When is Too Old for a Straight

[Raissermesser]

Maybe it was the recycling thread in the General Discussion, or simply because I've never shaved with one, but am now thinking about straights. This has also lead to the question of age: When is too old to use a straight razor?

In my mind, there are two issues. The first is my life expectancy vs the set-up cost of straights. No, I am not about to kick the bucket (that I know of), but if I started tomorrow and lived as long as my father, I wouldn't have four decades of use. OTOH, if I was in my twenties, that would increase dramatically. If I'd done this in the 1970s, I'd literally would have been set for life (granted that it was a lot harder to do then than now, but that's another issue).

The second issue is how long will my hands remain steady and be able to tighten my skin enough for a straight? That's likely to happen sooner than my death (knock on wood). This further reduces my return on the investment.

Note: Investment-wise for me would mean a straight, a strop, a hook, and one or more hones.

Comments? I'm not dissing straights at all. I'm simply wondering if it's more for younger men.

Side note: When I went back to SE and DE, my father thought I was going to straights, and had a look of pure horror. I think he was intimidated by them, and started using DE. OTOH, I know his father originally used a straight- I have his hone and old strop. No, I don't think the strop is still usable.

 

[ScottChapin]

Your never too old. I’ve been using them for about 17 months and daily for three weeks now. That alone has been worth it to me. As I get more proficient, I don’t even want anything different. It’s too much fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gaznix]

Yeah, it’s fun, what ever your skin you’ll manage, we’re all different. I have a scar I have to be careful around and my neck hair grows in all directions. Get one and enjoy it!

 

[pwheeler]

I have 2 straights and bought a strop, too. I've only tried to shave with them 4 times in total. I've got them put up right now. I'm at that stage were I find it difficult to tighten my old skin enough. I'm sure it's all about technique and may dive into it again one day. But it's definitely harder to do with wrinkles and loose, thin skin.

 

[Twelvefret]

Maybe it was the recycling thread in the General Discussion, or simply because I've never shaved with one, but am now thinking about straights. This has also lead to the question of age: When is too old to use a straight razor?

In my mind, there are two issues. The first is my life expectancy vs the set-up cost of straights. No, I am not about to kick the bucket (that I know of), but if I started tomorrow and lived as long as my father, I wouldn't have four decades of use. OTOH, if I was in my twenties, that would increase dramatically. If I'd done this in the 1970s, I'd literally would have been set for life (granted that it was a lot harder to do then than now, but that's another issue).

The second issue is how long will my hands remain steady and be able to tighten my skin enough for a straight? That's likely to happen sooner than my death (knock on wood). This further reduces my return on the investment.

Note: Investment-wise for me would mean a straight, a strop, a hook, and one or more hones.

Comments? I'm not dissing straights at all. I'm simply wondering if it's more for younger men.

Side note: When I went back to SE and DE, my father thought I was going to straights, and had a look of pure horror. I think he was intimidated by them, and started using DE. OTOH, I know his father originally used a straight- I have his hone and old strop. No, I don't think the strop is still usable.

I’d recommend beginning with a Feather SS and Pro Guard blades.

Feather SS Folding Handle Razor, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008CF6KMC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QvQaDbN1N2F0R

Feather Artist Club Proguard Blade https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IGSVQC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IwQaDb9D0AK8Q

No honing or stropping. These are wonderful razors.

Keep the razor flat always and lather hydrated.

 

[Twelvefret]

Also, supplement your SR with a saftey razor of choice for detail work.

Men back in the day, those the barbers wouldn’t shave, who shaved themselves, were trying to be presentable just as I did for decades shaving in the shower.

One thing the age should never life by is what’s appropriate or what they ought to not do. There is plenty of time for life in a nursing home or worse.

 

[evnpar]

I had been wet shaving for over 50 years with a DE or SE (I've never used a cart) when I started using a straight six years ago, e.g. you are never to old.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

There's plenty of time for a dirt nap. Shave now. Die later.

If you're thinking about the straight razor you oughta go for it, unless you're under thirteen years old.

 

[Robert Anderson]

There's plenty of time for a dirt nap. Shave now. Die later.

If you're thinking about the straight razor you oughta go for it, unless you're under thirteen years old.

Maybe it was the recycling thread in the General Discussion, or simply because I've never shaved with one, but am now thinking about straights. This has also lead to the question of age: When is too old to use a straight razor?

In my mind, there are two issues. The first is my life expectancy vs the set-up cost of straights. No, I am not about to kick the bucket (that I know of), but if I started tomorrow and lived as long as my father, I wouldn't have four decades of use. OTOH, if I was in my twenties, that would increase dramatically. If I'd done this in the 1970s, I'd literally would have been set for life (granted that it was a lot harder to do then than now, but that's another issue).

The second issue is how long will my hands remain steady and be able to tighten my skin enough for a straight? That's likely to happen sooner than my death (knock on wood). This further reduces my return on the investment.

Note: Investment-wise for me would mean a straight, a strop, a hook, and one or more hones.

Comments? I'm not dissing straights at all. I'm simply wondering if it's more for younger men.

Side note: When I went back to SE and DE, my father thought I was going to straights, and had a look of pure horror. I think he was intimidated by them, and started using DE. OTOH, I know his father originally used a straight- I have his hone and old strop. No, I don't think the strop is still usable.

I started using a straight when I was 65. wrinkly skin and all. I do not think I will recoup my investment. It is too much fun buying razors, hones and soaps. FWIW, shaving with a cart was always just a daily hygiene chore. It takes me longer, buy I actually enjoy shaving with a straight and prefer that to a cartridge razor.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I figure this way.

In order to get back my investment it will take at least a few hundred years.

Since life is totally fair I know I'm going to live long enough to recoup my investment.

Spoiler: But...

Some of the gentlemen on the BOSC thread have a different take on getting their wet shaving money back. Check it out.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Gaznix]

Between my DE blades and straight plus creams/soaps/brushes I genuinely believe I could shave for the next 10 years without buying another shaving item...... but that’s no fun!

 

[RumpleBearskin]

The OP asks a reasonable question and tightly points out that there are multiple criteria that drive the answer. But everyone will weight those criteria differently. How old ... if I want to recoup my investment, depends on how long you'll shave and how big will you invest. How old ... safely, depends on your current health, genetic predispositions, your "threshold" for what's "safe", etc.

Bottom line,there's no answer. Not even a rule of thumb. If you want to try, then try. It's your face, your money, your satisfaction.

 

[bluesman 7]

I have a distinct memory of my grandfather, who lived with us and probably used a straight his whole life, being very upset because he could no longer sharpen his straight razor. He was in his eighties and I was probably ten. The reason was clear as a bell to me, it was because he was too old. At my young age I didn't understand the implications of losing the ability to do something that he had been able to do his whole adult life. Now I understand!

I would say whether you're too old to start would have very little to do with how many years you have left to use a straight vs the investment. If you have the interest, the payback on the equipment is nearly immediate in terms of enjoyment/dollar invested IME.

 

[Joshua223]

Considering you can shave with a straight without a huge initial investment, I would say it pays for itself pretty quickly.
A shave ready razor, strop, and barber hone can be had for less than a hundred dollars if you keep an eye out for them.

And all of these will last you the rest of your life with proper care.

Can't predict age. Waaaaaay too many variables.

 

[garyg]

There's no easy answer, but the OP has a good point - though I've never thought of shaving on a TARR basis (Time Adjusted Rate of Return, if I recall correctly). I have been dabbling with straights for some while in my sixties, and while I'm certain eighteen year old hands could accomplish a better shave, as others have pointed out it is a fun and satisfying exercise. You can try it out for a small investment, perhaps the easiest is the shavette route, though that doesn't translate to a "real" straight easily.

 

[Joshua223]

I thought straight razors were supposed to be for older guys anyway, and the younger guys using them were the odd ones.

 

[steveclarkus]

Maybe it was the recycling thread in the General Discussion, or simply because I've never shaved with one, but am now thinking about straights. This has also lead to the question of age: When is too old to use a straight razor?

In my mind, there are two issues. The first is my life expectancy vs the set-up cost of straights. No, I am not about to kick the bucket (that I know of), but if I started tomorrow and lived as long as my father, I wouldn't have four decades of use. OTOH, if I was in my twenties, that would increase dramatically. If I'd done this in the 1970s, I'd literally would have been set for life (granted that it was a lot harder to do then than now, but that's another issue).

The second issue is how long will my hands remain steady and be able to tighten my skin enough for a straight? That's likely to happen sooner than my death (knock on wood). This further reduces my return on the investment.

Note: Investment-wise for me would mean a straight, a strop, a hook, and one or more hones.

Comments? I'm not dissing straights at all. I'm simply wondering if it's more for younger men.

Side note: When I went back to SE and DE, my father thought I was going to straights, and had a look of pure horror. I think he was intimidated by them, and started using DE. OTOH, I know his father originally used a straight- I have his hone and old strop. No, I don't think the strop is still usable.

I’m 70 years old and just started last year. It’s worth it.

 

[Twelvefret]

I’m 70 years old and just started last year. It’s worth it.

Amen brother. The OP will discover what's best, but I never, ever suggest to someone it's too damn late.

 

[Hyloworks]

My $.02 is go for it. If you're asking about it you're interested enough. There is no time like the present. Plus, there is this one online community..... haha filled with people that I am sure would be ready and willing to purchase any equipment you didn't want to keep. I can tell you that I am 35 and my Father is 62 and we both love our straight razor shaves. When he comes to visit nowadays I give him a full straight razor shave of his face and head just for fun. It's all what you make of it. I think the rate of return at this point is well within limits. Even if you have a DE and enough blades for the rest of your life. Cheers!

 

[FatboySlim]

It's a good and honest question, that I asked myself years ago when I started down this road. Learning to use a straight well, and keep it sharp, is definitely a time investment in a set of lost skills. Those skills are not really directly transferable to other areas of life, beyond learning patience and attention to detail. One only has so much time on this earth, and decisions about how to invest that time do matter.

I started straight shaving in my mid-40s, about 12 years ago. At the time I had fallen in love with DE shaving because of the quality of the shave being so far above anything I'd experienced. I invested a lot of time in learning how to do it really well, and feel I got back everything I put into it and then some.

I respect DEs and feel in capable hands with quality blades they are outstanding shavers. But starting over with straights took things to a new level for me in terms of the experience (and effort required, because I insisted on learning how to hone my own razors). There is nothing like getting a BBS shave with a straight you honed yourself.

As far as saving money and sticking it to The Man, that ship has sailed long ago for me. I know I'll never get back the money I've spent on razors, natural honing stones, and strops. But the enjoyment I get out of the process, and quality of the shave experience I get years later is just beyond compare, I'm hopelessly addicted. Nothing like it, it's like a spa treatment I do for myself. It will be a very sad day when I don't have the ability to do it anymore. I'm guessing that's why old men years ago grew beards out of necessity, when they couldn't shave with a straight anymore because that's all that was available.

I recently traveled on business for the first time in a while, and only took a cartridge razor along for convenience. I couldn't believe how much I missed a quality straight shave, and how much I enjoyed it when I got back. Maybe as I'm getting older ritual and ceremony and personal items just mean more to me, but that first straight shave when I got back was like heaven.