Thread: Torrey Shave Manual

Hogwash. Like all the other advice you see that came with razors in the past and even now. Ever look at what comes with present day TIs?

I can't agree with their reasoning for the hollow blade. Hollow so it lies flat on the face? What? Pretty sure you can get the same blade to face angles with any grind.

Given the flawed premise, if their conclusion is accurate it is no more than luck on their part, as their causal relationship is completely absent. And if the argument for the hollow blade is that bad, I can't imagine what their (not provided) argument for the heavy grind might be.

I agree with #2 as a practical matter but considering I have only three fingers on my right hand mostly use 13/16+ sized razors I would disagree with #1 but this is all subjective of course.

I agree with #1...

A couple years ago, one of my straight razors had a very deep chip. For grins, I actually ground the chip out with my bench grinder (that I use for cutting pipe and angle iron and such.) That left the spine too wide for a good bevel angle. So, I ground that down somewhat as well. Pretty brute force, killing flies with shotguns, type action!

After honing, I ended up with a 7/16 blade with a 6/8 size handle. And, I loved it! My conclusion was that the size of the handle was more important to me than the width of the blade.

On the other hand, a light, wiry beard and tender skin require a thin-ground blade, which will lie flat on the face.

I agree with this assessment. My beard doesn't grow very fast and it's not super thick when it does. I get my best shaves out of a full-hollow razor.

To be fair, statement #1 isn't really saying that the size of the razor should be in direct proportion to the individual's hand; I read it as a commentary on the manual dexterity of the user (aka the "adaptability"). In any case, I don't see statement #1 as any kind of gospel truth, as I'm sure there are many with smaller hands who enjoy using a 7/8 or 8/8.

As for statement #2, well I'll just save some typing and join the chorus here and agree with the others, for the reasons listed above....

Originally Posted by Ryan82

To be fair, statement #1 isn't really saying that the size of the razor should be in direct proportion to the individual's hand; I read it as a commentary on the manual dexterity of the user (aka the "adaptability"). In any case, I don't see statement #1 as any kind of gospel truth, as I'm sure there are many with smaller hands who enjoy using a 7/8 or 8/8.

Early on in my straight razor shaving, RAD beginning, I picked up a 9/8 Robert Williams. It was used but shave ready. I have what I have been told are large hands. I shaved about half of my face with it and cleaned it and put it away. I was just not comfortable maneuvering that big blade around my face. A few months later I picked it up again and began to get used to shaving with it. Now large blades are fine for me while I can enjoy a 5/8 just as well. So you may very well have something there Ryan. That may be what they were referring to.

+1 on handle size. An XL size hand has a harder time w/ a light, thin, short shank. Its just ergos, which I find myself shopping for more than most other attributes. I like particular sizes and grinds, and yet 4 out of 5 of the blades I keep have almost none of these attributes. Either the ergos make up for the deficit or some other attribute outweighs the preference. I hate 4/8" blades. I only have one I've kept, other than for slashing the tops of home made bread. This humble, non-fancy Shumate Tungsteel just shaves like a house a-fire. 'Had a grin on my face through most of the shave. My preference would be a 6/8 spanish or french point w/ a thick spine and shank, but I can't deny that little Shumate just does magic, so I keep it and use it. Every time I use it, I wonder why I don't use it more often.