Thread: The Closest Shave

Originally Posted by onimaru55

You have to consider some of the wedge grinds out there have been old, rusted, badly honed relics that have been restored.. The grind is the last thing that influences sharpness. Your skill level & how the edge is honed plays a bigger part & as has been said many times, the steel.
I have honed & tested a few wedges that gave me an equally close shave to other razors. I choose not to own one as I find them heavy & clumsy but some of the smaller ones have made me think twice.
You are lucky to have a good razor that is no doubt well honed but your stubble has no idea what grind it is.

How does one measure sharpness? Well, one informal measure might be the ease with which the razor cuts hair, and if that's how you measure, then I agree, the grind is not a factor. On the other hand, it is my experience and belief that the closeness of the shave on final passes has a lot to do with blade geometry, and in this regard, I think the grind possessed by the Klaas presents a distinct advantage.

Yes, the big wedges can be unwieldy but are fantastic if you want to quickly dispatch with several days growth I always use them on the first pass and go to hollow grinds for the second and third. If you want to try an amazing smaller sized wedge, I can strongly recommend any of the Sheffield "Medium Size Hollow Ground" styles. They are, of course, not hollow ground by today's standards; they are really wedge (though not "true" wedge) grinds. I have the 4/8 version manufactured by Joseph Allen, and while it doesn't cut as close as my Klaas, it may be my most comfortable shaver.

Originally Posted by GringoMexicano

How does one measure sharpness? Well, one informal measure might be the ease with which the razor cuts hair, and if that's how you measure, then I agree, the grind is not a factor. On the other hand, it is my experience and belief that the closeness of the shave on final passes has a lot to do with blade geometry, and in this regard, I think the grind possessed by the Klaas presents a distinct advantage.... to you & some other individuals, maybe even me. There'd probably be a bunch of wedge lovers that would disagree. It's always a YMMV thing. I would say as a rule, wedges don't shave me so closely but every now & then one passes my hands that blows me away. Geometry is a factor. I'm just saying it's not the only one.

Yes, the big wedges can be unwieldy but are fantastic if you want to quickly dispatch with several days growth I always use them on the first pass and go to hollow grinds for the second and third. As an example of YMMV. I just took off 5 days growth with a very hollow Swedish blade, an EA Berg. It was one of my first restores & I took off so much steel that it it is almost like a DE in flexibility. I'll say it again . It's not about the grind but about a combination of factors, not the least how you use it.

If you want to try an amazing smaller sized wedge, I can strongly recommend any of the Sheffield "Medium Size Hollow Ground" styles. They are, of course, not hollow ground by today's standards; they are really wedge (though not "true" wedge) grinds. I have the 4/8 version manufactured by Joseph Allen, and while it doesn't cut as close as my Klaas, it may be my most comfortable shaver.

Yes I would agree about the smaller wedges being very nice. I've honed the odd one but after about 30 years of straight shaving I've settled on the kamisori style as my preferred shaver. It works best on my face much like your Klaas works for you. I'd recommend you try one but remember YMMV

I have a couple of "magical" shavers... The steel, brand and grind seems to be irrelevent, as I have bought identical models of them that don't shave as well. The honing can't be the culprit, as I have honed all of them through the same progression....

One is a CW Dahlgren frameback, the other is a full hollow 4/8 Bengall.

I think we need to get a bellied hollow club going...there seems to be a dearth of information about this intriguing grind.

very little info indeed,would love to learn more.

George Korn registered a patent for a bellied grind in 1902. You can look up the # in the post below.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...tml#post812945

All things being equal in honing, I've found that I've got a few razors that seem to be that little bit sharper than others. Makers such as Filarmonica, Le Grelot, Hart, Mappin Bros, Puma to name a few stand out.
One of the great joys of straight shaving is finding a razor that unexpectedly fits in that group. A little while ago I bought a French straight from a Thiers maker called A Doupeux. I'd never heard of them. I honed it on my Le Dressante coticule and Wow. I was stunned at how well it shave and it's kept it's edge like few other razors have.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

George Korn registered a patent for a bellied grind in 1902. You can look up the # in the post below.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...tml#post812945

That's a cool razor, I'll have to get me one of them.

By the way, it is interesting to note that on many (not all) hollow ground razors, there is a slight bulge present just before the bevel:



My guess is that the bellied design was incorporated into the industry standard to fix what Korn described in his patent abstract as the "vibratory character of the edge" present in the earlier hollow ground razors. I pulled out my full hollows: the Klaas, a Mella High Class and a C-Mon Blackie all presented the pre-bevel bulge. The new TI that I have does not have this feature, nor does my early Filharmonica Doble Temple 14.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

George Korn registered a patent for a bellied grind in 1902. You can look up the # in the post below.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...tml#post812945

Interesting, though I'm sure they were producing bellys before this patent. My M&W's have the tell-tale sign of pre-Madrid Accord production (1891): no country of origin stamp.

Now that I think about it my Puma 91 may be bellied as well. I should go check...