So today was the day. I finally honed up my personally restored 8/8 quarter hollow W&B with purpleheart scales (my avatar) a few days ago and got a chance to use it today. Surprisingly for such an old blade, the bevel was tiny! It looked like it may have only been honed once or never before my restoration. I have not used any blade close to an inch before this so I was definitely looking forward to the experience.
I can now see why guys like to use these.
The shave was fast, smooth, easy, comfortable and everything that I could have hoped for. The weight definitely makes you use a delicate touch but at the same time just takes hairs away with ease. I never use the term BBS, but this was pretty close with just one pass (no time for two). It is now my top shaver. It was surprising to say the least when I lifted the blade to my cheek for the first pass and needed to pause and readjust so I could see what I was doing in the mirror! That will take some getting used to, but man was it worth it! :y