There are a lot of posts out there where people ask about the differences between the various sizes of razor and others where people ask about differences between the various grinds. The reality (IMHO) is that razor performance/feel is the result of a combination of these factors and I thought it might be interesting to have a thread that consideres both of these issues in conjunction - especially for newbies.
To start things off, here are my observations (based on just under two months of straight shaving - in which time I've acquired over a dozen razors of various types).
The smallest razors I have are 5/8 - I have a couple of full hollows, a 1/2 hollow and a 1/4 hollow. The full hollows are just too light for my very heavy, coarse beard and, while I can get a decent shave from them, there's a fair bit of work involved. I was going to write off 5/8 razors entirely until I tried a 1/2 hollow and, just this morning a 1/4 hollow. These razors are MUCH stiffer and heavier than the full hollow razors and do a good job on my beard. While I wont' be buying any more 5/8 full hollows, I would be happy to add a couple more of the stiffer razors to my collection. I enjoy the maneuverability of the 5/8 razors and the combination of the smaller size and heavier grind is a great combination. My heavier 5/8 shave as well as any of my 6/8 razors.
I have several 6/8 razors in my collection including full hollows, 1/4 and 1/2 hollows. The 6/8 has quickly become my favourite size as any 6/8 will do the job on my beard comfortably and is a great combination of size and weight - heavy enough to go against the grain in the chin area, but still small and maneuverable. Again, I tend to prefer the heavier grinds, which just seem to work better for me.
The biggest razors in my collection are 7/8 and are allow full hollows. I find the 7/8 to be much bigger and heavier than my 6/8 razors and I have to concentrate more to avoid lopping off my nose or ear (I nicked my ear badly the first time I used my 7/8!). I have a Bartman and Fridour and these seem to be heavy stiff razors and go through my beard like butter. I don't have any heavier grinds in this size, but I do like the heft of these razors and may purchase a heavier grind in this size.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've noticed a trend among newbies to rush to bigger razors and I think people should consider grind as much as size. Especially given that larger razors are harder to learn with - based on my personal experience, I think someone should shave with a 5/8 or 6/8 for a while before jumping to a 7/8 or bigger razor.
In my view a 1/2 hollow or heavier grind razor performs similarly to a razor one size larger and newbies should give as much consideration to moving to a heavier grind as they do to a larger razor. The really nice thing about the heavier razors is that you get the shave of a larger razor while still retaining the control/maneuverability of a smaller razor - which reduces the likelihood of nicks and cuts, as well as making it easier to learn to shave the tough bits.
While there are fewer heavier grind razors out there, if you look for them they do turn up on e-bay and I bought my fully refurbished, shave-ready 1/2 hollow 5/8 and 1/4 hollow 6/8 razros from altima for about $35 each. Randy was selling some NOS 1/4 Otto Hess 5/8 razors a little while ago for $60 (they're gone now and I was lucky enough to acquire one from a board member).
As far as new razors go, I believe the TI "le Gnome" razors are the only standard production 1/2 hollows that go for under $100 (Classicshaving sells the 5/8 for $70 and the 6/8 for $80) and I'm definitely going to add one of these to my collection.
Dovo does make a 4/8 stainless steel french point in a wedge grind and it sells for $75 - its too bad this razor doesn't come in a 5/8, as I'm sure there would be a lot of takers. However it might suit people who like smaller razors and would likely perform like a larger razor.
John Crowley sells some 1/4 hollow Wacker razors, but they're pricer ($150), but are supposedly good shavers.
A couple other options for people looking for smaller heavier/stiffer razors include stainless steel razors (stiffer generally and the Fridours in particular are heavy for their size) and frameback razors.
This post is much longer than I intended, but I do think its useful for newbies who are looking for a heavier/stiffer razor to be aware that moving to a larger razor is not necessarily their only - or best - option.
Hope people find this interesting/useful.
I'd appreciate your thoughts on this subject.