Thread: Quarter Hollow to Near Wedge - No Sound!

Hey guys,

Just had my first shave with a quarter hollow to near-wedge grind.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shave...tml#post393765

I had been so used to the full hollows that I noticed a few things. Let me know if I'm way off base here:

1. Stropping: more of a dull sound than the "whisper" I get from the full hollows. I couldn't even really be sure that I was making contact with the blade by sound alone, so I had to go by feel. The fact that my razor is a little over half an inch wide also contributed to a shorter roll at each end of the stroke.

2. Shave: the full hollow makes a "butter-the-toast" sound. The wedgier blade makes no sound. None. I wasn't even sure I was getting any whiskers off until I saw/felt the results.

3. Pressure: I found that the wedgier blade was more forgiving in terms of pressure. For the spots I have trouble with (between neck and jawline, right side of adam's apple), I could really get in there and hack it out with no consequence. With a full hollow, I'd have weepers all over.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this thread; I suppose these are just my observations. Anyway, thanks to "tadamsde" for shipping the blade out -- I definitely got a great, BBS shave, and I think I may have to add one or two more (perhaps a full) wedge-type blades to my rotation.

Thanks for reading,

Ogie

Good observations. What will make it even more challenging is when you get a wedgie blade that cuts so smooth you don't even feel it. Then you really won't know if it's cutting until you wipe off the blade and see the hairs or draw some blood.

Sound a lot like my first wedge shave. I was all worried I was doing something wrong

Amazing that I too had the same experience this morning with a 1/4 hollow ground Joseph Allen & Sons straight. It was my first shave with anything other than a hollow ground razor. Silence and, as posted above, I didn't know if I was using it correctly. It was my first BBS 2 pass shave; one WTG and another ATG. Can't understand why they went away from this style, if anyone has an idea I'd love to hear it.

Originally Posted by Joed

Good observations. What will make it even more challenging is when you get a wedgie blade that cuts so smooth you don't even feel it. Then you really won't know if it's cutting until you wipe off the blade and see the hairs or draw some blood.

Got one of those...feels like I'm just wiping my face clean, with occasional wounds...

Same way I felt when I tried heavier grinds.
I liked them more at first, but I now find I prefer the sound and feedback of hollow ground razors.

OGIE
YOU are right on track.

Thanks guys, this is the validation I was looking for. The thing is sharp, you just don't know it.

P.S. Did I mention that I'm having fun?

the no feedback, or little feedback, thing is a odd one for me. I think when I shave with hollows I go on sound, and with heavier grinds you're forced to use touch.

Generally I think I prefer hollows, but these things change.

I have the same experience. It reminds me of how I feel when I ride in my wife's Prius with no engine sensation. Great shave, though.
I have to be careful when the next in rotation is a really sharp, thin blade, the most extreme being my Feather. If I use the same pressure with it as with the thick blade, bad things happen to my face.