Big beard, Full hollow.

[Carlo A]

Hello gents.

I need some advice on my newly acquired full hollow, 6/8 razor.
Pardon me if this question has already been posted before.

Yesterday was my very first shave with a str8 rzr, and it was phenomenal!!!
Honestly, I was ready for alot of cuts & nicks and an unclose shave, but to my surprise it was much better: around 5-6 small cuts & nicks and near BBS achieved with only WTG and a bit of XTG. I was astonished!
I rated my experience 8/10.

But the blade was not happy about my thick and long beard. It pulled and skipped at some times, but very lightly.

I felt that the edge was bending because of the heavy stubble.

I want to know if you guys prefer not shaving a long beard (long like approximately 5mm per hair).

Tell me what you think.

Thx everyone.

 

[Luc]

I didn't get to 5mm since I started wetshaving with a DE or straight.

The lengh of the hair shouldn't matter as you are still shaving the same number of hair. Without applying pressure, you should have a firm grip to avoid any skipping (if that makes sense). I would recommend re-checking your lather, it needs to be perfect for a straight razor.

Welcome to the club!

 

[Carlo A]

I didn't get to 5mm since I started wetshaving with a DE or straight.

The lengh of the hair shouldn't matter as you are still shaving the same number of hair. Without applying pressure, you should have a firm grip to avoid any skipping (if that makes sense). I would recommend re-checking your lather, it needs to be perfect for a straight razor.

Welcome to the club!

Well, you can guess how it went with williams...not much glide really.

The razor did not cut the hair like butter like I was expecting.
So I did put a slight, very slight, pressure to ensure the cut.

But that was only at some times - other areas were going nicely.

What should i do?

thx Luc

 

[spanx]

The length of the hair should have no impact on how the razor cuts.I say should because I've not tried to shave a Dumbledore style beard.If your razor is pulling or skipping and you know it is sharp I suggest shorter strokes.Practice,practice,practice and you'll tackle that long stubble in no time.

 

[Wid]

The length of the hair should have no impact on how the razor cuts.I say should because I've not tried to shave a Dumbledore style beard.If your razor is pulling or skipping and you know it is sharp I suggest shorter strokes.Practice,practice,practice and you'll tackle that long stubble in no time.

+1 A lot of practice.

 

[Carlo A]

The length of the hair should have no impact on how the razor cuts.I say should because I've not tried to shave a Dumbledore style beard.If your razor is pulling or skipping and you know it is sharp I suggest shorter strokes.Practice,practice,practice and you'll tackle that long stubble in no time.

+1 A lot of practice.

You are absolutely right gents!

Thanks for the dumbeldore feedback! lol.

cheers.

 

[Carlo A]

This razor was bought from the BST here at B&B.
The seller/honemeister is amazing - great guy indeed.
Thx Shavedzombie, you rule!

 

[Wid]

Not trying to be a smartarse but really nothing beats the actual act of shaving with the str8 to learn what is best for you. They way I perform my shaves to get good results might not work in your case.

If you want a razor that will take off heavy growth look into getting a wedge. If not try shaving on a daily basis and learn yourself a good routine.

 

[Carlo A]

Not trying to be a smartarse but really nothing beats the actual act of shaving with the str8 to learn what is best for you. They way I perform my shaves to get good results might not work in your case.

If you want a razor that will take off heavy growth look into getting a wedge. If not try shaving on a daily basis and learn yourself a good routine.

Do not worry, your comment is very useful, thanks.

A full wedge would definitely be the best thing for heavy beards. But I won't grow a big beard because I like to be clean shaven. And if my beard grows, I will trim it first before shaving.

Cheers

 

[Luc]

Using a wedge is another venue... It's a different razor, different feeling... I got 3 of them now and use them in my rotation. They always leave a clean shaven look. Having said that, I'm not sure I would get rid of my half-full-extra hollow...

The light pressure is ok. If you press too hard you risk cutting yourself or ingrowns. Make sure you stretch the skin well and everything should be fine. I had the skipping when I started and it wasn't great but the more I shaved, the more confident I was.

If you don't get discouraged by those first few shaves, you won't regret it!

 

[Carlo A]

Using a wedge is another venue... It's a different razor, different feeling... I got 3 of them now and use them in my rotation. They always leave a clean shaven look. Having said that, I'm not sure I would get rid of my half-full-extra hollow...

The light pressure is ok. If you press too hard you risk cutting yourself or ingrowns. Make sure you stretch the skin well and everything should be fine. I had the skipping when I started and it wasn't great but the more I shaved, the more confident I was.

If you don't get discouraged by those first few shaves, you won't regret it!

Definitely no regrets Luc.

I accept that it will take me some time to get good results.
But how is it that full wedges give closer shaves than hollows?

The whole point of buying full hollows is for closeness. I'm confused.

 

[Luc]

Definitely no regrets Luc.

I accept that it will take me some time to get good results.
But how is it that full wedges give closer shaves than hollows?

The whole point of buying full hollows is for closeness. I'm confused.

Ah! I didn't say I had a closer shave with a wedge!

I think the shave at the end is pretty close. I don't get the same closeness with all my razors. I have more problems with a wedge but lately, it's working well. Others are better with wedges than Full hollow straights. It depends, you need to try one...

If it can give you an idea, I did a journal when I started. If you don't want to read the whole thing, you can skip to post #201 where I summarized the whole experience.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97542

 

[Ronan the BARBERian]

But the blade was not happy about my thick and long beard. It pulled and skipped at some times, but very lightly.

When did it start tugging and/or skipping ? When doing WTG or XTG, an at the start or end of the pass, or on the left or right side of the face.

Try to describe when it happens and just as importantly when it does not happen.

Depending on your answers it could be your stropping technique, the way you hold your blade for different passes or greater skill with your right or left hand.

Also
What shaving prep are you doing?
What type or strop do you have?
Do you strop between passes?

 

[gull]

I've always wondered, how do you all define a tough beard? The thickness of the individual follicles? The amount of follicles per square inch? The length of the follicles?

Right now I think I have a wedge grind and I'm wondering if that is the best for my face. I think I have a tough hair, but I don't have another guy to compare my hair with.

 

[mparker762]

But how is it that full wedges give closer shaves than hollows?

They don't. Both wedges and full hollows will give you a very clean shave. But there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that when you're first starting out that wedges are easier to shave with, and a lot of beginners strongly prefer the big wedges. It's also almost cliche that with a few hundred shaves under their belt they try hollows again and experience a revelation about how good they can really be.

It really doesn't matter how tough your beard is - wedges, hollows, they'll all shave your beard just fine if they're sharp enough. But full hollows do seem to require a bit more skill.

 

[Carlo A]

Ah! I didn't say I had a closer shave with a wedge!

I think the shave at the end is pretty close. I don't get the same closeness with all my razors. I have more problems with a wedge but lately, it's working well. Others are better with wedges than Full hollow straights. It depends, you need to try one...

If it can give you an idea, I did a journal when I started. If you don't want to read the whole thing, you can skip to post #201 where I summarized the whole experience.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97542

Lol, my excuses Luc, I missunderstood.
I will check out your journal.

Your the best, thanks.

cheers.

 

[Carlo A]

When did it start tugging and/or skipping ? When doing WTG or XTG, an at the start or end of the pass, or on the left or right side of the face.

Try to describe when it happens and just as importantly when it does not happen.

Depending on your answers it could be your stropping technique, the way you hold your blade for different passes or greater skill with your right or left hand.

Also
What shaving prep are you doing?
What type or strop do you have?
Do you strop between passes?

You might want to slap me for this, but, I bought a strop from ebay for 10 bucks. And when I got it, some wrinkles were present in the mid of the strop due to packaging (the seller curled it and placed in box). I'm trying to flatten out that section with creams to soften it up.

Secondly, my razor was prepped when I got it by a pro, really sharp. So no suspicions there.

The honemeister told me that it is due to my technique. I actually recall shaving without stretching the skin so i'm guessing that it was flexible to strain. I will stretch my skin adequately next time.

The pulling was at the beginning only, but once it moved, it didn't pull.
It skipped maybe once or twice in the neck area. (the neck was a pain and scary - i touched up with a mach 3 in difficult areas).

WTG mostly, I went XTG on my second pass.

Thanks mate.

 

[Carlo A]

I've always wondered, how do you all define a tough beard? The thickness of the individual follicles? The amount of follicles per square inch? The length of the follicles?

Right now I think I have a wedge grind and I'm wondering if that is the best for my face. I think I have a tough hair, but I don't have another guy to compare my hair with.

Well according to what the guys are saying in this thread, you should try a full hollow later on to compare and see what you like the most.

 

[Carlo A]

They don't. Both wedges and full hollows will give you a very clean shave. But there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that when you're first starting out that wedges are easier to shave with, and a lot of beginners strongly prefer the big wedges. It's also almost cliche that with a few hundred shaves under their belt they try hollows again and experience a revelation about how good they can really be.

It really doesn't matter how tough your beard is - wedges, hollows, they'll all shave your beard just fine if they're sharp enough. But full hollows do seem to require a bit more skill.

So far the 3/4 - full hollow seems regular yet i feel some finess within it and the sound is nice as it cuts.

 

[wdwrx]

One thing I haven't seen mention of is the "angle of attack" of your blade.
Not the angle of elevation of the spine, but the angle of the edge in relation to it's path of travel. It' really improves the sense of keenness of the edge if you allow it to have a slightly oblique angle to the hair shaft. Wether point or heel leading, a slight angle will, IME, reduce that sense of skipping and tugging.
Also the "scythe" stroke will help, though that's a tricky move.

This is a good read with some excellent pointers in it. IIRC it mentions the angle thing.

Good luck, and if it helps, from my first to my most recent, almost every shave has been an improvement over the last. I probably annoyed everyone because i kept posting things like "OMG! Best Shave Ever"

Edit: I scanned through it and couldn't find the reference, but it might be in here. Enjoy the read.