Why use a heavy razor?

[jrhudgins]

My daily razor is a 38C barberpole, 4-ouncer, which is reliable and steady regardless of how much my hands are shaking that day. (My tremor is variable.)
But I have to say that I really enjoy the experience of using different razors, currently a '53 SS, a Feather Portable and Mühle 89R. I learn something different to improve my shaving from each of them. It keeps me mindful throughout my shaves, rather than getting distracted and complacent, as I have to adjust to the different feel/weight/angles/pressure to use each time.

 

[talibeard]

I find balance to be actually easier with a heavier razor.
Really light handled razors tend to be top heavy, and there's little wiggle room for finding the sweet spot.

Funny, but I find the opposite being true; a little head-heavy makes them a lot easier to control precisely and finding the sweet spot really easy. A heavier razor is less agile because of the extra mass. YMMV

In one word, momentum. It's like driving a 70's Cadilac instead of a new Honda on a bumpy road. The heavy razor feels more steady, it's quieter with less vibration but that's just my experience.

I would like to read this as a 'confirmation' of what I just said; momentum is nice with a flat face and a one grain pattern but makes it more difficult to control the shave IMO.
I found the thick and short heavy handles together with the weight too far away from the head in the HD and the slant rather clumsy and the inertia of these razors made me very unhappy.

I guess we have different 'shaving schools' here.

 

[cfriend]

I prefer heavier, thicker handled razors. My hands shake slightly if I have to squeeze too thin a handle or don't have enough weight in them to counteract this. A New was a bit too thin and light for me, but a Tuckaway works just fine. Even with pretty big hands, the short handle of the Tuckaway works wonderfully.

This. My hands have a slight tremor, and a heavier razor helps counteract this.

 

[alexo]

momentum is nice with a flat face and a one grain pattern but makes it more difficult to control the shave IMO.
I found the thick and short heavy handles together with the weight too far away from the head in the HD and the slant rather clumsy and the inertia of these razors made me very unhappy.

Do you hold the handle tight in your hand? I hold it light so the head can change angle on my face and adjust to curves, kind of like a swivel head on a cartridge razor.

 

[talibeard]

Do you hold the handle tight in your hand? I hold it light so the head can change angle on my face and adjust to curves, kind of like a swivel head on a cartridge razor.

I do hold it light with only 3 or 4 fingertips depending on where and how the specific stroke is going.

I guess it all has to do with personal preference; when I learned DE shaving it was with an Astra TTO; metal head and hollow plastic handle. I used it for about 15 years before I found out there were still quality razors being made so my technique is pretty much based on a lighter DE with a relative heavy head.
My top 3 of today consists of razors with the same kind of set-up; Mühle R-41 and R-89 (new series) and the humble Lord LP1822 (new; merkur classic type head) which are all giving me, depending on the blade, a DFS in 2/3 passes. For me the heavier 2-piece merkurs just need too much time to adjust when I redirect them so to say.
Sure, I could learn to work with that if I had to but they will never become my #1 choice.

 

[Copierguy]

It took awhile for it to click cause RAD kept dragging me from razor to razor.

I've been using a 46-47 Aristocrat lately.

I've found that if I only hold on to the TTO knob and allow gravity to provide the pressure .....then it's BBS shaves with zero burn.....

 

[grump]

interesting thread!

I've been fortunate recently and have come into possession of three very nice aluminum TTOs - a #58, a #66, and an aluminum HD.

I have to say that I get at least as good shaves from these lightweights as I do from their heavy twins. And maybe better.

I've traded away a bull mastiff - as wonderful as it was, I found it too heavy - and I haven't used my Big Fellas in some months (I think I'll take one for a spin tomorrow...).

Must be that it is just easier for me to maneuver the light razors.

(Maybe I need to do a side-by-side comparison... new blades, lightweight v. heavyweight... FACE-OFF!!!!)

Right now I think I'm falling into the lightweight camp here... at least until I fall back out!

Hello Jon,

Maybe shave half your face with aluminum and half with its twin?

Really enjoying the brushes, Thank you

Regards

 

[Luc]

Good question, good thread!

Yes, heavier razor is easier to use... The 'no pressure' rule is really easy to follow with a heavy razor!

 

[bythbook]

Hello Jon,

Maybe shave half your face with aluminum and half with its twin?

Really enjoying the brushes, Thank you

Regards

Glad to hear you are enjoying the brushes - you have a very nice sample there!

I like your idea of using both the heavy & lightweight in the same shave - the aluminum for the especially sensitive spots, eh?

Best to you -

 

[SUMMERSRL]

I prefer the lighter weight razors. My current fav is a 54 Gillette SS (although my new 48-50 SS came today in the mail!!!) which is pretty lightweight. I don't find the lack of weight translating into extra (i.e. too much) pressure. I do find them easier to use. Of course, if this board proves anything it is that for every aspect of DE shaving YMMV....

 

[dpmtherrien]

I like the heavier razor when I have a longer growth of beard, usually 3 days or more. I'll use the barberpole HD, but usually only for the first pass. I only do a 2 pass shave, WTG, then ATG, but for the ATG, I'll switch to the lighter 1904, or HD.