Decision against straight razors

[sakaltras]

JFK once said “We Do These Things Not Because They Are Easy But Because They Are Hard.” and he might have as well have referred to shaving with a straight razor.

I have about 70 of them, but right now I shave with a Ti Tatara Masamune Nodachi because it gives me tremendous satisfaction to wield a light-weight (titanium) safety razor with great precision and get results that are second to none.
I can say this because since the arrival of safety razors with tight manufacturing tolerances, positive blade exposure and sufficient blade gap the old saying that straight razor shaves are closer than safety razor shaves is no longer true. With the aforementioned safety razors, the blade’s edge glides over the skin just as with a straight razor, with the only exception that the effective angle is more controlled (by top and bottom plate) than with a straight.

And you can reach an acceptable proficiency with safety razors in just a few months.
With straight razors, you need years to become truly proficient.
I suspect that almost all shavers who embarked on that arduous straight shaving journey may have asked themselves whether it is worth to continue. (I did.) As mentioned above, you can no longer hope for a closer shave than you could with some of the best safety razors.

So what is there that drives people to shave with a straight razor?
IMO, the challenge to master something that is undoubtedly not easy to master - which brings us back to what JFK said.

And forget what you heard about 100 shaves. That is to get to an acceptable level.
If you want to become truly proficient, you might as well multiply that number by three - and preferably shave with a straight on a daily basis and not just on weekends.

And that takes persistence and resilience.


Good luck on your journey - whatever direction you may choose…



B

Thank you very much. Very well spoken words.

 

[Guest2023]

I've been wet shaving for 10 years and more than 2 years have passed since I first started SR shaving and using it mainly.

Would I learn how to shave with SR again if I could turn back time?

Yes Definitely. but not for better shave but just for fun.

Hope you do not expect something magical from SR shaving. It's just a sharpened metal.

and no significant improvements have been made for hundreds of years.

 

[Guest2023]

You can reach acceptable proficiency with safety razors in just a few months.
With straight razors, you need years to become truly proficient.
Forget what you heard about 100 shaves. That is to get to an acceptable level.
If you want to become truly proficient, you might as well multiply that number by three - and preferably shave with straights on a daily basis and not just on weekends.

I suspect that almost all shavers who embarked on that arduous straight shaving journey may have asked themselves at one stage or another (usually after a sub-par shave or when they failed to maintain a keen edge) whether it is worth to continue. (I did.) As mentioned above, you can no longer hope for a closer shave than you could with some of the best safety razors.

So what is there that drives people to shave with a straight razor?
IMO, the challenge to master something that is undoubtedly not easy to master - which brings us back to what JFK said.

And that takes a lot of persistence and resilience.


Good luck on your journey - whatever direction you may choose…



B.

I totally agree with your opinion.

 

[sakaltras]

During my today's shave I switched to my Wunderbar. Much easier and closer shave... Don't know if I will wait to complete the 100...

 

[Mitzie]

Straight razors have their use depending how resilient your skin is to shaving -IMO. For coarse stubble, yet sensitive skin, for me, they equal blood loss. The problem is exacerbated with good pre shave treatment, to help soften the whiskers beforehand, since this only makes my skin more delicate and even more prone to weepers nicks and cuts. I now only confine the use an SR or shavette for shaving the corners of my mouth where DE and Carts' give me irritation

 

[lloydw]

I don't have any. If you are interested I can look for some here are local stores.

I was only joking but thank you

 

[kingfisher]

Straight razors have their use depending how resilient your skin is to shaving -IMO. For coarse stubble, yet sensitive skin, for me, they equal blood loss. The problem is exacerbated with good pre shave treatment, to help soften the whiskers beforehand, since this only makes my skin more delicate and even more prone to weepers nicks and cuts. I now only confine the use an SR or shavette for shaving the corners of my mouth where DE and Carts' give me irritation

So interesting. This is the exact opposite of my beliefs. I feel that the open blade is generally gentler to my skin than a DE in all places except the corners lf my mouth, where I still use a DE to clean up without irritation.

 

[lloydw]

I've been wet shaving for 10 years and more than 2 years have passed since I first started SR shaving and using it mainly.

Would I learn how to shave with SR again if I could turn back time?

Yes Definitely. but not for better shave but just for fun.

Hope you do not expect something magical from SR shaving. It's just a sharpened metal.

and no significant improvements have been made for hundreds of years.

I agree on this idea - not for better shave, just for fun. I started with straights with the intent of getting away from a Gillette Mach xx and skin irritation. Also, I was quite isolated in terms of gear availability or information at that time.This meant some trying times but forced a learning curve.
I have feather replaceable straights but I don’t find what I view as ’clinically’ sharp edges comfortable.

Now, I love just those elements that many see as negatives- honing, maintaining and feeling the various edges from the varied stones. Often this variation and inquisitive approach of testing is what stimulates me, even if the shave itself was not as good as the previous one.

 

[Fiddler]

Ive tried straights and while I had no problems getting the technique
down, I really couldn't be bothered with the maintenance work required.
Buy a straight, then buy a whole bunch of stones, a loupe...then learn how
to kill an edge, set an edge, take it through the various grit progressions.
Then of course stropping.....which strop...kanayama, no kanayama, tony
miller, buffalo, zebra, emu.....OMG it does my head in.

By the time Im done its killed all my ardour for a shave.

If I stayed on the same street as a razor maker I'd get into it again and just
drop it off to him for edge maintenance.

I still hang on to a shavette as it comes quite close to the straight edge
while still maintaining that feeling of shaving like the great Gatsby.

If I was a retired dude with plenty of time to kill, straight razor shaving would
be very satisfying I imagine

 

[taffy]

There are a few options with straights. You can buy one or two, use them and send them out to get honed, eliminates the issues of spending money on stones etc. Or if you want a hobby jump in and restore old straights and get into the honing stone side, which has been mentioned is not cheap.
I enjoy using straights but I still use a de, I don't think its a straight only case if you do pick up a straight. Everyone can use a straight its just a matter of finding out the best way to use it which is different to everyone as no one is the same. I also don't think if you do a 100 shaves or a 1000 shaves it matters, only you will know if straight razor shaving is for you, hair growth, skin type etc.
Last point is that shaving should be enjoyable, so choose what you enjoy using as shaving for us men is something we just have to do, unless you grow a big beard

 

[Quaznoid]

Safety razors were invented to relieve us of the hassle, difficulty and danger of straight shaving.

 

[Drew]

I will give it 100 shaves after investing some amount in the equipment. Maintenance is indeed part of the fun even if I never tried to hone a razor. Experienced users told me that I can use my 5 razors for a year or so before needing to hone them.

Yeah. I shaved exclusively with a straight for years… now I do on occasion. Like much of this hobby, it is the ritual and nod to the past that attracts us. But maintenance of the razors really is not a burden, as you mentioned. Honing (a skill in its own right) does not need to be done frequently. Stropping is quite simple once you get the hang of it.

I liken straight razor shaving to driving a stick shift car. At first, it seems like there are a million things to be aware of. But at some point, muscle memory takes over, and you can enjoy and get lost in the experience. In a car, you stop stalling, with a straight, you stop nicking yourself. For both a nice sense of accomplishment.

 

[oscar11]

Safety razors were invented to relieve us of the hassle, difficulty and danger of straight shaving.

I agree. Straight razors require a degree of commitment. They aren’t as complicated as we make them and the process of maintaining the blade seem like a natural process to me. Really, it doesn’t take a lot effort to maintain a blade. This one of my hobbies and I don’t view it as a hassle. It’s actually interesting. By all means enjoy your hobby as you like. There is a wealth of info on the SR forum and some very knowledgeable people.

 

[Herrenberg]

So what is there that drives people to shave with a straight razor?
IMO, the challenge to master something that is undoubtedly not easy to master - which brings us back to what JFK said.

And that takes a lot of persistence and resilience.


Good luck on your journey - whatever direction you may choose…



B.

The challenge is indeed part of what drives one to straight razors. Two other parts for me: the elemental appeal, just a blade, no gadgetry. And the fun factor.

By the time I hit 30 shaves, I was not accomplished in any sense except being pretty good at avoiding cutting myself, but I was having so much fun shaving with a straight that I couldn't imagine ever wanting to change shaving methods.

 

[Ravenonrock]

Choices. I make time for things I like doing, cooking, spending time with my family, reading, watching sports and movies on TV and maintaining my straight razors. If you don’t like doing it then it’s a chore and time consuming. It makes perfect sense to stop doing something you don’t enjoy. I have several straight razors and can probably go months without honing if I wanted to. I just enjoy the maintenance aspect, all of it. The added bonus is that the quality of the shaves for me is unsurpassed.

 

[Guest2023]

One thing to add.

If you learn to hone a SR, you can easily access to some of the best safety razors which are underappreciated now like lather catchers, Wilikinson Pall Mall and Empire, Rolls razors and Henckels Rapide etc. You can use them at its proper setting, I mean using original wedge blade. For me, this is the best part of learning how to hone a blade. I much prefer these razors to straight razors.

 

[Ladit]

From time to time I use straights, but it is time consuming. So mostly I use DE or lather catchers. Sometimes a Rolls Razor as a compromise.

 

[sakaltras]

Thank you very much for all your posts. Now after a month of straight razor shaving is still far away from the smoothness I get from DE razors. Maybe the straight razors I have are not sharp enough, maybe because I cannot make the passes as I'm used. My beart grows in every direction and I have a swirl at my neck. With DE razors I never get a clean shave when just making passes from north to south and back...

I coming to the conclusion that I should stay with my DE razors..

 

[steveclarkus]

Hi all,

I'm posting my question here at the Safety Razors Forum and not at the Straight Razors section because the people concerned should be at this side.

I'm trying to master straight razor shaving now for about a month and I wonder how many before just quit trying to climb the learning curve and switched back to safety razors. And second question, why?

I find the learning curve hard to climb and nick myself very badly so that I ask myself if it is really worth it. I know that I have to complete my 100 shaves before giving a answer for me.

So what do you think?

Thanks,

Sami

Yep, it is a ***** to learn but it is well worth the trip to nick free and irritation free shaving. When I changed over about five years ago, I did the full commitment and never shaved with any other device. I just tolerated the crappy shaves until I learned to shave with a straight razor and never looked back. Switching back and forth from DE to straight just slows down the process and usually ends up in defeat.

 

[sakaltras]

Yep, it is a ***** to learn but it is well worth the trip to nick free and irritation free shaving. When I changed over about five years ago, I did the full commitment and never shaved with any other device. I just tolerated the crappy shaves until I learned to shave with a straight razor and never looked back. Switching back and forth from DE to straight just slows down the process and usually ends up in defeat.

Today I honed my razors for the very first time and made a second shave 4 hours after the first. The result was obvious:

My conclusion is that I have to focus more on stropping as so far I did not get the full potential of the razors... Means I made them dull instead of sharp.