Thread: I take it back ( 4/8 experiment).

I was reading some of the posts about 4/8 razors that flew in the face of my own experience. In short I believed that you either had to have a very light or soft beard. or you had to have spot on technique ( black belt shaver as it were) to get a good shave with these little puppies! Well, I was wrong. I got to thinking its been ten years since I put anything smaller than a 5/8 to my face. I realized I had come to my conclusions with only five years of straight shaving under my belt. A lot could change in ten years. so I pulled out my 4/8 army navy double hollow ground wedgewood and gave it a quick touch up on a finishing hone, stropped her and put her to my face. two passes, perfect shave and no trouble spots!!
I hope I didn't mislead anyone with my ill considered opinion.


Mark

Or maybe you're a black belt shaver now?

Could be both. I had a 4/8 as one of my best shavers fairly early into my shaving career (5-6 months).

I usually like the big blades too but for some mornings where the beard is not too heavy a nice 4/8 speedster works very nice.

Mark,

I totally agree. I think 4/8s have gotten a bad rap when it's really the shave technique that's to blame, not the blade. The 4/8s I've honed have been among the best shavers I've used, and they seem to take an edge easier than the bigger blades.

But don't tell anyone I said that--otherwise I won't be able to get them dirt cheap on eBay anymore...

Josh

P.S. For all you eBayers who are considering 4/8s, I also highly recommend Zeepks. They're far superior to those overrated Double Ducks.

Remember 5/8 was considered the shaving standard for a long time so history has always told us the smaller blades were every bit as effective as the larger ones but many will not listen. In the end its just personal preference. If someone likes an 8/8s and feels they are getting a better shave then all the power to them. Different strokes for different folks eh?

FWIW - I find 4/8 a bit more high-maintenance when stropping. 5/8 and 6/8 just feels easier to strop - for me. This may be entirely personal and may also change with experience / getting accustomed to 4/8

Cheers
Ivo

I have only honed / shaved with 1 4/8 hollow, and that was gawker's.
I couldn't shave at all with it. So either my honing skills sucked when applied to that blade, or my technique is lacking.

I suspect that the fact that the blade was warped has also something to do with it.
My guess is that honing a warped blade is easier if it is stiff and heavy. Otherwise the blade will flex during honing, and always have a different contact angle or tear up the edge on a microscopic level.

I absolutely love my 4/8...my only complaint is that the hinge is a little looser than I would like.