I am becoming more and more interested and intrigued by straight razor shaving. I think that it is, for lack of a better or more mature word, cool. I like the manliness and the niche-ness of it.
I have read some of the sticky's and how-to's on these forums to try to get a better idea of what I would be getting into and what is all involved in making the conversion from DE to straights. The one area that is still shrouded in some degree of uncertainty is honing. I mean, how necessary would it be for me to learn to hone? I know that there are honing services out there. How many of you hone yourselves and how many send their blades out? I would imagine that if one sends it out that they would need another blade to use while the first is away, yes? I also know that there are many factors which affect this (the blade itself, one's hair, the angle or aggressiveness with which one shaves), but how often does a blade need to be honed?
I am sure that I would be able to pick up stropping and get the hang of it. But, I know that honing is of such vital importance to an effective shave that I feel that I would trust a professional more. How intuitive would it be for me to pick up? Or, is it just not necessary and I would be better off sending my investment to a professional?
As I am sure you can see, this is a major hang-up in my mind. I am just leery that this might become a hassle and I want to hear from those in the know if this is necessarily the case. Not that it will prevent me from going to straights, I guess that I just need someone(s) to shed some light on the topic. For example, one hang-up used to be that a straight was deadly sharp and that one would need to pay the absolute and utmost attention to prevent a bloodbath. But, after having read posts and seen videos, this is not necessarily the case I have found. So, that is no longer a hang-up.
I am sorry that I have rambled on like this, and I thank any and all who are patient enough to read through this whole thing and am most thankful to any and all who can provide some valuable insight. I am really excited about the concept and idea of straight shaving and I hope that I can alleviate these apprehensions to allow myself to make the move.
I have read some of the sticky's and how-to's on these forums to try to get a better idea of what I would be getting into and what is all involved in making the conversion from DE to straights. The one area that is still shrouded in some degree of uncertainty is honing. I mean, how necessary would it be for me to learn to hone? I know that there are honing services out there. How many of you hone yourselves and how many send their blades out? I would imagine that if one sends it out that they would need another blade to use while the first is away, yes? I also know that there are many factors which affect this (the blade itself, one's hair, the angle or aggressiveness with which one shaves), but how often does a blade need to be honed?
I am sure that I would be able to pick up stropping and get the hang of it. But, I know that honing is of such vital importance to an effective shave that I feel that I would trust a professional more. How intuitive would it be for me to pick up? Or, is it just not necessary and I would be better off sending my investment to a professional?
As I am sure you can see, this is a major hang-up in my mind. I am just leery that this might become a hassle and I want to hear from those in the know if this is necessarily the case. Not that it will prevent me from going to straights, I guess that I just need someone(s) to shed some light on the topic. For example, one hang-up used to be that a straight was deadly sharp and that one would need to pay the absolute and utmost attention to prevent a bloodbath. But, after having read posts and seen videos, this is not necessarily the case I have found. So, that is no longer a hang-up.
I am sorry that I have rambled on like this, and I thank any and all who are patient enough to read through this whole thing and am most thankful to any and all who can provide some valuable insight. I am really excited about the concept and idea of straight shaving and I hope that I can alleviate these apprehensions to allow myself to make the move.