Thread: Grind vs Beard observations

Originally Posted by 1OldGI

I seldom miss a day of shaving so I'm wondering if I let my beard grow for a couple days if the wedge would be better in the rough than it is on the fairway.

Never know till you try, and I'm with ya on honing that WB Wedge haha can be a bugger

I must admit, I have all sorts of razors from 4/8 up to 15/16 and full hollow to wedge and I tend to use them based solely on which one I fancy using that day..! I havent noticed any difference in the performance of the different razors based on my beard growth.

But thats just me! Others will be different of course..!

When I say barbers used certain grinds and sizes that's based on common knowledge and my own observations going to barbers in those years. Also one of the main suppliers to the trade was Duble Duck and when you look at their razor line up how many 7/8s and 8/8s do you see? There are some but not many and most vintage razors are 5/8s and 6/8s hollow grinds. Look at Eboy, what percentage of razors are 6/8s and smaller as compared to 7/8s and larger? Of course if you want absolute proof none exists but its true none the less. Consider most of it circumstantial evidence.Also, our site contains innumerable posts from members who have used all sizes and grinds with equal results on many different beard types. Yes there are many posts from members who insist they can only use one grind or size however my position is if this doesn't seem to apply to many members and to barbers then I still rest my case.

So if a race car driver wins a race in a car and you get into that car do you think you'll win also? It's not just the car it's his ability.

As I said this has nothing to do with preferring one razor over another. It's only about those who think they must use one type to match their beard. But like everything else in the world we make our own decisions based on what we perceive to be true to us.

Hey it's all in fun.

Do you know if barber preference was regional? Meaning that US barbers probably used the hollows but what did they use in, say, England or Japan?

I admit that I'm only going by the few razors I've watched and purchased. Most of the vintage U.S. and German razors I've come across were full hollow, whereas my few (meaning 4) English razors are near wedges. Also worth noting that the English razors I speak of are older.

Any insight as to if barbers in other countries during the '40s and '50s used similar or different grinds? I'm asking out of true interest and not just to be contrary.

In his book "Collecting Straight Razors" Robert Doyle says,"By 1870 the hollow ground blade took over the market. The large wedge blade was losing popularity, and was doomed in 1880 with the invention of machine forging and mechanized grinding."

I've never been out of the USA but at 61 years old I have always had a fascination with straight razors and like TBS I observed barbers with them back in the days when they used them routinely.

Add to that my going from shop to shop looking to buy old razors from barbers in the 1980s when I began to collect them. I don't ever remember seeing a barber with anything but a full hollow and the average size was 5/8.

Like many members here I've got various sizes and grinds and they are all good if they are sharp. I like shaving with all of them for different reasons, history and ambiance for the old wedges and they get the job done. If I was a barber shaving guys all day long I would opt for a full hollow 5 or 6/8 though.

What's confusing to me about this is that the only part of the beard touched by the blade is at the interface of the hair and the skin. Once the hair is long enough to shave, is length beyond that of any consequence?
Obviously it makes a difference with a cartridge razor, but my assumption is that it's the plastic in front of the blade "riding up" on the hair that causes the problem. With nothing in front of the blade of a straight, shouldn't the effective shave be the same, no matter what the length of the hair?

Although I can always get a good shave from the Wedge, I do prefer the hollowgrinds and can easily see why they took over the market from Wedges.

Wedges are still fun especially when my growth is 4+ days and counting.

Pabster

Lol more proof that I fell off the bell curve as a kid

Just because the pro's use one thing over another in a mechanized era doesn't make the other choices invalid. It's easier and cheaper to make the "general 5/8-6/8" on an assembly line, thus bringing down the price. Also if I was going to swing a blade all day (wait I do...) I'd use the lightest blade that would get the job done with less fatigue, so the last shave of the day isn't with fatigued hands!!!

If the cost and availability of the blade was equal across the board you may see a much wider acceptance of different sizes. The industrial boom was not interested in variations to fit the masses, they where/are interested in making a cheap product to undercut competition and maximize profits. So I don't lend much sand to a narrow size range being the acceptance of the majority, more of what producers knocked out cheaply/more economically.

But none of this matters when you are choosing a razor to shave with. Choose one that you like, shave with it and see what you liked about the shave. As time and experience build you will no doubt see others you will like (see RAD) and want to try. It all boils down to finding a style and all that works best for you. The original post is what works for me. I encourage you to test out different blades to see for yourselves what you may or may not like.

Enjoy...

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

Lol more proof that I fell off the bell curve as a kid

Just because the pro's use one thing over another in a mechanized era doesn't make the other choices invalid. It's easier and cheaper to make the "general 5/8-6/8" on an assembly line, thus bringing down the price. Also if I was going to swing a blade all day (wait I do...) I'd use the lightest blade that would get the job done with less fatigue, so the last shave of the day isn't with fatigued hands!!!

If the cost and availability of the blade was equal across the board you may see a much wider acceptance of different sizes. The industrial boom was not interested in variations to fit the masses, they where/are interested in making a cheap product to undercut competition and maximize profits. So I don't lend much sand to a narrow size range being the acceptance of the majority, more of what producers knocked out cheaply/more economically.

But none of this matters when you are choosing a razor to shave with. Choose one that you like, shave with it and see what you liked about the shave. As time and experience build you will no doubt see others you will like (see RAD) and want to try. It all boils down to finding a style and all that works best for you. The original post is what works for me. I encourage you to test out different blades to see for yourselves what you may or may not like.

Enjoy...

Of course there are many reasons barbers used the blades they did. I'm sure size and ease oif use and maint. figured in there however the bottom line is if those blades didn't do the job they would not have used them and in fact when Dubl Duck came out with the Satin Wedge in the 1950s or so they did it because barbers asked them to do it.

As far as other countries go since Germany produced most of the razors worldwide from around 1920s or so onward and most of them were the smaller full hollows I would guess that's what was used on a worldwide basis.