I’ve noticed having to wipe/rinse a 5/8 more often than a wide blade. There are a lot of 5/8 because they are cheaper, and a good straight razor has always been expensive. An American razor over 5/8 is a scarce item. Preferred blade width seemed to be a regional thing. There are literally tons of wide blades stamped ‘For Barber’s Use’ both English and Japanese. America kind of ‘standardized’ on 5/8, while the Japanese preferred 13/16, a 5/8 Japanese razor is uncommon. 6/8 seemed more common in European markets though lots of 5/8 were made for export too. The Scandinavians preferred narrower blades, 4/8 and 9/16 were common while the wide Swedish blades were not.
I would counter they are cheap because there are so many, which serves to support my premise that the favorite size was 5/8 and earlier 9/16. I've amassed a small, but varied collection of straight razors. I find no advantage to shaving with a wide blade. I have 4/8, 5/8, 9/16, 6/8, 11/16, 15/16. All shave well with a 200k diamond edge.
I had to C&P this as I found it fits here nicely "Nearly a decade ago when I first got into wet shaving, I got excited about the idea of getting a custom made razor made for me, having spent some time on this forum and seeing all the amazing customs that were being made. Quite ignorantly, I sought out a 9/8ths blade, having never wielded anything larger than the average Dovo straight razor at the time. I decided on the design and had ********** make the razor for me and he crafted a beautiful razor. There was just one big problem (pun intended): it's way too damn big for me. It was my mistake and in no way am I faulting ***, but the razor is just too big (I'm not a big guy, to begin with). I used it only a handful of times and then stored it in my closet after failed attempts to shave with it." This is a perfect example of looking at size/value rather than personal functionality Anyway, I thought it was pertinent, also keeping in mind that many people think of it the other way around..
I’ve used the wide razors, if they’re not pretty hollow I’m like Glen’s citation, they’re just too heavy for my liking, but not everyone thinks the same. I really like the looks of the Rigarazors, but I know that I won’t like a wide 1/4 hollow as much as say a hollow Koraat or Aust. But I have none of them, in a wider form, a Filarmonica 14 or a Helje 32/33/133/140 are just difficult to best, and if it isn’t better, it becomes difficult to justify the expenditure. You can pick up a Koraat or Aust fairly easily, but a NOS Filly 14 will be harder to find and cost more, and a wide Helje even more so.
Yes but without reading the whole thread it would disparage the maker, who actually only built what he was asked to build, and I don't think that is fair. It is actually a good read about realizations of what really goes into a custom build and thinking it through first. You Have pm
For me, it is more about the size of the Tang than the width of the blade Basically, for post-1900 razors, there are 3 tang / spine thickness's 11/16 and below 13/16 and above And the lonely 6/8 Unfortunately for me I have found the 6/8 size works best in my hands, so that is the size I target for personal razors. Kamisori are a different breed and those are my absolute favs Hint: The Tang and Spine thickness is also a good indicator of the original size of a razor never an absolute but a good clue
Lot of wisdom Glen, I don’t think we really know what we like until we try it, I don’t like big wedges but I tried some eBay users and know that I won’t be investing in a similar custom at way more bucks. Once you’ve handled enough widths and grinds of mainstream razors to get a good feel for your preferences, you can invest in a custom with confidence that it will have an excellent chance of being what you wanted and a favorite razor.
I gotta agree @Steve56 I hate seeing new guys asking about "How to have a Custom built" There are some people that like the experience of using many different sizes and grinds but most seem to target a fav and once that is done and you are sure of what you want, then is the time to contact a Builder.. When I was building Custom Rifles the last thing I wanted to hear from a customer was "What Caliber do you think I should get"
I'll set you and Steve at ease, I won't be asking to have a custom built. I like have a variety of sizes and grinds.
I don’t have a custom either Chuck, though there are a lot of them that gentlemen post here that are certainly drool-worthy. I’m kind of a purist, I like plain blades and black horn, or vintage ivory/tortoise. Hardly seems worth it to have a custom made with no bling! If I did, it would probably be a Koraat 14 ground like a Filly 14, and I’d probably buy two, blades only, and have them custom scaled. But I have a black-and-white near mint gen 1 Filly 14 Especial and Doble Temple pair, so I really don’t know that I’d gain anything other than bragging rights, which is OK, straights, even custom straights are dirt cheap compared to sports cars, lake houses, fine jnats or even fine cutlery. Did you know that at least at one time, Yamaha made a sushi knife? It was about $6k as best I remember.
WHAT!!! I figured you and I had that purist concept in common. Yamaha has made everything...LOL!! I spoke to a professional pianist at Dollywood one day who told me session musicians preferred Yamaha grands over Steinway because they were brighter. Bright is good and why I prefer red spruce and mahogany.
Me too actually, at least some of the time. I like the bright Filly 14 scale colors though many do not - reminds me of European cars back in the day. People say Filly scales are cheap, and they’re absolutely wrong, they had internal wedge pins to keep the wedge from rotating, I’ve never seen a pair warped though I suppose that abuse could do it, and they never decomposed and ruined your blade. That’s about as good as it gets for razor scales not accounting for color preferences.
Both actually, but yes the actual thickness of the tang, but the height of the tang changes too The 6/8 seems to have the perfect "Mass" for my hands, something else many don't take into account is the ease and smoothness of stropping, and the rotation and ergonomics of the tang/pivot juncture Vintage razors are almost 100% correct and comfortable when stropping, but many sets of customs are so off they work against you.. That smooth stropping action results in a more comfortable shave .. I have one Custom Kamisori by Brain Brown that was gifted to me, I was never really into them, had a few I traded for, but sold them when I realized I never used them
Used this today. My favorite. Rasoir Sabre - My Fine Steed A modern day manufacture, on WWI era grinding equipment, on a decades old French, miltiple drop forged, 52100 steel blank. It is my understanding that modern minimal strike forging processes allow for tighter geometric tolerances. It is said that Gustave Lalune was a master grinder at Thiers-Issard for many years until he semi-retired to make razors for Rasoir Sabre. I've read comments on a European shave forum that no person named Gustave Lalune ever worked for TI, or even existed. Who knows what the truth is. Either way the Gustave Lalune brand is handled by a craftsman known as Ertan Suer. Modern made? I'd say so. Antiquated methods, to be sure.
User grade Filly 14 Doble Temple, soap was LpL Rose de Pushkar lathered with a Simpsons 58. A splash of thayers Rose petal was the AS, then a dab of LpL Rose de Pushkar EdT finished up. Edit: oops, wrong thread!
My next submission of a "Modern Razor": Jacob Ray "El Diablo" 6/8 Spanish Point This is one of his "Production" O1 steel razors. I believe a majority of his sales nowadays are custom Damascus blades. Jimps on both top and bottom of tang (although not clearly visible in the pic) Scales are referred to as "Blue Dymond" wood. They were a little thinner than I had expected, but then again, they're just scales. Blade has an excellent edge on it, right from the maker. It's a great shaver, but I got careless on my first shave and sliced my cheek while cleaning up above the lip. The blade is a bit longer than most 6/8 I've used, and the point on it is wicked. A bit of a more "muted" point would help, but I'll blame it entirely on operator error. Once again, I can't comment with regard to honing, as it sees intermittent use. ***I will point out that the first razor I received had some issues and was exchanged for the one pictured. As a courtesy to the maker, I'll keep the specifics out of the public sphere, but I'm happy to tell anyone about it via DM.
.. @Keithmax , still waiting on a review of each razor, in your extensive Modern Razor collection. ..
