Thread: Blade width differences

So I have been really struggling with a new Hart that I got. I found that I was nicking myself FAR more than my Dovo. Especially on the neck - not at all on the flatness of my cheeks. Well something occurred to me tonight as I was shaving with a third razor.

See the Hart is a weighty 7/8. The Dovo is a 6/8. And the one I got for learning to hone is narrower yet (5/8 I think). Well I found that I could REALLY control the angle so much more with the 5/8 than I could the Hart! I'm wondering if the width of the blade has alot to do with my nicking myself so much with the Hart.

Thoughts?

Just my observation, but with a taller/wider blade if you are looking at the angle it looks like it is less.

Probably an optical illusion but none the less.

This is part of why I go by feel, the lowest angle that clears whiskers.

i agree with the above as angle being the issue ..
all though i can get pretty good shaves i still always start with a bad or near bad abgle with my left hand and have to make an adjustment .. same when i use a 4/8 , i always have to make an angle adjustment at the start during my first pass ... with time im sure none of this will be a problem as we gain more shaves under the belt

Spine widths...

I have always been more comfortable thinking 2 spine widths from the face, rather then 20 or 30 degrees.. Then as mentioned above I adjust as I go

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Spine widths...

I have always been more comfortable thinking 2 spine widths from the face, rather then 20 or 30 degrees.. Then as mentioned above I adjust as I go

you mentioned this in another post i saw when i first started shaving with a straight !! after reading that is when my shaves and technique really started taking shape !!!
im sure it saved me from a lot of burn / nicks

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Spine widths...

I have always been more comfortable thinking 2 spine widths from the face, rather then 20 or 30 degrees.. Then as mentioned above I adjust as I go

Yeah but my point is that when I start hitting the curves on your neck, the blade width actually "gets in the way" of my ability to get as low of an angle as a narrow blade. Does that make sense? For example, imagine you are going downward and you hit that curve in your neck where chin turns into neck. I can't turn the blade as I go near my adams apple because of the width. With a narrow blade, I can rotate it much earlier in the pass.

i look up as far as i can( at the ceiling ) and go by feel in that area .. my vision is bad where i cant see hardly anything without looking through my glasses so i rely more by feel then sight , i also just thought about it and i usually use more of the heal or the blade in that area as opposed to the full edge like i use on the sides of the jaw line .. i havent been using a straigt long enough to give you a well experienced answer but 8/10 times i use a razor 6/8-17/16 and these techniques seem to work for me ..