Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 3rd, 2026 (#935)
walden@wetshav.ing 6 days ago
January 3rd, 2026
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Worcester Razor Co. Full Hollow (1)
- Lather: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Vegan - Soap
- Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Leather - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Declaration Grooming, House of Mammoth - Cerberus - Liniment
Rough shave, but as you’ll read below “the fault lies not in the razor, but in the unskilful use of it”. That’s two rough shaves in a row, both with vegan Tabac. Not enough science to blame the Tabac, but I’m just saying…
I honed this razor yesterday and had SUCH high hopes for it. It seemed extremely easy to hone and tested fantastically well on the packing peanut. Even the first few strokes seemed excellent. The shave devolved into a tuggy mess, though.
The tang of this razors says “Worcester Razor Co.”, but online research basically only mentions the Torrey Razor Co. being based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Sure enough, this razor has a paper insert in the box that mentions “The J. R. Torrey Razor Co., Worcester, Mass., U.S.A.”
The paper insert is interesting to me. Here’s what it says:
“How to choose and care for a razor
In selecting a razor for use, adaptation to the beard is a very important consideration. For a heavy, coarse beard a too thin-ground blade should not be used unless one is somewhat of an expert in handling a razor; on the other hand, a light, wiry beard and tender skin require a thin-ground blade, which will lay flat on the face.
To use a razor, let it lie nearly flat on the face, and draw it with an easy diagonal motion against the beard from point to heel. Do not scrape with the razor or hold it almost at right angles to the face, as you will only spoil the edge, irritate the skin, and cause the best razor to fail. Persons who are not adepts in the handling of razors are apt to complain that their razors do not shave well, and are liable to condemn a good one, when the fault lies not in the razor, but in the unskilfil use of it
It is important that the beard be thoroughly softened with hot water and soap, and the razor dipped in hot water before using, as this will add much to the comfort of shaving.
After shaving carefully wipe the blade dry, and give it a few strokes on the strop to remove all moisture from the edge and prevent rust.”
PorkButtsNTaters666@sub.wetshaving.social 6 days ago
Major red flag right there 👀
This reads for me like: our product is shite, but do not blame us!
walden@wetshav.ing 6 days ago
Haha, yeah maybe. I wonder what it was like being a straight razor maker in those days. The customer service department must have had to work overtime.
This razor is really super nice looking. It’s a very hollow grind with a very slight belly. Not nearly the belly of the Koraat Piggy Bank, but it’s just barely detectable with the naked eye.
It felt amazing on the stones last night, but I’m not a good judge of steel. I’ve yet to fully learn how to completely remove burrs on the razors I hone, and this one sort of felt like maybe it had one. Nasty stuff.
snooting@wetshav.ing 6 days ago
I also found this interesting. I’ve only used hollow grind razors, and would love to try other grinds at some point.
I have to say I’m skeptical about the grind needing to be different for different types of facial hair though. I’d assume that as long as a razor is sharp it’ll shave well with good technique. I’ve definitely been wrong before though!
gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social 5 days ago
I agree. I think as your technique improves, you learn to adapt to different razors. If the average beard hair diameter is 100 microns (Gillette) then only the first 0.5 mm of the edge matters in cutting (I’m making assumptions about 3-sigma).