Straight Razor Shavers

[Steve56]

When I first started using a straight, I wasn't very good at it,
and I think that's why I got better shaves from a safety razor at that time.

In the 60's when I was a child, and
in the 70's when I was a young man,
I don't recall learning how to use a safety razor
as being a real thing.

Learning how to shave with a safety razor
was like learning how to put on a hat.
(no actual learning curve, and I never heard of anybody wanting advice).

I got my first straight razor around 1973-1974. I took a bus to downtown Knoxville and got a 5/8 Robert Klass, I either couldn’t drive or didn’t have access to the car at that time. I wanted a 6/8 Puma but couldn’t afford it, being a teenager. The Puma’s price in todays dollars would be about $450. About what a nice one goes for today.

I used the Arkansas stones that I had to hone it, and I had black Arks (and still have them), but no idea what I was doing. I could shave with it but it wasn’t as good as drugstore razors - not surprising eh? The razor succumbed to cell rot over the years of non use while I was building a career and life.

This is what prompted my comments about convenience and people not being able to maintain their SR in shaving trim to compete with the DE, been there done that, got the T-shirt.

So yep, I hear ya brother!

 

[Steve56]

I will never, ever ride a motorcycle at night in a rural area, never.

This actually safer, everyone assumes that you’re a car with one headlight out.

Which is normal in the rural south.

 

[cajunrph]

This actually safer, everyone assumes that you’re a car with one headlight out.

Which is normal in the rural south.

Except for the deer or other critters that dart out into the line of travel.

 

[OkieStubble]

At least somebody gets it

Lol’d. Others of us get it also. Breaking down any long winded explanations or definitions, You are simply an expert gentleman antagonist in an antagonist’s paradise?

Which simply, is a target rich environment of gentlemen protagonists?

Definitely makes for interesting threads and discussions.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I bought a DE because I was tired of hacking up my face with a cartridge razor, and the cost and waste of cartridges. There is a learning curve to using a DE. Took me a few months to become proficient and well over a year to consistently get irritation-free shaves.

I bought a straight razor because I could, starting with shave-ready razors and a strop - the overhead of honing seemed like too much. But then curiosity got the better of me and I bought a stone, and then a second stone, and then a beat-up vintage razor which I restored, and then more razors and more stones.

What's great about a straight razor is that you can dig as deep as you want. Took a while, but I am now able to consistently get irritation-free shaves using a piece of steel that I rubbed on a stone. And this still amazes me!

 

[OkieStubble]

This is one of the most thought provoking threads I've read in a long time.

I think there have already been many great answers provided so far.

Here's my contribution... its not intended to be a rant, but I think my answer needs some context.

With every new invention or improvement people can buy products that have more useless features than the original, cost more than the original, and break sooner than the original.

We have products that do things for us so we have become lazier.

With Amazon two day delivery on most items we have become even more impatient. What happened to the delivery via drones?

They don't teach cursive writing in grade school anymore.

There is no P.E. in school anymore.

Why do anything creative like writing or drawing when AI can do it for you?

Our society is doomed.

For me it's not about the quality of the shave, because I can achieve a much closer and smoother shave using my Blackland Dart. Heck, with almost any of my DE razors.

I use a straight razor because it is difficult. It's time consuming. It's dangerous. I enjoy the ridiculous level of concentration required. It puts me in a better mood. I shave at night, so for me it clears my mind of the day's nonsense. I would not call it a zen like experience. But whatever it is, sometimes it lasts for the duration of the shave. Sometimes a few minutes after. Sometimes a few hours.

I use a straight razor because I want at least one part of my life to be rewarded by doing something hard.

Great post. Been dabbling around a bit as of late with a keyboard, trying to learn how to play the Piano.

From my experience, it shows me that learning how to shave with a Straight? Was not hard at all.

Slow going? Time consuming? Yes. Learning how to read notes and play chords is hard.