For shaving, yes. I was only addressing the meditative aspects. One must lower the razor’s spine to feel one with the divine.
WHY a STRAIGHT razor?
- Thread starter RicoSuave
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For shaving, yes. I was only addressing the meditative aspects. One must lower the razor’s spine to feel one with the divine.
Fellas, fellas…, relax.
I just chose that photo to represent the “mediative/blissful” state one could achieve while shaving with a SR.
Man, you guys are STICKLERS!
Hey, coulda been WORSE!
Coulda used this infamous Duvall shaving photo -
View attachment 1283502
YIKES!
That last picture brings to mind a company called "Naked Armor" that I think is more invested in advertising than their products. I believe they are rebranded Titans.
But their advertisements always pop up on Facebook now with a hip dude pretending to use one of their razors. They always have a dramatic look to their pictures.
I think their advertising has the opposite effect on me, where all the hype makes me wonder why they are trying to push their products so hard. I don't see many ads for Dovo or Ralf Aust or TI. I guess the quality speaks for themselves.
I haven't used a naked armor product, so maybe I am wrongly judging, but their ads don't give me much confidence.
I had a roommate who cooked in the nude one night while I was gone with my girlfriend. Long story short, really bad burn. He never did it again. I would definitely start with Kevlar shorts or something…anything!
- Thread starter
- #104
I was thinking more along the lines of a LEATHER smock (the LONGER, the better, obviously!), at least for the first THOUSAND shaves, ‘til I got SLIGHTLY more comfortable with it.
Whadaya think?
Let me say this while still being in awe with a proper first true SR shave today.
I took a $10 ebay vintage German razor, an unknown brand, honed it through the progression of 4k/8k and 12k and had my first SR shave.
More than 12 hours later still BBS, zero irritation. The skin feels pre pubescent after 10 hours.
Nothing compares.
Gem and Ever Ready SEs feel pretty close but the joy of creating your own edge and the technique to shave facial hair not restricted by blade gap or exposure is something to truly experience!
The mindfulness and awareness and ensuring each stroke is a deliberate one with zero room for error is magical, as said earlier- meditative almost !
Edit : I wouldn't try to SR shave in the nude in case a mindless move would leave me bleeding like a stuck pig , and I need ER services!
I took a $10 ebay vintage German razor, an unknown brand, honed it through the progression of 4k/8k and 12k and had my first SR shave.
More than 12 hours later still BBS, zero irritation. The skin feels pre pubescent after 10 hours.
Nothing compares.
Gem and Ever Ready SEs feel pretty close but the joy of creating your own edge and the technique to shave facial hair not restricted by blade gap or exposure is something to truly experience!
The mindfulness and awareness and ensuring each stroke is a deliberate one with zero room for error is magical, as said earlier- meditative almost !
Edit : I wouldn't try to SR shave in the nude in case a mindless move would leave me bleeding like a stuck pig , and I need ER services!
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I was thinking more along the lines of a LEATHER smock (the LONGER, the better, obviously!), at least for the first THOUSAND shaves, ‘til I got SLIGHTLY more comfortable with it.
Whadaya think?
View attachment 1283825
You'll "shave" money on a fancy 3" Kanayama with this for sure !
This is available on Amazon for a 100 bucks. Shave on fearlessly like a true medivial knight!
- Thread starter
- #107
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
That front piece looks a little short for me.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Not what your GF told me.
Any longer and you wouldn't need a Kanayama either and be able to paddle strop on the go!
Might chafe a bit
@Rico Suave You are clearly drawn to the straight. All this business of "maybe sometimes" etc is mere camouflage, aimed at yourself.
Accept your fate. Buy a straight.
Accept your fate. Buy a straight.
For some its the nostalgia, for some its the feeling of holding a naked blade against your skin, for others its the satisfaction of shaving with an edge that you honed yourself, for some its just cool.After watching my fair share of shaving videos on-line, I still have to ask, WHY would anyone use a STRAIGHT razor in this day and age?
I’ll admit, it does look COOL, but damn, as someone who’s a DE user, I also see the downsides.
One major one for me - I sometimes like to shave in the NUDE. I know that even with a safety (DE) razor, I still face the risk of a substantial nick/cut should it slip from my hand.
But, with a STRAIGHT razor, I just keep imagining that with just ONE potential slip-up, it's an instant “sex change” down there (in the LONG history of straight razor shaving, it MUST have already happened to someone, no?).
Besides, you gotta get a strop, a strop handle, a sharpening stone, blade oil, etc., plus, there’s a long learning curve if you’re gonna get any good at wielding that thing.
Just trying to understand what the appeal is, from the other side, RESPECTFULLY.
I will admit that when I straight razor shaved, it was most of those things. After a while, I just got tired of all the maintenance and gear that a straight razor required. Why do that when I could just use a DE blade for a couple of weeks, toss it when its tired and put a new blade in?
- Thread starter
- #114
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
So true. SR shaving is not for every man. There are many ways to remove hair from your skin. Find what suits you best and get what enjoyment you can.
- Thread starter
- #116
So, my “friend” is thinking, “Hey, why not try this whole “SR” deal out, but NOT outlay a ton of moolah,” ‘case he doesn’t care for it. 
Thinking, why not try out a cheap $5 shavette first, to see if this is for him.
Wadaya say… would it be a CLOSE enough approximation to what using an ACTUAL straight razor is like?
Thinking, why not try out a cheap $5 shavette first, to see if this is for him.
Wadaya say… would it be a CLOSE enough approximation to what using an ACTUAL straight razor is like?
So, my “friend” is thinking, “Hey, why not try this whole “SR” deal out, but NOT outlay a ton of moolah,” ‘case he doesn’t care for it.
Thinking, why not try out a cheap $5 shavette first, to see if this is for him.
Wadaya say… would it be a CLOSE enough approximation to what using an ACTUAL straight razor is like?
What type of shavette are you looking at? If you are talking about a $5 shavette from Aliexpress there are some that are pretty good, but many of the cheap shavettes I wouldn't recommend for a beginner as they are very light and small and are made mostly for a barber to trip hair such as neck and side burns. I started using one of those a few years ago, I got it for about $10CAD at Sally's and it was a horrible experience. I've used it a couple of times lately and it's not bad, but still not a great shave.
I would get one of the Parker shavettes that are closer to a real straight if you want to go that route.
- Thread starter
- #118
Oh, I’m not looking for a GREAT shave.
Just something to approximate what it’s like, roughly.
For my “friend,” of course.
If you're looking for a shavette, these are very good (AC blades). I use mine regulary.
Why a straight razor? If you like woodwork you'll probably like straight razors. You'll enjoy the craftmanship of working with tools. You'll already have learned a little bit about sharpening and you enjoy that too.
Straights are like doing woodwork on your face.
Why a straight razor? If you like woodwork you'll probably like straight razors. You'll enjoy the craftmanship of working with tools. You'll already have learned a little bit about sharpening and you enjoy that too.
Straights are like doing woodwork on your face.
- Thread starter
- #120
Wood don’t BLEED. 
