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.