Anyone else NOT a fan of big wedge razors?

[Chaloney]

Put it aside and revisit it in 6 months. I felt the same way you did, but now I find them increasingly enjoyable.

They are NEVER fun to hone though.

Thanks. Probably a good idea, although I don't know I'd I have the patience to wait THAT long, a month or two break if one one more session on the coti doesn't help I can do.

 

[ACorazza]

Try unicot, its what I usually start with on wedges and it almost always works for me.

 

[tomjr]

i do not like their shaves but do not mind honing one. i have sold all mine but one i think. it is the only one i liked shaving with it is German. It delivers. my only prerequisite.

 

[KindestCutofAll]

The bevel may not have been completely set on the wedge. There is ALOT more material to remove to get the bevel set correctly. If that stage was not done correctly, your shaves will definitely feel like caa-caa.

Go back to the bevel setting stage and wail on that thing.

Big Sheffield wedges can be among the smoothest shaving razors out there.

I agree with Seraphim.

When you restore or rehone a beefy Full or Near Wedge it's a lot of work to set the wedge. The advantage is is that once set, if it's well cared for it holds an excellent edge. That being said they do have a very different feel when shaving.

What you're describing sounds like you need to take it back to the stones.

Good luck!

 

[Kentos]

I assume you mean when honing? Ill give it another go on the hones I guess but if that doesn't do it, it'll be on the b/s/t before too long and you wedge lovers will have one less person bidding against you.

Yup. If you are a real glutton for punishment you can run the edge on glass to guarantee that you have honed an edge into it. Often there is so much material to remove on the intial bevel set on a wedge that many move on before truly getting to virgin steel. You can also add a layer of tape to lessen the amount of steel needed to remove, but you will need to always use tape after that.

In the end a wedge should be just as sharp as anything else. In my case they are sharper since I am not the best at honing the delicate flexy full hollows. YMMV as always

 

[Gamma]

Love wedges.
Don't mind honing them either.
Never found them to be terribly difficult.

That's one reason why low-grit stones were invented.

 

[Chaloney]

Yup. If you are a real glutton for punishment you can run the edge on glass to guarantee that you have honed an edge into it. Often there is so much material to remove on the intial bevel set on a wedge that many move on before truly getting to virgin steel. You can also add a layer of tape to lessen the amount of steel needed to remove, but you will need to always use tape after that.

In the end a wedge should be just as sharp as anything else. In my case they are sharper since I am not the best at honing the delicate flexy full hollows. YMMV as always

I guess that's the point of my original post--I think it is as sharp as my other razors. I think the combination of the weight and the lack of feedback is causing me to use more pressure when I shave, leading to more irritation. Today's third pass I finally realized this and tried to lighten the pressure, but didn't really get much shaved. I switched to my dovo, which I had honed the same--same slurry, diluting based in the same feedback (don't count laps), and got a great third pass. I've gotten close shaves with this razor but not as comfortable as I do with others and I really realized that there was a big unconscious difference in my technique when I used both razors back to back, which I have not done before.

Ill give it another round on the stones, and I do plan on glassing the edge first. if that doesn't do it ill put it away for a couple months as oakeshott suggested, and try it again before I decide to stick to hollow ground razors.

 

[goatee]

The bevel may not have been completely set on the wedge. There is ALOT more material to remove to get the bevel set correctly. If that stage was not done correctly, your shaves will definitely feel like caa-caa.

Go back to the bevel setting stage and wail on that thing.

Big Sheffield wedges can be among the smoothest shaving razors out there.

agreed totally. i have a big ole wedge wade and butcher in my 7 day set. its my saterday blade. (my set is random and all pieced together) yellow scales are the only common link. it's in my pics here.

Try experimenting with more pressure.

this is too funny!!!

 

[Thomas Martin]

Full hollows are much more fragile. I once have dropped a Dovo in my sink and the blade was cracked all the way up to the spine. I had to toss it. Now I'm always a little queasy when I take up my Filly. Not so with one of my stiffer grinds.

 

[Kentos]

I guess that's the point of my original post--I think it is as sharp as my other razors. I think the combination of the weight and the lack of feedback is causing me to use more pressure when I shave, leading to more irritation. Today's third pass I finally realized this and tried to lighten the pressure, but didn't really get much shaved. I switched to my dovo, which I had honed the same--same slurry, diluting based in the same feedback (don't count laps), and got a great third pass. I've gotten close shaves with this razor but not as comfortable as I do with others and I really realized that there was a big unconscious difference in my technique when I used both razors back to back, which I have not done before.

Ill give it another round on the stones, and I do plan on glassing the edge first. if that doesn't do it ill put it away for a couple months as oakeshott suggested, and try it again before I decide to stick to hollow ground razors.

Ah, I must have missed that. I would still hold on to it, since you never know where you tastes will be 6 months from now

 

[jrp316]

I'm not a big fan of big wedge blades personally. I sold the only two I had quite a while back along with my old quarter hollow. I've found that anything thicker than half hollow tends to be a bit sketchy for me. I tend to like the plain vanilla 5/8-6/8 full hollow for my daily shavers.

 

[Thomas Martin]

Just had a nice shave with my W&B celebrated. Although it's labelled as a hollow ground it's really a 1/4 hollow or near wedge. That's an awesome shaver. I also get very nice shaves from my 1/4 hollow Hart, TI and Zowada. You might want to try a 1/4 ground razor. It's a nice compromise between a full hollow and a full wedge. They give you some feedback with added stability compared to a full hollow.

 

[Dave_D]

Wedges are neat, I'm just not stoked about the amount of honing and stropping that some can require. The full hollows ended up being more practical and smoother for me.

 

[Bayamontate]

IMO, nothing shaves more efficiently than a properly honed wedge razor. The operative term here is "properly honed."

 

[Chaloney]

Tried it again today, very careful about pressure. Got a marginal shave, not as close as I like, but it was comfortable. Have some film coming tomorrow. Once I am comfortable with the edges I get from the film on some other razors, I will give this one a go on the film and report back. The weight and lack of feedback are definitely part of my problem--the razor just feels too different/awkward compared to my others. I'm eager to see if I can get a better edge, and if it will help. Thanks for all the tips

 

[weizemanner]

I Love quarter and half hollows. I have one big dang-near wedge razor and I can't get a great shave off of it. I think every collection should have at least 1 wedge so I'll keep it around but probably won't buy another one.

 

[tomjr]

I'm not a big fan of big wedge blades personally. I sold the only two I had quite a while back along with my old quarter hollow. I've found that anything thicker than half hollow tends to be a bit sketchy for me. I tend to like the plain vanilla 5/8-6/8 full hollow for my daily shavers.

me and you see things quite alike.

 

[Gustav]

I have one and I am not especially fond of it. Although it has been honed by a pro it always seems to give rough shaves.

 

[Gamma]

Then it wasn't honed correctly.

 

[oakeshott]

Then it wasn't honed correctly.

I love the way Gamma tiptoes around the hard truth.

I actually wrote a longish response saying the same thing, but then deleted it. After all, maybe your best friend honed it, but Gamma is right. In fact, every time I've rehoned a razor for myself or someone else that had been "professionally " honed, it's been a wedge. I think some people just quit too early on wedges. Just this weekend I had one sent to me and looking at it through the loupe, it was clear that over 75% of the scratches from the bevel setter were still there.

Find someone who can rehone it for you.