Thread: Trouble with a TI

Last Christmas I bought a beautiful new TI Guillochage and even though I have had it honed properly it still seems to give me a rough shave, when I say rough I mean that the first pass is sort of Tuggy. I have a few razors but mostly use a pair of Joseph Rodgers 11/16 and a Mastro Livi regrind all sharpened by the same honer which all give smoother shaves. My question is, does the grind affect the smoothness of the first pass, would I be better with a less ground more wedge like blade. I have a coarse beard and suspect the 'singing blade' may be the cause. Can anybody shed some light on the different grinds and their effects on shaving. Many thanks.

PM Hoglahoo on this one if he doesn't respond. He did a grind experiment that may be on going.

IM (humble) O the full hollow grinds take a lot more paying attention too when it comes to technique. They are less stiff and skip around on my face if I am being lazy. I have a bonsa 5/8 full hollow that gives me great comfortable shaves but is harder to control on my face.

Hope this helps!

Not that familiar with the problem myself, but from what I've heard on other posts, the wedges do seem to do better with the coarser beards. More than likely because there is more metal behind the edge keeping the blade stiffer.

I have numerous razors of different grinds including TI's and Grelot's as well as a dense beard. My expereince is that tugging comes when the edge is not sharp enough. Doing your own honing is one way to solve your problem. Honignthe edge until its right for your beard is the best answer.

I sold my full hollow Friodurs as the way they shaved did not agree with my face/whisker/skin combo. They would give me a nice, close shave. But they felt a bit harsh while doing so.

I now like razors with a bit more beef to them.

My theory is that the flexible full hollow edge can be deflected by oncoming beefy whiskers downwards into your skin, thus leading to a not so pleasant feeling shave.

As an example, here is a pic I posted about the flexibility of a Wapi edge (OK, not a full hollow, but shows a good example of edge deformation):


I was only using very light pressure in that pic, and the edge flexed right back into original shape as soon as the pressure was released.

Guys with lighter whiskers may never experience this phenomenon, and for them perhaps one razor grind may be as good as another.

Or perhaps I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Aha, now I think I understand the grind thing, the more the grind so to speak, the less stiff the edge. I have a pair of Joseph Rodgers 11/16 with not to much grind which feel 'stiffer' and give a more comfortable first pass - now this makes sense. Many thanks to those who replied.

As you go from grind to grind the feel of the razor does change however as long as the razor is shave ready I don't care what kind of beard you have you should be getting a close and comfortable shave no matter the grind. if you don't you need to do more honing. remember that most barbers (many years ago) used hollow grinds and they had to shave everyone who walked into their shop. If the big razor guys were right and you can't get a comfortable shave from a 5/8s hollow grind if you have a tough beard how did the barbers of yesteryears do it?

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

As you go from grind to grind the feel of the razor does change however as long as the razor is shave ready I don't care what kind of beard you have you should be getting a close and comfortable shave no matter the grind. if you don't you need to do more honing. remember that most barbers (many years ago) used hollow grinds and they had to shave everyone who walked into their shop. If the big razor guys were right and you can't get a comfortable shave from a 5/8s hollow grind if you have a tough beard how did the barbers of yesteryears do it?

So true.

If you prep right, use a good soap, hone and strop right any decent razor will comfortably shave any beard.

Some steels and their heat treatment may result in smoother shaving razors than others but that is not related to the grind.

The weight of the razor can also make a difference in the feeling of the shave... A heavier razor carries more momentum.
However if the razor sems to be pulling, it might not be as sharp as you are accustomed to.
Honestly pretty much everyone here will judge shave ready differently.
What is right for me may be too sharp for someone else, and not sharp enough for you.
My suggestion would be lots of stropping. start on either linen or newspaper, and see if you can refine the edge a bit.
100+ passes on black news print can work wonders...

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

As you go from grind to grind the feel of the razor does change however as long as the razor is shave ready I don't care what kind of beard you have you should be getting a close and comfortable shave no matter the grind. if you don't you need to do more honing. remember that most barbers (many years ago) used hollow grinds and they had to shave everyone who walked into their shop. If the big razor guys were right and you can't get a comfortable shave from a 5/8s hollow grind if you have a tough beard how did the barbers of yesteryears do it?

Who says the guy from yesteryear had a comfortable shave when he went to the barbers? Did you read that Mark Twain short story that was posted a while back? That is pretty close to an actual SOTD account from back in the day, not just wistful thinking that barbers were some kind of shaving shamen who could do no wrong and possesed omniscient knowledge of all things sharp & shiny. Barbers are average Joes who cut hair and whiskers for a living, some are quite talented, others not so much. Just like any of us.

Perhaps if that was his only point of reference, he may have just accepted that that is what a straight razor shave felt like.

And from what I see on Ebay, most of the older razors that say "for barbers use" are pretty damn beefy.

The razors may have then evolved into full hollows, but does that make them better? After the full hollow came the sfaety razor, then the disposable, the electric, the Mach 1, 2, 3, 4, 5....

Is that progession really progress?

As I said, my full hollows gave a close, effective shave, but I didn't care for the feel of them on my face during the shave itself. The people I sold them to reported that they shaved them quite well.

Perhaps it was just the way the Friodurs shaved me? Perhaps I should try a different brand full hollow?

Hmmmm....I'll keep my eyes peeled on the B/S/T for the TI Gulliage(sp?) the Barbelus will no doubt be unloading for pennies on the dollar...