It takes me a bit less than ten minutes for a two pass shave. About the same as a DE with somewhat better results. With a straight, you don’t have to spend the time to continually rinse the blade. I find smaller blades shave faster.
Straight razor vs Safety razor faster shave?
- Thread starter ooggetuige
- Start date
Most of my straights are standard 2 3/4" length blades. I do have a couple of full 3" blades and I find that I slow down when using them as I am not as accustomed to using the longer blade. However, if I were to use a "shorty" blade less than 2 3/4", I doubt that would speed up my shave.
Most of my straights are either 6/8" or 7/8" wide. I have a couple of 5/8" blades and generally slow down when using them as I have a little more difficulty judging the shave angle. If I were to try shaving with a very large "chopper" blade, I would slow down as it is harder to see what you are doing when trimming sideburns and other tight spots.
5/8 and 4/8 are the quickest and easiest for me but I have, use and enjoy wider blades as well. If I could only own one size, it would be 4/8 but not a really thin grind.
Hmmm... this is a close one for me, as I haven't really timed myself. I was a DE shaver for many years but in the last fear years, I have focused on straight razor shaving. I cut more real estate with a straight razor due to it's length but I am a little more careful with it. If it's strictly shaving time, then it's a toss up. When you factor in stropping, then DE shaving is faster.
Never timed a shave since the goal is a good shave and not a good shave time. 
I've been straight shaving for about a year now. Ok, so just over 10 months. And I shaved with a DE for 4-5 years before that (and cartridges before that, and electric before that, and disposables before that, ...). I used to do a full three-pass DE shave and with the straights I also do a full 3-pass shave.
For me, the DE shave is "faster", but not as long-lasting and most certainly not as "fun". And by faster, I'm only talking about 5-10 minutes. There is a bit more prep and clean-up work involved with the stopping before and after, but that mostly fits within my regular pre/post shave and doesn't add any time.
For me, spending that extra 5-10 minutes on myself each day is a real gift. It starts me off "right" each day. Don't get me wrong. Using a DE is also a positive way to start the day, but for me that extra few minutes to use a straight takes it to a whole other level and is well worth going to bed 10 minutes earlier than I use to.
So I guess there's utilitarian shaving, just getting the whiskers off your face; and DE and straights are both excellent ways to do that with positive mental and skin condition benefits. But there's also the emotional/nostalgic(/spiritual?) components that, for some, are integral to the act of shaving or the pleasure associated with shaving. Those may be worth a few extra minutes as they can actually have a strong positive influence on the rest of your life.
If you want "fast", go electric or cartridge and goo. If you want to shave, and enjoy all the subtle connotations of that act, then use straights. If you want something in between, then DE may be perfect for you.
There are so many functional way to remove whiskers because there are so many individual needs/desires related to that act. Pick what works for you and be happy. Enjoy, whatever that personally means to you, your shave.
For me, the DE shave is "faster", but not as long-lasting and most certainly not as "fun". And by faster, I'm only talking about 5-10 minutes. There is a bit more prep and clean-up work involved with the stopping before and after, but that mostly fits within my regular pre/post shave and doesn't add any time.
For me, spending that extra 5-10 minutes on myself each day is a real gift. It starts me off "right" each day. Don't get me wrong. Using a DE is also a positive way to start the day, but for me that extra few minutes to use a straight takes it to a whole other level and is well worth going to bed 10 minutes earlier than I use to.
So I guess there's utilitarian shaving, just getting the whiskers off your face; and DE and straights are both excellent ways to do that with positive mental and skin condition benefits. But there's also the emotional/nostalgic(/spiritual?) components that, for some, are integral to the act of shaving or the pleasure associated with shaving. Those may be worth a few extra minutes as they can actually have a strong positive influence on the rest of your life.
If you want "fast", go electric or cartridge and goo. If you want to shave, and enjoy all the subtle connotations of that act, then use straights. If you want something in between, then DE may be perfect for you.
There are so many functional way to remove whiskers because there are so many individual needs/desires related to that act. Pick what works for you and be happy. Enjoy, whatever that personally means to you, your shave.
