Thread: How do you hold your razor

Okay well it's a little late to ask this but how do you hold your razor? This may seem stupid but I see the jimps on a razor, and the thumb notch and they seem pointless to me. I have several razors in both of these styles but cannot seem to hold the razor comfortably holding the top and bottom of the tang with my middle finger on the tail. I don't seem able to hold the razor at a shavable angle if I hold it this way. Instead I hold the razor pinched between my thumb and forefinger on the sides of the tang (where the stamp is) with the scales sticking out between my middle and ring finger. It's too late to change now and it seems to work for me but I'm wondering if I'm the only one that holds the razor like this or any non traditional way. Am I a heretic? Should I be locked up and hidden from the world as a freak or is this okay?

Who cares how you hold the razor? As long as it works for you, that's OK.

I'm with Flyman in that if it works for you, it's fine...

... but I do think you are holding your razor differently than many of us. Different strokes for different folks, though!

I had a similar question when I first started with a straight, but some areas of my face just didn't work with how I've seen folks shave in videos. At the time, I figured I was doing it all wrong, and tried to conform to how I've seen others shave. That's when I realized that I was created a lot of difficulty for myself.

So, I decided to hold the razor in whatever way was necessary to get to the whiskers. I'm sure I hold mine in several "unconvential" ways, but if that's what it takes to shave, then that's what it takes. (I'm still experimenting with the way I hold the razor, too).

Do what works for you, and forget about what other people do. There's no "right way"--there's only the way that works best for you.

I was actually thinking about this earlier today, and I shave with everything from 4/8 hollows, to larger wedges. Each razor has it's own personality, and everytime I shave as I go through my rotation, I learn something new from each razor, and I hold them all differently. I then try to apply what I've learned from one razor to my other razors (which are significantly different in style).

It's been a most interesting and fun journey!

Kent

With just the tips of index and middle fingers on top of the tang, ring finger on the tail, thumb tip underneath the tang as a standard seems to work for me. I still experiment a little though.


Mick

thehekler,

As long as the hold is comfortable, not strained, nor applies too much pressure, than do whatever you are happy with

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I think that when you start holding the razor in a way that enables you to shave easily and well, rather than the way you think it should be held, is when you really get the hang of it.
The sharp edge needs to be against your face rather than vice-versa, other than that is up to you.

I'm with the rest of they guys. Find a grip that works for you and exploit the heck out of it.

Personally I have 3 different grips I use throughout the shave.

Thanks guys that basically what I figured. I haven't tried switching because I know I'd only screw myself up I was just wondering if there was a reason for the standard grip.

I think we all hold our razors slightly differently, but it doesn't really matter. Sometimes I think that exotic thumbnotches, elaborate jimps, etc were designed more for barbers, as opposed to self-shavers, but have since stuck around for aesthetics and tradition.