- Thread starter
- #61
Thank you very much. Very well spoken words.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