Straights, Grinds, razors, tips, help :)

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 10:24 AM

Howdy from Houston again.

I am the new owner of a Feather Professional. I have super Professional and Pro Guard Blades. After reading some reviews and hearing it is a "silent shaver", I am feeling the anxiety. However, I think a straight on the weekend would be a nice spa treatment.

After seeing the video below, it got me to thinking.
Should I look into another razor as well. I still consider myself new to wetshaving, having been using a DE for several months and loving ever minute of it. (Thanks to EVERYONE HERE, you have been incredibly helpful).

OK, as the allure of straight is there. Any idea as to what razor is in the video? How do you tell how much "hollow ground" is it? What is preferable?
With DE, I have built up to 4+ passes, with a straight I am hoping this will drop down to 1+ . Am I correct in my assumptions?

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H69_sqKFCA8[/YOUTUBE]

**jnich67** · 08-23-2007, 11:19 AM

I don't think you will get a BBS shave with 1+ pass, but I do get good "workday" shaves that way. You'll probably need at least 2+ passes for BBS.

I wouldn't worry too much about how "hollow" the grind is (I can't see the video here at work). Full hollow is the most common. A wedge has no hollowing and is like a triangle in cross section. 1/4 hollow has some hollowing, 1/2 hollow is thinner still, etc. There is variation in thickness even within each category. You can check the archives and help files at straight razor place and I think classic shaving has a chart on razor grinds as well.

The thicker the grind the stiffer the blade, generally. Its a personal thing. Some say heavier grinds are better for heavier beards. I like thicker grinds for weekends or when I have heavier growth. I do like the feedback I get from the hollow grinds though.

Jordan

**Amyn** · 08-23-2007, 11:39 AM

I can get a BBS shave comprable to a DE with a 2 pass shave WTG and ATG. The razor in the video is an actual str8.

If I had to guess the blade in the video was fully hollow ground probably made by a german manufacturer DOVO I cannot tell for sure, but at this point you need not worry about this too much. Simply work on getting your technique down.

There is a difference between getting a disposable blade str8 Vs and real str8. I personally advice folks to go for the real thing since it is far more satisfying for me.

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 12:14 PM

Hmm a full hollow. I like the feedback. I was curious about that.

**jnich67** · 08-23-2007, 12:20 PM

They're both fun! The first time I used a big heavy wedge it was "whoa! what the heck just happened!". It was like I squeegeed the whiskers right off my face. No pinging or scraping sound at all. But I love my full and half hollows too.

Jordan

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 01:01 PM

how are the dovo singing razors? i heard they are eazy to dull and curve the blade when stropping

**Doc4** · 08-23-2007, 01:04 PM

Good luck with that Feather AC! I'm thinking you'll like it.

I'd definitely give the real straight a try too if you are interested. There are plenty of decent 'shave-ready' straights on the buy/sell forum here and SRP ... and read the threads ... explore the info ...

It's personal preference as to what grind and blade width &c, although I'd stay away from really small blades (3/8, 4/8) for now. Personal preference on tips too, buy IMHO the round tip is better for a n00b as a pointed or square tip can cause unexpected damage in non-expert hands.

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 02:47 PM

of course if anyone wants to donate a hollow ground to the cause, I am game.

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 02:49 PM

what was the strop? how does it compare? the shave just sounds brutal

**Xavier** · 08-23-2007, 03:28 PM

Are you supposed to clean the razor blade with your fingers?? Looks kinda dangerous. Why not run it under hot water?

**Thomas** · 08-23-2007, 03:32 PM

Howdy from a fellow Houstonian.

I have razors of varying degrees of hollow - wedge to extra-hollow. I used to hate the full-hollow razors, but now they are among my favorites, once I improved my technique. In the video he's using a paddle strop, there doesn't seem to be paste on it, but I've started taking 50 passes on my bare strop before shaving. It doesn't take very long, and you can let your lather sink in and soften your beard while you strop.

I can get BBS (or close) in 2 passes plus touch-up. I shortened my strokes considerably (the gent in the video is taking very long strokes) and started varying the angles of attack. The touch-up phase is water mixed with residual soap (no rinse) and gets my face quite smooth. I don't go ATG anymore - no need.

Technique is everything, and of course it takes longer to shave, but I've not touched my DE since around April once I got serious with the straight. For each of the first 30 days I cut myself, sometimes multiple times, sometimes the marks didn't turn up until later in the day, other times I buried the blade and knew immediately I had done wrong. On day 31 - no cuts (I used C&E SAO cream that day and even now I hold it in high esteem - no, actually worshipful reverence... that's another story, but I digress) and since then I've had the occasional nick but nothing I hadn't experienced before.

I have more razors than I can use in a week and there are two (one now) that I'd willingly part with (just don't use it anymore), the rest are all like children to me in that I have no favorites. French, German, Polish, English, US - all have their differences but all great shavers. And, the worst part is I keep looking at more razors despite having as many as I have. Some restoration projects linger, as well.

Yep, I'm hooked. And, despite Mrs. T's objections, I'm not going back. Good luck!

**FloppyShoes** · 08-23-2007, 03:35 PM

The razor in the vid is most likely full hollow. He uses a loom strop.
As for a beginners razor, go for a 5/8 or 6/8 either full or half hollow. These are the cheapest, easiest to find and easiest to get a feel for. The sound in the video is a little off balance, likely due to the microphone on his camcorder. It should not sound that loud from that distance with any grind.

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 05:41 PM

sigh, now the search on ebay begins to find a full hollow looking for a good home. The hollow sounded good but almost sounds brutal though.

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 06:12 PM

how is a loom strop?

**mparker762** · 08-23-2007, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by judge

OK, as the allure of straight is there. Any idea as to what razor is in the video? How do you tell how much "hollow ground" is it? What is preferable?
With DE, I have built up to 4+ passes, with a straight I am hoping this will drop down to 1+ . Am I correct in my assumptions?

Another Houstonian here.

Some guys prefer wedgier razors, some prefer more hollow ground razors. Usually newbies prefer stiffer wedgier razors because their shaving ability degrades more gracefully as the edge dulls. As you get more experience you'll find that both are fine, they're just different.

Really hollow ground razors are paper-thin in the middle - you can see it flex and bend with even the lightest pressure. I love them - they are easy to hone and they give a lot of feedback (both aural and tactile) during the shave.

When I shaved with a DE I needed the usual 3 passes plus touch-up for BBS. With a straight it's 2 passes for BBS. The first pass is with the grain and the second pass is across the grain. If I do a 3rd pass against the grain then I'll be BBS for about 18 hrs (a 3-pass DE shave left me BBS for about 5 hours).

Hollow razors can make a lot of noise when you're shaving, though a lot of this goes away if it's really sharp.

**judge** · 08-23-2007, 06:43 PM

mparker762, have you ever found the MAAS polishing stuff in Houston?

Glad to see another Houstonian. I find this stuff fascinating, just as I have with DE shaving. Any places in town you recommend to check out for straights?

I think Houston needs a lil shave shop myself.

**biomesh** · 08-23-2007, 06:46 PM

You can find MAAS in most, of not all Walmarts in Houston.

**judge** · 08-24-2007, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by Thomas

Howdy from a fellow Houstonian.

I have razors of varying degrees of hollow - wedge to extra-hollow. I used to hate the full-hollow razors, but now they are among my favorites, once I improved my technique. In the video he's using a paddle strop, there doesn't seem to be paste on it, but I've started taking 50 passes on my bare strop before shaving. It doesn't take very long, and you can let your lather sink in and soften your beard while you strop.

I can get BBS (or close) in 2 passes plus touch-up. I shortened my strokes considerably (the gent in the video is taking very long strokes) and started varying the angles of attack. The touch-up phase is water mixed with residual soap (no rinse) and gets my face quite smooth. I don't go ATG anymore - no need.

Technique is everything, and of course it takes longer to shave, but I've not touched my DE since around April once I got serious with the straight. For each of the first 30 days I cut myself, sometimes multiple times, sometimes the marks didn't turn up until later in the day, other times I buried the blade and knew immediately I had done wrong. On day 31 - no cuts (I used C&E SAO cream that day and even now I hold it in high esteem - no, actually worshipful reverence... that's another story, but I digress) and since then I've had the occasional nick but nothing I hadn't experienced before.

I have more razors than I can use in a week and there are two (one now) that I'd willingly part with (just don't use it anymore), the rest are all like children to me in that I have no favorites. French, German, Polish, English, US - all have their differences but all great shavers. And, the worst part is I keep looking at more razors despite having as many as I have. Some restoration projects linger, as well.

Yep, I'm hooked. And, despite Mrs. T's objections, I'm not going back. Good luck!

Any recommendations? I thought the dovo hollow singing one sounded nice but they also recommended: Bergischer Lowe the Bismark and the Dovo Special. I will eventually put one on the Christmas shopping list just dont know which. Of course, I have been looking on ebay.

**mparker762** · 08-24-2007, 06:49 AM

I've never used MAAS - I have a bottle of Flitz that I use for cleaning old razors.

The best place to find old vintage straights locally is at the Houston Gun Collector's Show at the Astrodome; they do it twice a year and a surprising amount of non-gun stuff shows up. Razors have become more prominent since cowboy shooting became popular. But I've gotten most of my vintage razors off of ebay - ebay is easier to search than thousands of separate tables amidst crowds of people.

As for razors, I've got a Bergischer Lowe that is one of my favorite shavers. I'd put it up there with the cult classics like Puma and Dubl Duck. And it's a gorgeous razor to boot. If you just want a shaver and not a looker, then Clauss, Genco, and Robeson all made really excellent razors, and they are common enough that you can frequently find mint examples on ebay for under $50, sometimes as low as $10. One of my best razors is a mint Clauss Barber's Special that I got for $15 shipped.

**Thomas** · 08-24-2007, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by mparker762

The best place to find old vintage straights locally is at the Houston Gun Collector's Show at the Astrodome; they do it twice a year and a surprising amount of non-gun stuff shows up.

I never would have imagined. I haven't been to a gun show in ages. Well, on second thought, maybe I would, given all the knives and sharpening paraphernalia on display last time I was there.