Butterbean
Goodnight sir!
I joined this forum way back in 2016, but somehow never really became active, so here I am once more. I’m from PA, and I’m a barber.
Reintroduction
- Thread starter Butterbean
- Start date
Welcome back, things should still look familiar!
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Welcome back. Lately we have had a few barbers joining or becoming active again. I guess they want to learn how to shave with a traditional straight razor 
.
.Hey, thanks for remembering the smiley face emoji for the American audience!Welcome back. Lately we have had a few barbers joining or becoming active again. I guess they want to learn how to shave with a traditional straight razor
Welcome back, sir!
Welcome. Stick around and help make this place even more fabulous than it already is.
Welcome back to the forum.
- Thread starter
- #8
Butterbean
Goodnight sir!
I only shave my head lol I’m not attempting a straight on it lol. I do use a straight or shavette to line up my sideburns. For clients, I use a shavette called a feather nape razor on the back of the neck, and a DSC cartridge razor for the once-over on the face. I currently have four straights at home, a Red Point, two Imperials, and an unbranded one. All need honing and polishing and two need new scales. I have ordered scales, just waiting for them to arrive. I had custom scales made for one, but unfortunately I broke them.Welcome back. Lately we have had a few barbers joining or becoming active again. I guess they want to learn how to shave with a traditional straight razor
ylekot
On the lookout for a purse
Welcome back!
Welcome back!
Welcome back! I hope you add your pro perspective to the threads.
- Thread starter
- #12
Butterbean
Goodnight sir!
Most of my perspective on shaving comes from personal experience on shaving my head. For clients, I just do a once over with a cartridge razor. It saves time and reduces risk of cutting. In three years, I’ve never cut anyone with the cartridge razor, unless they had a bump or something I couldn’t see. I generally do not shave anyone if they’ve got visible skin irritation or redness.
- Thread starter
- #13
Butterbean
Goodnight sir!
I don’t know that I’m capable of that, but I’ll do my best not to make it less so. I don’t consider myself a special person by any means. I’ve got some skills in certain areas, but they’re skills a lot of other people could acquire if they put in the time and effort. Aside from that, I’m just a guy who is passionate about barbering, trying to raise twin boys with a crazy baby mama.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Welcome back to B&B, have some great shaves!
Welcome back!
I still enjoy barber shop shaves sometimes. They are never how I remember the older barbers did them in the 70s and early 80s. Sometimes I find a barber that does a nice job. When I find one I like, I ask for extra lather and towels and tip very well. When I come back the barber remembers. I'm an old guy, most of the new shops don't cater too us old guys.
- Thread starter
- #17
Butterbean
Goodnight sir!
Most barbers do not used straight razors, due to the risk of cutting. I used to use a shavette, but I nicked people almost every time. When I came to the shop I work at now, my boss suggested I use a cartridge razor. The truth is, we are charging $18 for a once-over. We don’t even use hot towels. I hope barbers are charging at lease twice that for a hot towel shave with extra towels and lather. And I’m glad you tip well. I think $18 is a fair price for a once-over. Most barbers get paid by the haircut, not the hour. We deserve to be compensated for our time, as we have bills to pay and mouths to feed. My shop is not a fancy shop, nor do I want it to be. We are not giving $50 haircuts or shaves. We charge $18 for shaves, $18 for regular mens cuts, and $16 for senior haircuts. I get paid 65% of every service I provide, and I can do a haircut in about 10 minutes or less usually, and a shave in about 5 or less. I’m simply not interested in spending too much time with one client. That’s not how I make my money. I’ll give you the best and safest $18 cut or shave I’m capable of, then I’m on to the next. The most haircuts I’ve done in a week was 180. I made over $2600 that week, counting gross pay and tips. That was a bit of an unusual circumstance, because I was by myself while my coworker and boss were out with covid. My shop has a reputation for getting people in and out, and that’s what the majority of our customers want. Anybody who wants more than that is going to be charged extra. We also do not take appointments, we are a walk-in shop. While I respect barbers who want to take the time to do more, I hope they are charging handsomely for it, but that’s not me.
- Thread starter
- #18
Butterbean
Goodnight sir!
Barbers are independent subcontractors for the most part, unless they are working at a chain place that pays hourly (and not well), or a shop that does payroll, but those are few and far between and if an independent shop does payroll, they’re still paying by the haircut, you just get taxes taken out. Barbershops pay two ways. Commission, or chair rent. Commission is obviously a percentage of every service provided. Chair rental means the barber holds payment for services rendered, and gives the shop its cut at the end of the term, usually a week. I never rented a chair, but the standard in the city where I went to barber school was $180 a week. That was in a pretty small city, and it’s probably 1.5-2x that now as that was almost 7 years ago. I did work for a chain place, and I got paid $8/hr no matter how many haircuts I did. Where I work now, I can make up to $58 in an hour, not including tips. If you are busy enough, you can make more money renting a chair, but I like commission because with rent, you have to do so many haircuts just to make rent. But with commission you’re getting paid for every haircut. My boss has said if he were to charge rent, he would charge $300 a week. I would have to do 16-20 haircuts just to make that and there are days, although not many, where I fall below or barely hit that number, so I wouldn’t get paid at all for that. And if that were the case, I definitely would not be spending any extra time on anyone. We already try to actively discourage time wasting by people who don’t want to give good instructions during a haircut or want us to change something after the whole haircut has been done based on their instructions. We don’t mind touching things up like taking a little more off the front, but we are not about doing a whole haircut twice and not getting paid for it. The bottom line is that this is basically a PSA for everyone to respect their barber and be willing to compensate them fairly for their services.
Welcome back!
