Is a straight really any better?

[taffy]

In most posts on here i read that most folks start with a de, then move over to a straight, how many folks can say that they will never go back to a de?
I am asking this becuase i have more or less just stuck to straights over the last few months, mainly to get my technique up to scratch, and have only ever used a de if in a rush, last week i used a de all week and something hit me, i get a far superior shave with a de, no irritation, perfect results, and far far quicker as well, all this got me wondering if a straight will ever give me a perfect shave as if i am honest i dont think so, when i started off with straights i just bought some cheaper straights on the bst, but now i also have some higher end straights and i dont think there is much of a differance, they may hold a edge better, but the shave is the same, and when i look around the bay/web and see some of the prices paid for a straight of high repute, i really do wonder if its worth spending that sort of money, from my own thoughts, no, fair enough, you may buy something that only a few other folks in the world will own, but the shaves, from my experiance, are not going to be a million miles better than a properly honed razor of any price, the scales may be worth a fair bit, but the blade is a blade, so whats your views on all this rambling, i cant see a straight ever giving me as good a shave as a de, how about you, and be honest

 

[Peto]

How about me? I don't believe that straight is better than safety razor. My story is very similar to the yours. I've used straight for almost six months, now I don't have much time in the morning so I switched to DE. Shave was better, faster, smotther and without irritation. I've tried straights couple of time since that but shaves were mediocre. I was even at the barber shop and the shave wasn't spectacular. It seems I've ended with straight shaving. But I have to admit it's really nice, hone the razor, strop, etc. I don't regret anything!

 

[Austin]

I have tried straights twice. I was able to master a good shave but I always went back to a DE. I found DE's much easier for me and less maintenance involved. It was a no brainer for me.

 

[JPDyson]

Something I read (and I want to credit Ouch for this) that sums it up well from my perspective is that we don't shave with a straight because it's the most efficient way to the best shave. We do it for the challenge, and perhaps for some other reasons (nostalgia, luxury/self-pampering, machismo even). But efficiency/simplicity doesn't enter the picture for me now. I've seen some videos where guys seem to get quick, close, comfortable shaves with a straight. I think in 5-10 years I might be there.

But for now, it's a few minutes of my morning for steeling my focus and grounding me in reality - there's a razor sharp instrument gliding across my face, and that's very good for dispensing with the temptation toward illusion and pretense at 6am. This segues into discussions we don't really get into around here, but suffice it to say it's helpful for me.

My efficient shaver is my Schick Injector - I think it blows DE's out of the water for the results I get in the amount of time and effort it takes. But it's boring.

 

[DE Shaver]

I transitioned to DE shaving from straight razor shaving as my primary means of shaving. The reason? I felt I could get a good a shave with a DE razor than with a straight razor, given the same effort. However, straight razor shaving for me is now an occasional indulgence, much like enjoying a fine old Scotch. Regardless, those that dedicate themselves to the straight razor shaving craft can enjoy peerless shaves.

 

[taffy]

The reason? I felt I could get a good a shave with a DE razor than with a straight razor, given the same effort. However, straight razor shaving for me is now an occasional indulgence, much like enjoying a fine old Scotch.

I think this is my line of thinking, use a de as my prime razor, and pull a straight out every now and then, i want a good shave everyday and a de supplies this, then a little indulgence every now and again with a straight.

 

[brianw]

I learned to shave with a straight razor. Came back to wet shaving via the DE route. In the past year I moved to SE's and back to straights.
In the past 9 months the DE's have gotten very few uses. In fact none July 1. I get much better shaves with a SE then a DE, and the straight gives a shave on par with a DE, just more gratifying. SE's 3-4 days a week...and straights the others

 

[Blue58]

I cant see a straight ever giving me as good a shave as a de, how about you, and be honest

How about me? I don't believe that straight is better than safety razor. It seems I've ended with straight shaving. But I have to admit it's really nice, hone the razor, strop, etc. I don't regret anything!

I think it is like anything else YMMV some people think DE shaving is for the birds and they never get the hang of it, but have no problems with straights. While others never get any better than a bad multi blade razor shave from a straight. I think it is very dependent on the persons skin type, dexterity, prep, and any number of other things. If you don't have much time to prep for straight shaving then you probably wont get as good a shave as you would with a DE. And if you don't have the time to shave using good technique with a DE then you are gonna have some very bad shaves. So I think this is one of those questions that can't be answered by asking a simple "is one better than the other?"

 

[BladeRunner001]

Yes

 

[BladeRunner001]

I use them both but 95% of the time it's with a str8

 

[Radiation]

I've only shaved with my straight three times so I don't have a huge amount of experience but here are my thoughts.

My first shave with a straight was much much worse than my first with a DE. I had heaps of razor burn, took ages to do it, and wasn't even that smooth. With a DE and good razor blades I can consistently get a smooth shave in under ten minutes.

My third shave was much better, there was no irritation at all. I can't get close to this with a DE unless I use blades that don't shave me very well. The shave was also much smoother with more staying power. (I didn't even think I could get a smoother shave than a DE loaded with Feathers.) However I still haven't managed to shave one small part of my neck properly, and it still takes quite a while to shave.

The DE is better than cartridge or electric razors in every single way possible. I find I get a shave that is smoother, has no irritation, and takes less time. There is no such clear cut advantage between DE and straights. So far the straight shaves smoother and with less irritation, with the exception the bottom of my neck. However the difference isn't that great, and I doubt that anyone bar myself and my girlfriend would ever notice.

The whole process also takes much more time and there is a lot more maintenance involved. So why go to all the extra effort for such minimal benefit?

It's really about the experience. To me my straight razor is an old-world tool, something well made that had a craftsman involved in the manufacture rather than a machine in China. It's not easy to get a good shave, but it's very satisfying knowing that I'm getting better at it and will one day master a difficult task. It takes ages to shave, but I enjoy it. I enjoy stropping before and after, oiling the blade when I have to, and when I learn to hone I'll probably enjoy that too. There is also the coolness/manliness factor.

I also enjoy shaving with a DE, but since getting the straight it will be relegated to times when I need to shave in a few minutes or when I need to travel. Shaving become more of a hobby than a chore when I switched to DE's, and now with the straight it's even more fun.

 

[Oglethorpe]

The perfect shave with a straight, as few and far between as they may be, outranks the shave from a DE any day of the week. It's the quest for those occasional perfect shaves that keep me going with the straight. They are the best shaves that I am able to get with any apparatus.

 

[kg4ghn]

A shave with a straight can be every bit as good as a shave with a DE or an SE or whatever. I mean, you can only go BBS and then it doesn't get any better. The difference is with a straight it takes months and months to get there whereas with a DE you can get there in a few weeks or shorter.

My absolute best shaver right now based on the quickest least irritation BBS is my EverReady 1912. I get BBS with my DEs too, it just takes more passes.

I am still working on my straight technique and I have been using one since March. I also reached the stage where I doubted if I was ever going to get a BBS shave with a straight. Then one day it just happened. I've only had 3 BBS with a straight so far, but my average straight shaves are getting much better than they used to be. One of those BBS shaves was last night. It really makes all the doubt go away and makes it all worth it. Now I just keep practicing and eventually I will get to the point to where I can get BBS with every shave like I do with my other razors.

 

[Freedom]

For me it's the lack of irritation and also how a straight doesn't get clogged.

I have a heavy four days then 3 lighter days work, so I am just shaving twice a week (unless there's anything notable happening) and the way a straight works is so much favorable to a de in this pattern.

I find I get zero irritation form a straight because I only do two pass, okay there is a small area around my chin and mouth that doesn't come out bbs, but I am happy with that.

I found with a de I ended up doing four passes and irritating my skin because of it, anything less lead to a sub-par shave and the time sort of equaled a two pass straight shave.

 

[gull]

As of now, I like both straights and DEs for different reasons.

Shaving with a straight wakes me up for the day. Straights force me to pay attention and stay alert. After all, if I'm not alert, I get cut! Not so with a DE. I can lazily go over my face with minimal effort or attention and get great results too. The difference is I start my morning off with a focused mind, whereas with a DE I just lazily make my way through the day wishing I was still in bed.

My DE gives my a closer shave because I can get every angle of my face easily without and cuts. Overall the DE is just easier and maintenance free. I'm able to get BBS with a DE, but not so with a straight.

With my straight I can go WTG and XTG but so far not ATG. I need a lot more practice and I've only been working with straights for a few weeks.

Bottom line, my straight shaves aren't good, but I'm not about to quit. Every day I shave with a straight is a new day to and improve. I think I've had a lot of improvement in my few weeks so imagine what a few years will do!

 

[dz1087]

Until I get my Genco re-honed I'm stuck on the DE bandwagon. Luckily I just sent it off though!

I used a DE all last deployment and got really good a getting a shave quick and blood/irritation free. I've kind of lost practice with my straight, but am currently looking into getting another so I can rotate them out between hones and go more exclusively to straights. I really like the fact that not only is it manly to use a straight, but that a lot of people don't use them anymore and it's a pretty cool skill to have.

 

[Wid]

I get shaves that are on par with the DE. It takes quite a bit longer and a better focus but to me it is so much more fulfilling to use a str8. From the care you have to devote to them to the actual shave, I enjoy it far more than any other form of shaving I have ever tried, and I'm not a youngin either. I actually hated shaving, only shaving a couple times a week, till I found out about wet shaving.

Then when I looked into str8 shaving , oh boy that did it for me. I'm hooked.

 

[tylerdurden]

I get a better shave with DE on my neck, but I get a far better shave on upper lip and chin area with my straight. As for time, I can get a pretty good straight shave in almost the same time as a DE shave. Im still working on it after a year but still getting better and better. I like the independence of a straight razor.

 

[natchez]

To me, better is subjective. And, yes, it does seem better to me. Not because it is always the closest shave, not because it is faster, and not because it is macho. It is better to me because the experience is deeper and greater. The preparation is more critical, the stropping, the lather just so, the complex angles, the longer and more difficult strokes. There ia a challenge, and as mentioned above, the need to concentrate and focus.

I guess, if only the most efficient hair removal is the object, a dilatory might actually be "best".

Let's face it, DE and SE replaced straights as the mainstream because of ease and convenience. Now, cartridges have replaced DE and SE razors for most for the same reasons.

For me, there is just nothing like the small amount of "me" time I get from straight shaving. No one, not SWMBO, nor the kids when they are visiting, nor anyone else, will interrupt this time. In a hectic lifestyle that is the greatest benefit I derive from using straights.

That is not to say I do not enjoy the great shaves I get. Also, well-honed and stropped straights give me shaves with much less irritation, razor burn, ingrown hairs or problems. The only thing is I do get a few more nicks with straights. IMHO, a very small price to pay for the benefits.

 

[ambrose]

Straights for me, the enjoyment plus a great shave I usually get a better straight shave than a DE. I find the DE blades harsh in comparison. Cheap or expensive as long as the steel is good