ERS4
My exploding razor knows secrets
Thank you for sharing.
I didn't plan to use shavette to win straight.
I'm just not interested about that, so you don't need to persuade the target that are not interested-like me.
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Why Don't You Use A Straight Razor?
- Thread starter rbscebu
- Start date
Thank you for sharing.
I didn't plan to use shavette to win straight.
I'm just not interested about that, so you don't need to persuade the target that are not interested-like me.
I suppose a lot of it is my perception, and someone experienced could show that all my perceptions are wrong, but nonetheless:
- greater risk of cutting myself
- time required to learn
- time and equipment required to maintain the cutting edge
- time required to shave
At some point if shaving becomes more of a luxury time of enjoyment for me, I could give it a try, but for now shaving is generally a necessity that I try to keep as efficient as possible.
- greater risk of cutting myself
- time required to learn
- time and equipment required to maintain the cutting edge
- time required to shave
At some point if shaving becomes more of a luxury time of enjoyment for me, I could give it a try, but for now shaving is generally a necessity that I try to keep as efficient as possible.
A lot of people maintain their SRs with Lapping paper (super-fine wet/dry sandpaper) on a flat, stable substrate(tile or acrylic). My hands jerk at bad times when I was trying to master SR shaving, so I quit.
If you think of adventure sports like rock climbing, sailing, mountaineering, kayaking etc there are always real risks but that doesn't make any of these activities dangerous per se.
Danger only really rears its head when you fail to manage the risks carefully: bad equipment, poor knowledge, bad decisions and lack of discipline. It's up to the individual to get the risk down to a safe level. With good equipment, good knowledge etc you can.
A wicked edge could, in theory, cut you very badly but in practice it's not actually that hard to handle a blade. I haven't even been doing this for very long but the only real danger I feel exposed to is a minor nick if I get a little careless.
It's not a sword fight: it's a relaxed, pleasant way to shave.
If I don't feel relaxed, maybe I'm rushing to meet a deadline, I just won't do it. That's what a DE is for.
Danger only really rears its head when you fail to manage the risks carefully: bad equipment, poor knowledge, bad decisions and lack of discipline. It's up to the individual to get the risk down to a safe level. With good equipment, good knowledge etc you can.
A wicked edge could, in theory, cut you very badly but in practice it's not actually that hard to handle a blade. I haven't even been doing this for very long but the only real danger I feel exposed to is a minor nick if I get a little careless.
It's not a sword fight: it's a relaxed, pleasant way to shave.
If I don't feel relaxed, maybe I'm rushing to meet a deadline, I just won't do it. That's what a DE is for.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I would LOVE to use a straight. In fact, when I gave up carts five years ago the real goal was to use a SR some day. That's never happened. Partly because my DE razors are amazing tools that I love to use, and easy. I bought a Feather Kamisori style shavette about a year ago and started using to shave the back of my neck and shoulders. It works great but I get cut every single time and I've gone back to an OC DE. I also realize that a SR has another whole cupboard of supporting stuff on top of all my existing shaving gear. But yet I'm still encouraged when I see posts here that maintenance is not difficult and every time I see vintage Japanese straights on the BST I drool a little.
I just recently bought two shavette type razors, a Feather SS Artist Club and a Dovo folding style to get a feel for the experience. I've shaved once with the Feather...it's going to take some time to get used to, but that's normal. But at this point, even if I move forward using these two shavette style razors, I'm not interested in everything else that goes with a real straight razor...stropping/honing etc. That's a lot of prep and time and I don't have that kind of time. When I get the hang of the two shavettes, I will re-evaluate and see. Maybe it will appeal to me. In any case, I wanted to try it.
Then what are you waiting for?
Straight razor ..... you aint seen my face its got more creases and bumps than the grand canyon .
I would like to try a straight and am slowly gathering a few materials. I imagine I would be fine with incorporating stropping-level maintenance but I really don't want to go down the rabbit hole of honing (famous last words). If periodic rehoning by someone competent is not a practical or serious option then I may short-circuit the idea.
@lurchbrian
Skin-stretching is a vital part of the technique.
You can get away with that using a DE. Not so much with a straight.
Pinch the skin above the cheekbone and then pull it up over your ear to the other side of your head. At some point it will come tight.
Skin-stretching is a vital part of the technique.
You can get away with that using a DE. Not so much with a straight.
Pinch the skin above the cheekbone and then pull it up over your ear to the other side of your head. At some point it will come tight.
Yeah I think you need to enjoy the whole process of stropping & blade maintenance.
Learning & practicing a skill can be a very satisfying thing to do though.
Agree totally. For a variety of reasons at this point in my life I can more easily part with the money than the time, relative to the potential hobby of honing etc. The rabbit hole is more tempting than it is burdensome, but it doesn't make the priority cut (so to speak).
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Yeah, I must admit that the initial honing to get a straight useable, and the initial shaves till I got the hang of it, were indeed quite rewarding.
However, once I got the the point of knowing I can hone satisfactorily, and I can shave satisfactorily with an open razor, I lost interest. I'd ticked the boxes on the metaphorical bucket list, acquired the skills, and determined it was too much effort for not enough reward.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Mostly because the very long awaited Fatip Open Comb Slant was always a razor I had *on order* so when it arrived I had to try it once.
Haven't used a straight since. Have hardly used anything but the FOCS.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Haven't used a straight since. Have hardly used anything but the FOCS.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Start-up costs, maintenance of the razor in general and the fact that as a vegan, a leather strop would be no option and the alternative would most likely be inferior and/or expensive and hard to find. I also believe straight razors were never meant to be used on yourself. In other words, in my opinion, they were made for others to shave someone else.
- Thread starter
- #218
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Not knowing your financial situation, I can appreciate that start-up cost may be a burden for you:
Traditional SR
SR $10
Lapping films & substrate $20
Paper strop 1¢
Maintenance also takes time; about an hour once and once only to initially set the bevele and refine the edge up to 1um on lapping film, 1 to 2 minutes each shave for stropping, and about 15 minutes once every three to six months to refresh the edge on the lapping films.Newspaper works just fine as a leather strop alternative. It's also cheap and readily available.
Then there are the shavette type SR's; start-up can be as low as $2 to $5, no maintenance other than replacing the blade every week or two, and no strop required.
Now I am starting to not believe at lot of the reasons given in this thread.
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Point taken, but still, why all that hassle? A safety razor works just as well, is easier to maintain and is far less dangerous in use. They also have that factor of 'history' and 'manliness' about them that I believe attracts a lot of guys to start using straight razors. So I just don't get, but that is just me and my opinion.
I’ve recently begun to use my 2 straights again. I had them “professionally” honed. They seemed marginally sharper when I got them back. Stropping is all I’m doing at home to maintain. I would be interested to see what these tools would do if at optimum performance. I enjoy my Feather AC because it’s sharp. Don’t enjoy the shave experience so much with my straights. For me, the next step would be an investment of time, education and tools to maintain my straights. First I need to test a seriously sharp blade, that has not happened yet. Still hopeful.
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