Recently I had cleaned up 4 razors for people in the local area, 2 for each person. One of the two decided rather quickly that str8 shaving was not for him. Worried that I had not sharpened them enough I took both for a test drive after I got them back. I had sharpened a 6/8 and a 4/8 for this gent. I tried the 6/8 first due to my aversion to smaller blades. It shaved quite well. On I went to the 4/8 this morning.
The one thing I noticed was that I had to pay closer attention to each stroke. However, I also found that I shaved my hard to get corners much easier. Under the nose was an easier shave also. I was pleasantly surprised at the performance of the 4/8 razor. I've sharpened quite a few of them but never performed a complete shave with one until today.
I still prefer the feel of a 6/8 or 7/8 razor in my hand to the smaller razors but I'd have to say that all the horror stories I've heard about smaller razors needing stropped more, or getting dull faster are probably due to technique issues or metal hardness more than the razor being a 3/8 or 4/8 versus a 6/8 or larger.
I decided to put this one in my rotation for a bit. I'm really pleased with how it works. I still have the Robeson from Bill Ellis and the square tipped Clauss as my favorite shavers but I am really pleased with the way the 4/8 performed.
Glen F
