I pull from an assortment of twenty-six 'shave-ready' razors for my morning shaves. Naturally with this number to draw from, there are variations between each razor. We often discuss or list certain variables of interest: blade grind, blade tip, maker—but I've noticed one aspect that is often overlooked: the varying weights of the razors. I noticed this difference (duh!) when using some older heavy wedge grinds for a few days and then switching over to, lets say, a newer Solingen razor. I was curious to see how great a range there was between the heaviest razors and the lightest. So I grabbed a kitchen scale and began weighing the lot in my drawer. Some surprises for me: the heaviest of all was the W&B 7/8" and the Greaves 9/8" coming in at 93 and 92 grams, respectively. The weight of these two was three times that of my lightest razor (a Dubl Duck Special). Now the 'Heavy 13' listed below all have something in common— ALL but one are from Sheffield; the earliest from the 1830s and the 'newest' from the latter half of the 19th century. A third are wedge grinds, a couple are what I'd call 'heavier grinds.' One Japanese-made 'Eiko' made the heavy list. On the 'lighter side 13'—one modern US-made, seven from Solingen, five from Japan. All are from the 20th century... or later. All are thinner grinds. Most of my 'favorites' reside in the 'heavy' list. What I've discovered, obviously, is I have a preference for the heavier razors as these are used far more often than many from the 'light' list. This isnt rocket science nor breaking news, but it did confirm to me a personal preference I suspected I had when I pull daily from the assortment. Interesting. Have any of you developed a preference in razor that perhaps you werent aware of? Country of origin: Sheffield • Solingen • Japan • USA The Heavy 13 Wade & Butcher 7/8 heavy-grnd (93g) Wm Greaves 9/8 hollow-grnd (92g) Fred. Reynolds 7/8 wedge-grnd (75g) Marshes & Shepherd 7/8 wedge (68g) Wm Greaves 7/8 stubtail wedge (68g) J. Rodgers & Sons 6/8 half-hllw (63g) Geo Wostenholm 6/8 hollow-grnd (61g) Wm Greaves 6/8 wedge-grnd (61g) Fenney Tally Ho 8/8 hollow-grnd (60g) Eiko 'Glory' 6/8 hollow-grnd (60g) Geo Wostenholm 7/8 hollow-grnd (58g) Joseph Smith 6/8 hollow-grnd (57g) Geo Wostenholm 7/8 Pipe hollow-grnd (52g) The Relative 'Light Weight' 13 Brian Brown Custom 6/8 hollow-grnd (51g) King Pelican 6/8 hollw-grnd (51g) Fon Golden Star 6/8 hollw-grnd (50g) Otto Fromm #50 6/8 hollow-grnd (48g) Hayashi Diamond 8k 6/8 hollow-grnd (48g) Hoshi Tombo 6k 6/8 asymm-grind (48g) FW Engels 'Leader' 6/8 hollow-grnd (48g) Böhler-Stahl 5/8 hollow-grnd (40g) Kanenaga kamisori asymm-grnd (39g) Otto Deutsch 'Hans' 5/8 hollow-grnd (38g) Dubl Duck Goldedge 5/8 hollow-grnd (38g) Dubl Duck Dwarf 5/8 hollow-grnd (32g) Dubl Duck Special 5/8 hollow-gnd (29g)
Cool thread. I am new enough to this (still less than a year), that I am still learning what I like, but I am finding with only a couple of exceptions that I tend to prefer blades to be at least in the middle of the pack. Of my top seven blades, which is the majority of ones I have in use, they range from 36 to 68. 68 is the heaviest I have yet to try. Joseph Rogers, 7/8 wedge - 68 Frederick Reynolds, 7/8 wedge - 67 Henckels, 13/16 hollow - 55 Dovo Bismarck, 6/8 hollow - 54 Portland Razor, 6/8 1/4 hollow - 50 Brian Brown, 6/8 1/2 hollow - 49 Fessum, 6/8 hollow - 36 I knew before I ever got the scale out that the Fessum was my lightest razor, but I really didn't know how light it was compared to the rest of them.
Woo-hoo! So now we know what the weight of that perfect razor is! Great post, Kevin. Good stuff there, boys!
I knew I had a particular preference for the vintage Sheffield blades, but the results of the razor 'weigh in' clearly demonstrated why— I like thicker grinds and hefty blades. In fact, 33 of my last 50 SOTDS (razors are typically chosen on a whim, no pre-planning) were with razors from the heaviest 12 from the list. In other words, I am nearly 3x more likely to pull from the dozen Sheffield heavies than from all the others.
Now I have to go back and check my usage distribution, but I think it will similar to yours except instead of Sheffield it will be my modern artisan blades like Koraat et al. A very interesting thread.
Me..I Am the Opposite..Most of My Lighter Full Hollow Grinds get the Most Use..I have a Few Heavy Grinds as Well..But Generally Speaking I Find the Lighter Thinner Grinds Take a Finer Edge..There is Nothing that Shines Like a Sheffield or Solingen Blade Full Hollow Grind from the 2os Era..I have Found that Generally Speaking a Blade that Takes a Very High Mirror Like Polish Takes the Finest of Edges.. To Me..Its Kinda Common Sense..Blades that Take an Almost a Stay Bright Polish Take a Stay Bright Edge..The Pinnacle of them Seems to be 1920s/30s..Thats Me Talkin Mind.. Billy..
After reading many post buy HolyRollah about his wonderful shaves with the English Big Boys .I find myself using my English Wedges more .My preference usually depends on my mood .If I want a really close shave I will break out a German 7/8 Extra Hollow or a top notch Large Japanese Straight.If I am in a historic mood out comes the Tally-Ho or Wm Greaves .My problem is what razor to use .Still learning about different makers and what I like .
Interesting thread. I don't have a scale, but there is no doubt that I prefer a heavy weight blade...the bigger the better. I feel I have more control over the razor than compared to a lightweight blade. On a somewhat related note, I also prefer a heavy weight DE with a longer handle. Again, I feel it enhances my control of the razor.
I think my preference runs towards the heavier razors in my den. I'll have to break out the scale and post up my results.
I was slightly surprised when I learned that the Dubl Ducks were consistently lighter (38, 32 & 29g) than the rest. Most people probably don't give a second thought to a straight razor's overall weight. I just know that I find the lightest Duck ('Special' at a featherweight 29g) almost too light in my hands.
Dovo Encina 7/8 Full Hollow 59g Gold Dollar 66 54g Claus Freemont 42g Wade, Wingfield, Rowbothan 66g Henkel Friodur 49g Tally Ho 46g Dove Best Quality 45g Dubl Duck Hand Forged 39g Dovo Prime Silver Steel 44g Focus Slim Al w/Feather blade 24g My favorite shaver of these is the Encina Stainless Steel. The thing cuts whiskers and I'd swear it's not cutting anything at all because it gives ZERO pulling or tugging whatsoever.
Interesting thread. I need to check the weights of mine. I know that my easiest razors to use are on the light side, with a 5/8 Genco with wood scales being my easiest to use. On the flip side I two Koraats and two Osiris Blades that are very heavy. Middle of the road seem to be my Fillarmonica 8/8 full hollows, Wostie wedge, and Parker half hollow are all lighter than the customs, but heavier than the smaller production razors. It seems my customs have heavier scales than the factory produced vintage ones, even if they are a heavier grind. I wonder how the scale weight factors into the perceived ease of use of the razor.
