Doubting the straight razor shave.

[VBH37118]

View attachment 848899 Late to the party here. My SR shaves last longer than any cartridge I ever experienced. No 5 o’clock shadows. When I’m in a rush, I use a stick, a synthetic brush and a DE. That’s essentially my travel kit. So aside from the “spa time” that I thoroughly enjoy with my straights, soaps and collection of fine brushes, I get longer lasting smoother shaves.

That is a great collection.

 

[Mango]

Hi gents

I have a highly sensitive skin, a diamond hard beard and I shaved until 2014 with whatever diabolical invention Gillette Wilkinson or whoever’s else put in the market. By no means I could get a BBS shave without turning my face into a fireplace. I read that if ever one would go back to carts he would shave with a Sensor Excel and I agree. But even with a SE there is no mean, at least for me, to go against the grain without getting irritated.
Straights solved it.

it took time to learn what pertains to the straight razor world shaving to honing and to basic maintenance rules. But by no means I will go back to carts. Straights are now a passion and the best possible way to get a perfect BBS shave 6 days per week.

 

[MO1]

How does a bbs shave last longer with a straight? All things being equal bbs straight,de,or cart.bbs is the same for all three methods.

BBS lasting longer could be quite a few factors actually, skin stretching which alot of SR users use, sharper edges, a more comfortable SR is more forgiving less irritation letting you work on the BBS better.

 

[Polarbeard]

If a sports car gets wrecked you shouldn't blame the car but the driver.

 

[VBH37118]

Amen, good technique with a sharp blade will be able to achieve bbs.

 

[adductum]

Having used both ,I now use a Parker Shavette. A Shavette for me is a closer shave while a straight may be little more comfortable. I was not that good with honing so gave it up.

Sharpening a straight razor, is super easy as all you do is either establish or re establish a working bevel with an 8000 or more hone the sharpness thereafter takes care of itself i do 50 strops or 60 for TI straight which i use before every shave.The straight razor is made so the angle is already there so dont hone just the centre,i just favor either end of the edge , the bevel is just the angle already set by spine and the edge,so its already done for you.So forget the word sharpen and just replace with word bevel set,or bevel establish.In fact once a straight razor has had its initial hone which can take 1/2 an hour or so that razor will only take an occasional refresh,i dont leave it too long.My 6x TI straights i do all together and it takes about 30 minutes for all of them.Remember be very gentle.I hone after setting up a slurry with another stone, in smallish circles clockwise and then anti clockwise up and down the honeabout 6 x up and down for each one.then to finish all six i wipe the slurry off all six razors remove all the slurry off the hone,and after wetting gently move the razors in the direction of the edge just to clean up any burr that may have been set up.The slurry can cause the edge to blunt.Its difficult to explain but take it from me ,its super easy provided you have got it in your head what your trying to do.By pasting a strop you undo everything ive said also honeing with a taped spine the same ,it undoes everything i have said.People make money out of confusing people.

 

[VBH37118]

Sounds like perfect sense, you pick up the ball and throw it to who.

 

[StuartT]

Late to the party...my experience is this. With good technique and proper preparation, I get a slightly better and longer lasting shave from a straight edge than I do from a DE and definitely better than a cart. I certainly couldn't make this declaration when I started shaving with a SE; it took me about 2 years to develop an adequate two hand/3 pass/ATG technique. Shaving with a SE takes longer than shaving with a DE so for me it is a weekend thing. Interestingly I nick myself more (even in relative terms) with a DE than I do with a SE.

Proper honing and stropping techniques were key skills needed to keep my blades in HHT condition. I am a big fan of convex hones. They have totally upped my honing results.

I use a cart when I am traveling...I have no interest in donating good equipment to TSA...no offense meant to anyone who keeps our skies safe.

 

[FXDX]

If you don't know how to hone and strop a straight razor then sure, you will get a substandard result. But if you do know how to put an edge on a razor it can match or surpass a safety razor or a cartridge razor. It just requires more skill in prepping the razor and in shaving technique. Are you doing an up stroke on your mustache against the grain with your straight. If you are not going against the grain in the 3rd pass then it is no surprise that you came this this erroneous conclusion.