Thread: Shaving with wedges?

I have a few olde wedges, but only one of them is really ready to shave with. I've shaved a couple times with my Wade & Butcher wedge though, and I have to say it really feels different then shaving with a hollow grind! One thing I've found is that when using a shallow blade angle, I can sometimes get 'suction' between the side of the blade and my skin. Has anyone else experienced this?

I have felt that as well, on a few occasions. I always stop and relather should that happen, and make sure the lather is sufficiently moist. To me, "suction" pretty much is the opposite of "glide"

Although I have only been using straight razors for four months, I do find a difference in the feeling of wedges versus hollow grounds. The wedges consistently seem smoother on my face. That said, after 100 shaves, I find that I can get a DFS from any of my razors.

I am just now developing some preferences: (1) I like 6/8 razors best, (2) I especially like quarter to half hollow razors, and (3) that said, I enjoy having a variety of brands, sizes, and grinds just for the fun of trying different approaches.

A 6/8 Thiers-Issard Le Grelot is my very best razor (half hollow).
A 6/8 Wade and Butcher is my best wedge and (along with a 5/8 Geo. Wostenholm "Original Pipe Razor) a really smooth shaver.

I have a Sede and Butcher that sucks to my face on a shallow angle. Sure does take away from the glide.

Wedges generally just plow through the whiskers with no feedback and they have the wight behind them too and yes they do feel very different. The suction is common because you have this straight side of metal against your face which in a hollow grind is more contoured and the thinner grinds flex which a wedge doesn't do. Many like that suction feeling giving them the feeling the blade is really hugging the face.

Yes, suction does seem to be common with wedge razors. I do find with mine, especially due to it's size (15/16 at it's widest), that I open up the angle a bit which is really closer to that 30 degree mark than when it's flat to my face. It doesn't seem to like a shallow angle anyway, so suction is never really a problem.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Yes, suction does seem to be common with wedge razors. I do find with mine, especially due to it's size (15/16 at it's widest), that I open up the angle a bit which is really closer to that 30 degree mark than when it's flat to my face. It doesn't seem to like a shallow angle anyway, so suction is never really a problem.

Same here. I also must say that in the beggining I preffer hollow ground razors but now (after 4 years shaving just with straight razor) I preffer just wedge or near wedge razors.