Thread: Why recommend 5/8?

A longer stroke with a larger razor? A stroke is a stroke no matter the size of the razor. If you do say a single 5 inch stroke with a 5/8s less of the razor consumes the stroke. With a large razor the razor itself takes up more of the stroke so you really get a longer stroke with a narrower razor. Unless of course you shave like in the movies where they keep the razor at a 90 degree angle.

This becomes more critical in tight areas or where where the spine of the razor might be against parts of your face.

May have described it badly. In simple terms it is more comfortable for me to shave with my 17/16 Wade and Butcher than it is for me to shave with either of my 5/8 dovo. All 3 honed the same, from 5k naniwa to 20k suehiro.

I might also add that dexterity is 2nd nature to me? I'm a machinist and fabricator by career, so hand eye coordination is everyday practice.

Regardless, it doesn't make sense to me how the larger blade feels more pleasing and in my opinion makes easier work of whiskers than simply calling it preference

I prefer 6/8 or 7/8 more for the feel, balance and weight more then the width of the blade.

Originally Posted by JohnnyK1988

Was just curious, I can see how a smaller blade is easier to maneuver but I also feel the weight and size of say 7/8+ gives a longer, smooth single stroke. Makes a shave so easy. And stropping in particular is much easier to me with a wide blade. May just be me and how I learned I guess.

I guess in the beginning that is so for the longer stroke but I can go from my sideburn, minimal as it is, to my jawline in one stroke with a 5/8 razor. A good lather and a sharp smooth blade goes a long way to doing that regardless of razor size.

Normally I clean the lather on the blade off on a sponge about 3 times in a complete one pass with a 5/8 blade. The same with any other larger sized blade.

The size blade you use is just about personal preference and not much else. We do use all kinds of ways to justify that preference though.

Bob

My hand eye coordination is vastly superior to my muscular strength so my "preferred" razor is a little 45mm kamisori I nicknamed "The Eyebrow Razor".
Anything over 6/8" feels like an axe to me. You can keep those

Yep, it's 5/8s and 6/8s for me. Those big meat choppers were made when that's all they knew how to make. A nice small maneuverable razor is the ticket.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Yep, it's 5/8s and 6/8s for me. Those big meat choppers were made when that's all they knew how to make. A nice small maneuverable razor is the ticket.

That is my standard range too, even if I do own a few smaller and larger razors.

In a nutshell; I always recommend a ⅝ to a beginner, as this size nicely combines maneuverability around corners with good handling on the flatter regions of the face.

Shaving with a straight around corners is probably the most difficult part to learn, and once a novice is proficient here, it may be time to step up one size.

Never saw much need for bigger blades; the larger they get the more unwieldy they become and just because I can shave with a 8/8 or bigger does not mean that I have to.

At the end of the day, a razor is a tool and I choose the one that works best for me.


B.

Originally Posted by JohnnyK1988

I'm very curious on this subject. I may have more hand eye coordination than most, having shaved maybe 50 times with a straight now but as stated before my first razor was a DD 15/16. I've tried 6/8, even 5/8. As a matter of fact, as far as my experience has went, the smaller the blade the more often you are whittling whiskers and washing your blade. I'm addicted to my 17/16 Wade and Butcher and am very excited to move up to 9/8 and even 10/8. If anyone has noticed I'm also in search of an 11/8 custom. Is it just preference, or is there a real reason for recommending that people start off tiny other than margin of error? Hope I don't step on any toes here. This is not meant to be little anyone that prefers the smaller blades, just satisfying curiosity.

Judging razors by width is an over-simplification.
It is like judging pizza only by whether there is pepperoni or not.
There are many factors that go in to making a razor productive/pleasurable to use - or not: grind, steel/heat treating, tang dimensions/jimping, etc.

That said, there is a trade-off with narrower blades being easier to maneuver and larger blades being easier to get the blade angle.

I am a custom maker.
I usually forge to 8/8.
Can forge to 10/8, but don't have that much energy.

I like 5/8 best. It's kind of like Goldilocks and her preference for everything that was Mama Bear's. Not too big, not too small - just right!

I started out with a 5/8 round point which is the advice I received from most everyone. I like that size but I find the 6/8 size better for me and wish I had started there. I also figured out that I prefer a Spanish or French point over the round. I have one 8/8, which may be a bit large for my liking but the jury is still out. Looking forward to receiving a 7/8 custom which I have on order.