Thread: A question for some of the older shavers

Gentlemen,
When i was young and foolish i used dubl duck razors almost exlusively, but in the last few months every time i go use them it seemsthat i get nicked. I do not have this issue with WB, bokers or Torreys that are in the rotation.
So i'm curious, now that my beard is getting rather grey it seems more coarse; could this be why my lightweight (5/8 and 4/8) DD are just not geting it cut properly? Or is this just a figment of my demensia?

any thoughts?

If their sharpness isn't up to snuff, then they'll be more likely to nick you.

i had sent to of the DD to be honed by FUD and they came back still wanting to nick, 3 of them where done by the old (mid 70's) barber in my town (he still occasionally does shaves with a straight for people) and three of them i have done myself. they all seem to want to bite me. i have lent two to one of my nephews and he just loves the way they shave, i touched them up for him this past weekend, but he has not had any complaints.

So maybe it is just me.

I found I have better shaves with a stiffer and larger blade. My whiskers are on the tough side and the thinner the walls of the blade the more the blade wants to torque (I also have this problem with 4/8 and smaller blades.) which of course means my technique has to be practically flawless with the thinner blades.


Mark

As a member of the grey whiskers club I've found that mine get tougher and coarser with age, but I've never used a Duck so can't offer anything there. I have one razor that *may* be as thinly ground as a Duck, and that one seems more difficult to go against the grain with w/o deflecting into the skin a little no matter how sharp it is. If I get nicked it's usually on the chin, where whiskers are thickest and toughest.

The little Swedish framebacks shave me as well as anything, other than that I use Revisors, various Soligen razors, Torreys, and some Sheffields most of the time. I don't need a large blade to get a good shave, but a ridgid one handles tough whiskers easier for me.

I've only been straight shaving for 6 months so can't really tell if whiskers or technique are more responsible for my stiffer blade preference. It's probably some combination of both but I have to think there's a reason why the old Torrey catalogs recommended heavier grinds for "wiry beards".

If they're sharp enough then the thin little ducks should shave even a tough beard well. My Wonderedge from Lynn didn't have any problem with my own graybeard, and as I improved my honing my other whippy blades started doing better on my beard as well, to the point where they're now my favorite style of blade. The most flexible blade I've ever owned was a Genco De Roma which would visibly flex on the hone with even a breath of pressure, and which I gave away without ever using as I was into bigger stiff blades at the time. I've got another one on the way so in a week or so (if it's consistent with my other one) I should find out if it's possible to be too flexible :-/

Originally Posted by syslight

Gentlemen,
When i was young and foolish i used dubl duck razors almost exlusively, but in the last few months every time i go use them it seemsthat i get nicked. I do not have this issue with WB, bokers or Torreys that are in the rotation.
So i'm curious, now that my beard is getting rather grey it seems more coarse; could this be why my lightweight (5/8 and 4/8) DD are just not geting it cut properly? Or is this just a figment of my demensia?

any thoughts?

As soon as Dubl Ducks cease being the flavor of the month on Ebay and the hoards of frothing bidders go elswhere, I'll try and get one and let you know.

I'll give the ducks a visit to the stones over the weekend... maybe i'll let them sit and watch as i disembowel the shumate and elliot i was planning to work on first, put the fear of God into them.
perhaps that and the stones will put them right again...

and yes the big issue was against the grain on the chin.

so maybe part of it is technique and i have another 30 or 40 years to improve on that.

Originally Posted by Scrapyard Ape

As soon as Dubl Ducks cease being the flavor of the month on Ebay and the hoards of frothing bidders go elswhere, I'll try and get one and let you know.

You've got a long wait ahead of you. DD's have been high on Eboy since I've been watching them which is around 4 years now.

I know everyone has their preference for sizes and grinds and many truly think they can only get a great shave with their favorite type but I'm here to tell you that sharp is sharp and I don't care if you've got whiskers like the man of steel you can get an equal shave with a 4/8s hollow as with an 8/8s wedge. The issue isn't the blade type its either the sharpness or your technique.

I'm a grey beard (turn 60 this year).
For what it's worth, I don't really think my beard is any different than when I was 30.