Shim Your Weishi

This is a retraction of sorts, though I can't cite the error: I didn't think the Weishi could be effectively shimmed. It probably had to do with the type of shim I made -- narrow, as seen in the photo with a Feather brand, on the left. That may have been fairly effective with Tech and anchor-style 3-piece razors, which I got my start with, because they support the blade near center. It's not as easy to cut along the very edge, and I may have seen some wavy blade with initial, poorly-executed attempts.

But clearly, I have to revisit all of my less than ideal razors with the shims. Hell, maybe even the Slim! Because the narrow shim and the wide shim differ in how they affect the emergent angle of the edge, depending on how the top cap contacts the baseplate or analogous part. I've even heard of people putting the shims on the top side of the blade, perhaps for the purpose of altering that contact.

Anyway, I put one of the wide shims that I made for Chaoying under the same Ming Shi blade, and the Weishi became instantly efficient, and fully capable of BBS. Whereas, the narrow shim just made a rougher shave, and still couldn't reach into my follicles. This was a left-side, right side comparison; luckily, the rough side wasn't so rough that I couldn't finish it with the better shim.

So. If you're unwilling to give the internet your bank information, are averse to the vintage razor market, or you just don't have the moolah or real estate for more razors; you can still enjoy a custom-tailored shave. At least, it's not exactly like running around with pins in your suit. There weren't always adjustables, or a million models of razors available. Shims are fairly traditional.

I hereby retract all criticism of the Weishi. It's good to start learning to shave with complete safety against cuts, and in the end, it is a fully capable razor. The only fuss about it was having to hold the blade down by the ends, as I screwed the doors shut. Because of the bow in my shim, the razor was raised to where the doors could impact the edge.