Thread: Different blade surprise

I am fairly new to SR and have been using my only razor,a Dovo best quality, nearly every day. I just received a Geo. Wostenholm & sons razor from Steve at invisible edge (great service) and am amazed at the difference.It is an old blade so is quite a bit narrower than the dovo. This shaves beatifully and is much smoother. Is this because of a stiffer blade? I am at that age that when I stretch the skin to shave I look like the bug from 'Men in Black!' My point is that as a newbie you get used to your first razor and are tempted to stick with that make and type, but it is worth taking the plunge and trying a different type of blade to find one that suits your skin.
Now I don't know what to go for for my third razor as my other half has said she will buy me a nice one for my 50th. Anyway thanks to everyone on SRP (Lynn for the dvd) for your help and advice. I have found answers to all my questions either by asking or 'lurking' and reading other peoples answers.

I like trying different blade profiles. I've found that even if I don't like a particular blade to begin with if I use it enough to get used to it I will end up liking it. Case in point is an 8/8 full hollow Henckes HC vintage piece from the bay.

This thing being a full hollow and so large is flexy to the max. It took a few shaves to get the feel of it but I eventually came to like it. OTOH, I also like 5/8, 6/8 full and half hollows, wedges .... the more the merrier if that is your thing. It is mine.

If your Wosty is not a full hollow ground but a 1/4 to 1/2 ground then it will be stiffer, and some people find this to make shaving their particular beard easier.

I'm biased, of course (see my title) but you might consider a Dovo Renaissance. It is a full hollow ground razor, but because it's made of stainless instead of carbon steel, it's stiffer like a wedge, but not quite so heavy. About $180 or so at SRD or Vintage Blades, comes honed by Lynn himself. Not exactly pocket change, but considerably less expensive than a lot of nice razors. (I'm sure you can find one in the UK, though.) On top of it all, I think it's a very nice looking razor!

One factor is the maker, you can't compare similar razors from different makers, they are just 2 different animals.
Different grinds feel different too.
Another factor the steel properties are different, also the purity of the steel is different. The composition of the steels is very different, there are varieties of carbon and stainless steels(White 1,2,3; Blue1,2,3. AS, INOX, Ginsako etc.) that all will yield different shave experience.
19th century steel is probably better quality than most today's steels.Today's steels have a lot of contamination from recycling for example. Currently there are methods for purifying steels, but that raises the prices. The best steels available are Swedish steels.

Thanks, I'll have a look. There is a Micata on the classifieds. would this be stiffer?

Did your Dovo come shave ready? ie Hand sharpened by the likes of Steve at the Invisible Edge. Makes a world of difference. All that the others have said is more or less true too. Personally, I love those old Sheffield blades.

It was a razor I bought years ago and struggled with until I sent it to Steve to hone. What a difference! It's not that it doesn't shave well just different. I like it cos now I can tell her indoors that I will be needing many razors!

Originally Posted by mutters

It was a razor I bought years ago and struggled with until I sent it to Steve to hone. What a difference! It's not that it doesn't shave well just different. I like it cos now I can tell her indoors that I will be needing many razors!

All I can say to that is hehe. Experiment (if you've the funds).

The fun is shaving with different straight razors and understanding the nuances of them. I get excellent BBS shaves from each one, with each one requiring slightly different care and technique.

Enjoy!

Pabster

That settles it. I'm going for both the razors I've been looking at. Thanks everyone.