Thread: Grind preference

Half or quarter hollow for me. I like a little weight to my razor.

Full Hollow or X-Full Hollows. They perform superbly on the curve/transition point
under/around my jawline... Without undue effort.

I save my near wedge for days that I have several days growth. Otherwise it's an extra hollow or full hollow.

Full hollow for me. I believe they shave closer, more effortlessly. That's not closer and more effortlessly. It's closer, more effortlessly. JMO

I don't have a favorite. I have 30 straights from 4/8 to 8/8. From extra hollow to full wedge. Doesn't matter to me. I used to like hollows then wedges and now I just grab one. Although I would never buy a full wedge again. PITA to hone. I get bbs with them all.

8/8 full bellied Hollow,i wanna hear those puppys whine

half hollow - wedge for me ...

I've got stellar representatives of pretty much every tribe of grind out there (minus kamisori, but there's that microtome in my to-do pile...) and I've put in a lot of shaves with the full range.

My favorite grind? Anything made before 1850, including the Fenney that was reground to paper-thin.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

First off you want to soak it in Neatsfoot oil..

But to answer your question, I would have to say YMMV

Hi Glen, I didn't have any neatsfoot to hand. It's not easy to find in this neck of the woods, at least real neatsfoot oil. I personally don't like the stuff at all, I always thought it made old materials brittle over time (remember using it on saddles etc. when I was a kid - come to think of it, there's likely some in the shed back home). It also used to migrate. Is there any particular reason not to use camellia or other oils?

Camellia oil is used for woodworking tools because it doesn't contain acid (i.e. no tannins), doesn't become gummy or resinous over time, and doesn't evaporate readily. I would think these would be good things for treating old horn. I would have thought that the acidity of neatsfoot oil would cause darkening and damage, as it does with old leather.

I will say that the horn has come up wonderfully from the overnight soak, with a little polishing with a soft cloth it came up like new.

I'm actually considering selling this specimen though. I'll give it a few more weeks grace to see if it'll grow on me, but I really don't want to own more than two or three razors, and I don't really enjoy shaving with this one (especially compared to the BF Deluxe).

I love all good properly honed razors. Each gives a different expieriance. For me it's all about the variety. I personally have a very eclectic razor collection and rotation. If you asked me last week what the best shaver was I'd tell you it was an odd ball razor in my collection, a full hollow beau Brummell 35 that gave such a close shave it wa awesome. A couple weeks before that I would have said my super super super hollow diamond hayashi 8000 was the crown of my rotation. Prior to that I loved this 7/8 W&B wedge I thought was king of the universe. Ironically this week I just took a shave with an OLD John Barber wedge that just was sooooooooooo smooth it easily ranks with all the greats.
Each Grind of of a razor is like a brand of exotic sportscar, you may be a porche guy and talk smack
about a Ferrari but get behind the wheel of an Italian stallion and its hard the wipe the grin off your face. As always fellas YMMV. :-)