Do you ever fear straight razor shaving?

[incucrash]

I am the classic wet shaving story.

Fed up with cartridges, price and performance

Addicted to shaving like my Grandpa, addicted to the lovely brush makers (Your brushes should not just sit like that, send my way and I will give them a great home! ), soap artisans (Send me your samples, I am your guinea pig at your service , and people who are incredibly too friendly and supportive on here.... You know who you are!

Telling myself I would never use another brush besides my trusty $25 Colonel Conk from amazon, to now owning 2 Rooney's and a M&F, and I know it will only get worse

To swearing that the Gillette NEW Short comb was the best DE shave of my life, so much so I am afraid to even try other DE razors, and out of all the blades to my disposal, only using the Gillette 7 o'clock blue series...

Then Straight razor shaving came along, I hated it, but pushed on

Primos let me use a Dovo Bismarck, what a jerk right? Sent me a $150+ razor for nothing more then a few SE blades and trusted me with it, for months! I used it, loved it.

Doc 226 to the rescue on a fresh hone on my Torrey, holy crap! Shave ready is an understatement! Another bad member I tell you! *sarcasm*

then comes taco8slo with his PIF of a beautiful M&F brush, my favorite, but do not tell him that, I hate for him to know he did something to make me even more addicted to this whole wet shaving experience.

These three members, with the help of many more, created a monster

A straight razor monster

Put all this other jabbering before this behind, I am sipping scotch, another newly found addiction *shakes fist at Badger and Blade*


I wrote this to get input on the deathly fears of straight razor shaving

Everyone I tell with the exception of a crazy cousin of mine shivers, hides, runs, or looks at me like I have lost my mind

Think back to the Christmas Story, "You'll shoot your eye out"

"You'll cut your neck open"

Damn these statements!

Does anyone else have this problem? How does your family and friends take it? Do you even watch movies like Seven Psychopaths and The Raven and not want to shave with a straight razor?

My only "scare" was shaving over my girlfriends in her ".5" bathroom, more like ".15"
I hit my elbow on the door jam while raising my straight to shave.... *bump*....*pause*...... A line was left in my lather where it hit, but no blood, no nicks, luckily!!!

Incase anyone is wondering, in the movie Seven Psychopaths, two characters both slit their own throats with a straight razor, one lives, one dies, it is pretty gorey

And in The Raven, a lady's neck is cut open with one, just recent movies I have watched while still learning it, so it comes up from time to time, lol

 

[mokeyskunks]

I'll respond with, it scares the living daylights out of me. I've always wanted to give it a shot but I'm still paranoid about cleaning glass with a blade much less my own throat. Interested to see if you guys can talk me into a straight razor.

Sorry, very new here and didn't even know it was a shaving forum.

 

[Legion]

I can usually muddle through my shave without a shaking hand, hangover and all.

It's a bit like, say, riding a motor bike. The first few times you do it in hard core traffic you feel like getting off and kissing the ground when you make your destination in one piece. After a while it is just transport and you think nothing of it.

 

[Jawaburger]

I find it odd that I fear it before I start shaving but once I put the blade to my face I find the fear goes away.

 

[Shave_Rat]

I find it odd that I fear it before I start shaving but once I put the blade to my face I find the fear goes away.

I'm at this stage myself currently. A bit hesitant initially but then it fades in as I concentrate on the shave. My first shave with the straight though? Weak knees, increased pulse, deep breathing needed between passes to steady the hand... lol All the time thinking "You all are just nuts... why would anyone choose this over a nice vintage DE?".

 

[Toothpick]

i'm not afraid in fact im eager to try it! perhaps i should be somewhat...on edge. i dont want to feel over confidant. but i feel like its something i can handle and enjoy. I pushed all the silly "oh no, not the double edge, you'll cut your face all up" comments out of my head and realized those were just myths, never really had an issue with my DE. I gather that the straight is on a different level but i feel like if i go in to it with anything less than total confidence in myself i will in fact cause a bloody mess. as soon as i get the funds whippeddog will be getting an order.

the comments annoy me the most. i mentioned using a straight razor to my dad..."oh no man! you'll cut yourself all up". while staying with my bro last month he sees my DE razor "what the?" and gives me this silly look. i tell you what the cartridge marketers have done a very good job drawing the curtain over the safety razor and straights.

 

[Doc226]

LOL, great post

 

[Obiwan]

Great post indeed. I was afraid the first time. Fear turned into caution and now I feel its the safest way for me to shave.

In the last few years I did have one shave that I remember well with a kamisori where I was rushed and experimenting with a super (suction) lather and it looked like I got into a fight with Miyamoto Musashi. Family did comment after that. Other than that, nobody really warns me that I'll "shoot my eye out."

 

[sychodelix]

I was VERY scared the first time with a shavette. But after you've dealt with an extremely unforgiving blade, there's not much to be scared of with a traditional one. Everyone else around me, is of course horrified though.

Still a bit spooked to shave the back of my neck with one though, where I can't see. More practice first.

 

[Wid]

I don't fear it but I do respect the blade. Hard to fear something that you look forward so much to using.

 

[tomjr]

NEVER if they did it for hundreds of years they did it alot. i figure if somebody can do alot of something i can do a little. the first straight i ever shaved with i honed myself. but that's another story. tom

 

[incucrash]

For the record, I have nipped myself more using a DE =]

I actually don't think I have drawn any blood to date using my straights

 

[sixsixty]

I don't fear it but I do respect the blade. Hard to fear something that you look forward so much to using.

Exactly how I feel too!

 

[oscar11]

Hard to fear something that you look forward so much to using.

Respect it yes, no fear.

 

[oakeshott]

I used to fear it, but am now interested in trying it and other members here (including Oscar11) have done much to get me to feel more comfortable. Of course, they could all be lying, but I don't know that yet.

 

[strop]

In the sense that a little fear=respect, I worry about the day I do not have it. That is when the problems will arise.

Most people get a look of incredulity at first, then just shake their heads. SWMBO knew from day one that I would enjoy the challenge so didn't say anything. Now, I hear her "bragging" about how her husband uses a straight razor!

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

All straight users should maintain a healthy level of fear/respect. This is true with all potentially dangerous items (guns, cars, SWMBOs). In regards to the OP, there are really two types of people in this situation: Those inclined to try it and those who won't. They have to go to the straight razor, it really doesn't work the other way around.

 

[Fish Slayer]

I have told others that the POTENTIAL for disaster is higher with a straight razor, but I get far fewer nicks and less irritation and an overall better shave than with a DE or cartridge.

 

[professorchaos]

Fear the straight razor? No. After ~1500 shaves, I don't worry about moments of inattention any more. It becomes like second nature. And only one cut has left a scar.

 

[joshua1970]

don't fear it, but when i get cocky or rush it, the edge can easily remind me to respect it.

tho I've gotten far worse cuts from a DE (futur) than any I've gotten from a straight!