Thread: The bigger the razor the smoother the shave?

You were just testing us, right? Seeing if we're paying attention.

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

You were just testing us, right? Seeing if we're paying attention.

Yeah yeah...that's it...thats the ticket!!

It could also be that the larger blade is giving you a better visual indicator as to the angle of the blade.

I am relatively new to the straight world so I have been picking up different blade types/sizes to see what I like best. The larger blade is easier to see the angle but I have gotten equally good, and possibly better shave from a tiny little hand made wedge (there you go happy now) as the larger hollow ground.

Originally Posted by fiddler

So, my 5/8 W&B Special or my 5/8 Henckels should shave just as well as the 6/8 Henckels when they are in the proper condition?

yes, and no...
It's a double edged sword....
I'm personally in the school of thought that bigger is better, not because the larger blade is sharper.

It's simple Newtonian physics, a heavier (not bigger) blade wants to stay in motion, and takes more to stop. I have a barbed wire beard, smaller blades (3/8, 4/8) even when sharpened scary sharp on 1/4 micron diamond paste tend to want to stop when they hit the thicker hair on my chin... it cuts, but there is this tiny hesitation (not pulling) that I can feel.
My larger (7/8, 8/8) blades just seem to glide through these thicker hairs with less difficulty. It's also easier to see my angle, and they're more comfortable for me to hold (ergonomics)

When I shave with a smaller blade I have to adjust my technique to compensate for the different feel of the shave.

The reality of it, IMHO is that different blades (sizes, brands, grinds, steel types, etc...) have different personalities.
as you try more razors you will find certain blades that complement your shaving technique, and fit your hand or face better than others. A Zen blade if you will. When you find one of those blades, or it finds you... you will judge all blades by that standard.

You have 2 really good brands. W&B, and Henckels are my favorite vintage razors I wouldn't be surprised if those razors seriously outperformed a 7/8 or 8/8 of a different brand.
A 8/8 Zeepk is still a glorified letter opener.
When it comes down to it, size is only a small part of the equation.

My Zen razor is the 8/8 Henckels high carbon blade pictured below (left)...

the next best shaver I've come across was a 7/8 W&B frameback which went to a member of this forum, and I hope it shaves as well for him as it did for me.

I have razors from 3/8 to 15/16. I use them all different razors at different times. Didn't shave all weekend - out comes the big boys. Shaved yesterday light stubble 3/8 or 4/8. I like to shift them around. I think a good blade will do the job what ever the size.

This is what I was trying to say:

smaller blades (3/8, 4/8) even when sharpened scary sharp on 1/4 micron diamond paste tend to want to stop when they hit the thicker hair on my chin... it cuts, but there is this tiny hesitation (not pulling) that I can feel.
My larger (7/8, 8/8) blades just seem to glide through these thicker hairs with less difficulty.
--Mike_Ratliff

The 5/8 blades seem to hesitate just a bit on my chin and moustache area on the ATG pass. They don't on the WTG or the XTG pass. The sharper they are the less they do this, but still, there is a little more "pushing" involved with the 5/8 than with the 6/8.

I find that my Wapienica is dramatically easier to use than my Dovo 5/8. There's less resistance from the whiskers, and I'm trying to figure out if it's because of the stiffer grind, since the Wapi is closer to a wedge than the hollow-ground Dovo, or if it's the extra mass of the thicker blade, or something else that hasn't occurred to me.

The Wapi is a rescaled version I picked up from one of the guys here after using the Dovo for a few weeks. I was amazed at the difference between the two, and I'm not sure I would have stuck with straight razors if the Dovo was all I had. Shaving with the Wapi is that much easier.