Wedge guys enlighten me....

I've got a number of old wedges....all shave ready as examined through 60x magnification. Regardless, I can never get a comfortable shave out of any of them no matter what I do. Sure, it's close, but never comfortable. If I pick up just about any hollow grind, it's a completely different story. I know how to shave, it's always a problem with these wedges. The only thing that I can think of that makes them uncomfortable is that since I can't hear the sound of the razor, I end up pushing harder on them...or do some faces just not like them?

Hey, I dont think I could be of any help to you, its just I have couple of wedge razors i just purchased and now I'm thinking that it was a bad move on my side. Will be looking forward to some positive replies.

Gregory

I know the pressure issue first hand :p I did the same thing. Another issue popping up from the sound i that you may come in at a steaper angle, to hear it cut.

I get the best result with the blade almost flat across the skin, it taks a bit of practice keeping it from glueing it self to your face :p I find I like the heavy blades more than the light ones... And while I don't think I have a singing razor I'm pretty sure I don't want one that flexible :) I have a few that wiggle enough thankyou...

Wedges need some more work before shave ready. I had similar problems with my W&B, so i just kept on honing little further. Once i had it done it has been a very good shaver.

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Originally Posted by Sailor

Wedges need some more work before shave ready. I had similar problems with my W&B, so i just kept on honing little further. Once i had it done it has been a very good shaver.

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Right on ! Have quite a few wedges and most of them needed a lot of metal removed to set the bevel! For me , shaving with more angle with the wedges works better. Some of my best shavers!

Ronnie

I also find that the stiffer, heavier grinds require a much more delicate touch. Some of the wedges I have will put too much pressure into the shave if I let the weight of the blade do the work. I actually have to "lighten" them up by holding them back somewhat.

-Rob

For me, the heavier grinds are just less forgiving. I don't have a true wedge in my rotation, but still, once I get near 1/4 or near wedge I need to really lighten the pressure and shallow up the angle (as Rob said). I think there's a little flex in the edge of the hollow razors and that's the difference. But that's just a guess. :shrug:

Assuming that your wedge is truly shave ready I'd say it could also be a stropping issue. I've had similar problems with wedge blades, so I experimented with my stropping techniques and it seemed to help greatly.

What I do is increase the number of laps on linen for sure, but usually leather as well. If it's a blade with a smile, which a lot of the old wedges are, try stropping with a bit of slack.

Try this before hitting the hones again.

In my experience:
I have tried Wedges (1/4 Hollow -Full), I have honed and shaved 1000;s of them, I have had just as many people tell me those same razors shaved great, smooth as silk..
But for me personally they just don't agree with my face, yes I can get a great shave with them, yes they plow right through the beard, some are even exceptional shavers, but I still prefer, and own, all hollows... Doesn't mean anything is wrong with wedges, or even that I think hollows are better...

It just means that out of all the choices that are available, I happen to choose Hollows as mine... they just feel better to my face :)

Glen brings up a good point, one that the OP eluded to: maybe a wedge just isn't for your face/skin type. I only have one now, and although it is a good shaver it isn't my favorite by any means. But it will still always be a part of my rotation. YMMV....

Other than sometimes feeling blade flex on some ultra full hollows I don't find one different from the other. I shave with both and like them equally well for the actual shave. When it comes to the 'cool' factor the old Sheffields have it for me. There is something about shaving with a razor that I honed that is 150 years or more old. I sometimes wonder what stories it could tell. :)

Alright, so here's the update for you guys.

I broke my 24 hour shave rule and shaved this morning after a mere 16 hours. I decided on following everyone's direction and gave a 6/8 smiley W&B some extra linen love. I went for extra low by dropping the blade right on the face and then lifting it up until I could feel the bevel leave my face...maybe 5 degrees. It actually went pretty well! No irritation or burn today...REALLY NICE!

I know what you mean. I find that they require a little more of a delicate touch because theres no flex to the blade.

I also found that they take a little more honing to get right. Hollow grounds seem to take an edge that little bit easier in my experience.

Hmm, on my face a full hollow will be less forgiving than a full wedge. Full hollows take more finesse IMHO.

In fact, when I get lazy with the shave prep and chew my neck up (my most sensitive area), I take a "break" with a wedge and let my razor burn fade away.

Different grinds for different folks, eh? :)

A really well honed and very good quality wedge or other heavy grind is a superb shaver and holds an edge extremely well. I've been honing steel for decades and it still took me some time to get the hang of setting a bevel and properly honing a wedge. The tendency it to quit with the coarser grits before you get a completely clean, new bevel. So you need to lean on it a bit more than you have to with really thin, flexible blades. And that's OK because you CAN lean on a wedge pretty heavily while honing because of the very stiff blade. I think they're actually easier to hone than very thin hollow ground blades once you get the hang of it. They're much more forgiving of pressure variations.

What I think happens with people new to wedges is that they get one used that isn't well honed or even with an edge that needs a full geometry restoration. They'll hone it until some part of it is sharp enough to cut hair and move on to the finer hones, leaving parts of the blade not nearly sharp enough to be a good shaver and it's hopeless to try to use a finishing hone to complete the bevel. So part of the blade will shave OK and part won't shave well at all and pull. It will shave... but it won't be comfortable.

When they're just right, they're awesome and can provide one of the smoothest, most comfortable shaves imaginable. I prefer them to full hollows. You just have to get one that's got good steel and a really good edge and you'll understand then. It took me awhile to "get it".

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Originally Posted by PapaBull

What I think happens with people new to wedges is that they get one used that isn't well honed or even with an edge that needs a full geometry restoration. They'll hone it until some part of it is sharp enough to cut hair and move on to the finer hones, leaving parts of the blade not nearly sharp enough to be a good shaver and it's hopeless to try to use a finishing hone to complete the bevel. So part of the blade will shave OK and part won't shave well at all and pull. It will shave... but it won't be comfortable.

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I've been guilty of this. It took me quite a while to figure out how wedges like to be honed. The inherent problem with honing a wedge is that I've never had one sit completely level on a hone...ever. I've developed the belief that if you're going to hone one, you need to do the HHT test on four locations on the blade; toe, heel, and about 1/3 of the way in on either side...only then can you move on to the tree top test, and finally the shave test.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Other than sometimes feeling blade flex on some ultra full hollows I don't find one different from the other. I shave with both and like them equally well for the actual shave. When it comes to the 'cool' factor the old Sheffields have it for me. There is something about shaving with a razor that I honed that is 150 years or more old. I sometimes wonder what stories it could tell. :)

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They would probably cry and say "oh what ugly mugs I've kissed"

I've found the heavier razor and minimal hollows of course have less feel but they shave just as good as any other razor. Like has been said you need to make sure they are shave ready and your technique needs some adjustment if you're used to full hollows. I find I have to compensate with the heavier blade and make sure I really reduce the pressure. As far as angle goes I use a tad steeper.

I've found the opposite, guess i have a very light touch with the razor so it seems that the full hollows ping and skip on my face. I prefer the heavier grinds and just let the blade do the walking instead any pressure from the hand.
RED96TA: if you would like to swap some pics via PM let me know and maybe we can swap off or make some kind of deals. :deal:

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

As far as angle goes I use a tad steeper.

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I find this works really well for me as well with my wedge, although none of my razors respond well to a shallow angle for the initial WTG pass; I know many members say they shave right off the bat with the edge nearly flat to the face.

Oh well, different strokes and all that.

Just had my first shave with a full wedge yesterday. Really liked the overall feel.

It seems I have some pretty tough whiskers -- not an exceptionally thick beard, but each hair is tough and wiry. Seemed like the heavier blade made easier work than a full-hollow grind.

~ ryan