Grind differences?

[Pottertons]

Not everyone wants to drive a Ferrari. Not everyone wants to drive a Suburban. And not everyone wants to drive a Prius. No one car is the perfect car for everyone. It's all a matter of personal preference.

You skin, beard, lathering style, shaving technique, face shape, etc., combined the razor point and grind style will expose your own preference.

But ... That means you have to try them ALL.

Haha. And that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid......but it never works out that way does it?

I grabbed a couple Sheffield 1/4 hollows last night. Looking forward to starting the adventure.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

I grabbed a couple Sheffield 1/4 hollows last night.

My favorite. Sheffield wedge, near wedge, and 1/4. Hope you love them.

 

[KrstGor]

Branching off topic a bit but.....
If I have very coarse hair, but have been experiencing great shaves with a Shavette, should my focus still be on a 1/4 or at least, 1/2 hollow razor, for those times where heavy growth needs to be dealt with?

I shaved with a Parker SRX shavette exclusively for many months to develop my SR technique and frankly I never liked it. Then I've got my first real SR and it was a joy to shave with. It was a 6/8 near wedge. Effortless, smooth, zero irritation shave. Then I bought a Feather Artist Club SS Japanese, as I wanted to have a "reference razor" for sharpness / smoothness. Same thing - I've got a an effortless, smooth, mild, no irritation shave, while using the most aggressive Pro Super Feather blades.

So frankly, I think these things about the grind type are exaggerated. I do believe a wedge and full hollow will shave you equally well or just as bad. It's a matter of proper technique (angle, pressure) more than anything else.

 

[DrStrange]

My favorite. Sheffield wedge, near wedge, and 1/4. Hope you love them.

A near wedge looks a lot like a quarter hollow to me.

Is the difference very slight
or should I be trying to notice something that's not obvious to me?

 

[RumpleBearskin]

A near wedge looks a lot like a quarter hollow to me.

I believe that "near wedge" and "1/4 hollow" are often used somewhat interchangeably. My personal definition actually involves the age of the razor.

True wedges, IMHO, cannot be honed without having the entire face of the blade, or nearly so, in contact with the stone. That's why tape is used on the spine to only have the (taped) spine and the edge in contact.

"Near wedges", again IMHO, are older blades that are not quite a true wedge, but were made just as hollow grinding came to be. They sometimes say "Hollow Ground", but certainly don't qualify for what we would call "hollow" today.

"1/4 Hollow", yet again IMHO, came into being when hollow grinding was really a thing and essentially approximate the older "near wedge" grind. My Rigarazor is "1/4 Hollow" while my Frederick Reynolds and Greaves are "near wedges", at least in my own mind.

So, to me, there's little difference in the structure of a "near wedge" and "1/4 Hollow" (although the older near wedges get wedgier and wedgier with more and more spine wear and wider and wider bevels unless you start taping them).

Of course, that's only one person's opinion.