for each razor? What am I doing wrong? Do I need to send my W&B to be honed again??

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks

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If you are doing good with the 5/8, there's no reason it shouldn't be just as easy with the 7/8 W&B. Sounds like it's far from shave ready to me.

As Blix said, If you can shave fine with the 5/8, you have to do something very wrong to get the 7/8 to not shave at all.

Have you contacted the person who restored it with your concerns? If it is a reputable member of the forum as you say, I'm sure it will sort out just fine.

Going on the restorers in this forum, if they say it's shave ready then it most likely is.

I think what it might be is the difference in blade size.

When I went from a 5/8 to a 7/8 I put far too much of an angle on the 7/8 when I used it resulting in bad shaves.

The tendency with larger blades is to use too steep an angle and you have to watch to ensure you don't end up at 45 degrees or anything.

Make sure the angle is 1-2 spines widths from your face when you shave and see if that helps!

If not, drop the restorer a PM and ask their advice.

It is hard to say what excactly is going on with your bigger razor.
It could be dull, but I suspect Stu is right.

I did the very same thing when I went from a smaller, more hollow, razor to a bigger and chunkier blade.
The angle was off and the resulting shave was less than stellar.

A 7/8 does shave differently to a 5/8 but you should still be able to feel that the 7/8 is sharp. Have a talk with whoever honed your razor. Perhaps there's a misunderstanding and they didn't think it was to be honed.

It could have just been an oversite by the restorer. If after you contact them and they say it's shave ready, you can send it to me and I'll check it for you by shaving with it and if it's not right, I'll correct/hone it. One thing about a properly honed 7/8 W&B is that they don't feel like they are shaving on a wtg stroke as they just "squeege" the whiskers away. Look at the lather on the blade...is it loaded with whiskers that you didn't know was shaved off?

Either way, if you want that second opinion, send it to me. All I ask is that you cover the return shipping.

If it is a 7/8, perchance it is a wedge or near wedge. In my opinion, wedges and near wedges shave quite well, but don't feel as sharp during shaving as hollow grounds. However, that does not explain your situation.

Did you strop it before shaving with it? If so, is it possible the edge has rolled?

I have to go with the "un-shave ready" crowd. While I shave primarily with 6/8 and 7/8 razors, I can't say that I notice any real difference in handling the two sizes other than the larger razors are a bit more difficult to turn under my nose and around on my chin contours. My feeling is if they are sharp, they'll shave.

...the wrench was within easy arm's reach, so I figured I'd pitch it into the works... (BTW that's not a signature; that's a valediction)