Thread: Am I just weird?

So I've got 3 real straights. A 5/8 Wade & Butcher, a 7/8 G Wostenholm, and a 4/8 Bengall. My Wade and Butcher is shortened due to a chip in the blade when I bought it but my other two are full length blades.

I get a pretty nice shave from the Wostenholm. It's not as smooth as I'd like, but it's a nice shave. My W&B gives me one of the smoothest nicest shaves I've ever had! My Bengall, misses alot of spots and gives me alot of irritation.

Now I just got both my Wade and Bengall back from being honed so I know they are both plenty sharp enough to get the job done, but it just feels like the smaller stature of the Bengall doesn't like my face. It feels sloppy in my hand and it seems to require alot of pressure to compensate for its light weight.

The other problem I'm having with the Bengall is that it doesn't seem as nimble as that shortened Wade. They are both full hollows. The easiest way I can think to explain this is with a car reference. To me the Wade is like a Ferarri while my Wostenholm is like an old Rolls Royce, and the Bengall just seems to not be in the same category. It seems more like a Corvette. I say that because while in the hands of someone skilled, they may be able to make a Corvette perform in the se league as a Ferarri, but to someone less skilled the differences are extreme. I don't want to take away from the Bengall in any way because it seems like it should be an amazing razor, I'm just not sure it's for me and I'm torn on what to do with it.

I'm hoping someone here can help me with my predicament.

Owning a few 4/8 full hollows that shave as well as my big boys I dunno what to tell you. I some ways I think the 4/8 size demands more attention be paid to angle and weight. It is awful easy to lean on them too much with the idea of it is necessary due to their small size and less weight. Leaning on them too much might be what is giving you the irritation.

Bob

It is all personal preference.
I will never get me a 4/8, too small for my likes.

Well its really weird, I love my Wade & Butcher full hollow, but like I said, that blade has about an inch taken out of the length. I've wondered if maybe I like that one so much and I do better with it because of the shorter blade? But then I think of the Wostenholm and I know that I can get a good shave out of it and it has a full length blade. But then again, it being a quarter hollow big ass razor, its a whole different beast.

Im honestly thinking about maybe getting rid of it. I just dont know that I will ever truly love that razor. And I wonder if I cant get a good shave with it if its even worth keeping.

Nah, Tex. Hang on to it. As you gain experience, they will come to you. In a year or so, you will wonder what you were thinking. I find myself going back and forth in blade preferences, esp from cold to hot weather. Also beard preps, shaving angles, soaps and creams, and stropping routines must be learned for different blades. They are all different!
That's the challenge of it all!

Oh....yes, you probably are weird

Well this is the razor in question. I mean it is beautiful. Wullie told me that the blade has a slight warp to it that he found when he was honing it for me. It kind of aggravated me because I think Larry should have caught that before he charged me $50 for it, but thats water under the bridge. This thing is a beaut and seems to fit in well so far with the rest of my collection.