Your Straight-Razor Story

[Shangas]

If this topic already exists, I beg the moderators' pardon, but I didn't find one when I went searching.

Just like the title says, what's your straight-razor story? How long have you been doing it? What were your first straight-shaving experiences like? I'm sure a lot of people would think it strange or crazy that men would still want to shave this way ("It's so dangerous"/"Hard"/"Difficult" etc) and I admit that I felt that way for a while. But now that I've found this forum, I'm beginning to see that straight-razor shaving is still very much alive and well.

So what's your story and why did you start shaving with a straight razor? How long have you been doing it? And what were your first impressions and experiences of straight-shaving?
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For my own story, I started shaving periodically last year, at the age of 22. I wasn't shaving regularly yet, just once or twice a month. As 2009 drew to a close, however, and my shaving became a bit more regular, I got sick and tired of sharing my dad's and brother's cartridge-razors. They were uncomfortable, irritating and were providing a very unsatisfactory shave. I cut myself so many times I just gave up on them.

Starting in January this year, I took up safety-razor shaving and gradually collected quite a kit. A razor, blades, scuttle, badger-brush, blade-sharpener, razor-case etc. It was going fine...but I always wanted something a bit...more.

I'm not sure when I started getting interested in straight-razors. I've been interested in them for a long time though, that's for sure and certain. They have that mysterious, mystic quality to them. They're murder-weapons, they're dangerous, lethally sharp and the perferred tool of those who like to give out Chelsea Smiles.

I'd been reading articles and watching videos about straight-razors for about a year before now and last week, fully armed with that sense of knowledge and understanding called 'confidence'...I went razor-hunting.

I bought my razor from a guy at the local flea-market who deals in knives and razors and stuff like that. He had about half a dozen razors for sale, each one dredged up from one of the various circles of Hell. It was a real rogues gallery of crap. Chipped blades, cracked or chipped scales, rust...but then I saw the razor that I bought. Solid stainless steel with a 6/8 round-tip blade. It looked solidly constructed and easy to look after and clean. So I bought it.

I already had everything else - the brush, soap, scuttle, the honing-stone and a stand-in for a strop, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I took the razor home, sterilised and washed it damn thoroughly, and then honed it and stropped it over a period of two days, shaving in between to test the sharpness.

My first two shaves were hopeless. I didn't cut myself, but I gave myself pretty significant razor-burn. I thought back to all the reading I did, and my logic told me that the blade wasn't sharp enough, so I kept on honing and stropping. I tried the various 'sharpness tests' but these proved inconclusive, so I referred to my reading again, which said that the only way to test the sharpness reliably was to shave...so I did.

I don't know whether I was really lucky, a fast learner or whatever, but by my third shave I was doing pretty good and by my fifth, I was sold on straight-shaving.

Another reason for my wanting to go into straight-shaving was the connection with history. Straight-razors have been around for over 200 years. All great men shaved with them, from Wellington to Nelson to Washington, Churchill and FDR. Starting straight-shaving to me was also a connection to the past and to history, a subject I'm very passionate about.

So...what's your straight-razor story?

 

[Walker]

I shaved with cartridge razors for about 18 years. I never really had a lot of complaints about them except for the price. I could even dry shave with them. But as i said i got tired of paying a bunch of money for 5 cartridges and ended up just buying a new razor whenever i ran out of cartridges. While buying a new razor at Walmart i picked up a VDH kit along with the shaving bowl and it's been all gravy since then. I was online checking out DE razors and somehow came across a thread from B&B. Signed up here and started reading. I had never really thought about straights until B&B. I decided to give them a try about 6 months ago and i have been hooked ever since. My new obsession is honing. I had said that i never wanted to get into honing and just let another person do it for me, but what would be the fun in that? I can see that i could become a Coti horder if i let myself. Everyone i see i want to buy it lol

 

[Luc]

I will do the short story...

Around the year 2000 I decided it would be nice to use a straight razor. I think it was after seeing a movie but I can't remember which... I decided against buying a real straight when I saw the price. I got a straight with disposable blade. Don't ask me the brand, I have no idea. It wasn't a Dovo. The blades had a holder on them (made like that) and I was sliding then in the handle.

I used that straight razor with dispoables every Sunday for 2 years. I never got very nice shaves out of it but kept it in case I would want to try again later...

Fast forward to June 2009, I decided to buy a shavette, again (Dovo this time). Tried a few blades, it was all right but pretty much what I remembered. I was going to keep the DE. Then, in July 2009, I got a chance of using a real straight razor.

I used the straight every week-end until my total time went down to 30 minutes. I then started to use it during the week. My journal is floating somewhere in a thread...

Since Christmas 2009 I shave full time with a straight, I don't have any DE anymore...

 

[RF1963]

I will do the short story...

I'll try to be shorter!

Picked up DE shaving around March/April this year. I was attracted to using straights around June. Initially started by alternating between DE and straights on a planned daily basis. Then, inspired by what I read here, I committed to straight razor shaving throughout August. This has helped improve my technique and now I'm a straight shaver, holding onto a DE and some blades "just in case".

I have a 10K Naniwa to refresh the blades and I've just taken delivery of a 4 paddles strop with 1.0 and 0.25 diamond pastes and Chromium Oxide paste to further refine my blade maintenance.

 

[ImaWestie]

For my father, shaving was a chore to be rushed through with a cartridge. Then I went to boarding school before I started shaving for myself, and Gilette through a nice little arrangement handed out their own cartridge razors each year to the class who were pretty much turning 15 that year.

Fast forward until I'm about 35. I'm shaving at least 3 times a week, and it's not real pretty because I've never had to learn how to do it correctly!
So I try an electric, I give it a really solid try. I try shave oils. It's no better. I now have three kids and I'm not finding much "me time" in my schedule.

Still dissillusioned, from last birthday I started looking for how to do it better. About March this year I picked up a Wahl shavette and some real shave cream. Then last week I got hold of a straight razor and a badger brush via this very website. Last night was my first shave with it and at the end of it I had a fair enough shave, after 3 passes.

I think I've found what I was looking for.

I've got my basic tools. They can be improved and I have a lot to learn, but at least now I'm enjoying the process.

 

[Chimensch]

In 1980, I was 32 years old and worked in downtown Chicago. I frequently passed Chicago Cutlery and a straight razor in the window called to me. I went in and bought a Dovo #41 inox and strop. The razor literally was ripping up face and I went back to talk to the clerk a couple of times because I thought the razor wasn't sharp enough, although he insisted that it came sharp from the factory. The second time, there was a customer in the shop who overhead me and said, "I've been shaving with a straight for 30 years and he needs a hone". So, over the clerk's objections, I bought a Swaty "three-line" and things immediately improved. I never met anyone else who shaved with a straight until I found the Internet forums about two and a half years ago.

 

[Shangas]

I think I've found what I was looking for.

I've got my basic tools. They can be improved and I have a lot to learn, but at least now I'm enjoying the process.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts about straight-razor shaving as well!

 

[mouscacha]

All I can say is "Thank God for these here forums!" I had been searching for a new type of shave. My panasonic electric did fine, was not as irritating as my cartridges/disposables, but it just felt all wrong. I found this website while searching DE shaving, and read up on straight shaving. Everyone shaving with straight razors were converts of DE shaving, but never the other way around. It seemed like the thing to do, so I jumped straight into it! That was about a year ago, and I haven't looked back.

I know when I've found a good hobby when my wife gets irritated by it.

 

[pz93c]

One straight from 1990 until the razor grew legs during a break in.

Trying to find a replacement now.

 

[Wid]

I started using a DE a few months ago and really enjoyed it. While talking to my Dad (he's 84) I asked him if he had ever used a str8 and his answer was "hell no I'm afraid of those things".

Well, that made me want to give it a try. Bought a razor from Larry and I was off and running.

 

[gull]

I started shaving with multiblade razors about 10 years ago. I switched to a DE when I came to this forum to ask about what to get. Then I took a look around and saw this mysterious board: "General Straight Razor Talk." I read the interactive guide and some other threads and as one poster here stated, everyone who took the time to learn a straight seems to be satisfied with it.

The big issue with switching over was the price. What if I didn't like it? I would have lost ~$100 not to mention the cost of a strop and all the other stuff mentioned in the sticky. I found a link to Whippeddog.com and seeing is low prices made me take the plunge. I got my razor for $23 and the strop for $13. If I start getting better shaves with my straight I'll get a barber's hone and maybe try out a full hollow razor, but that's all in the distant future.

Larry's website is what really sold me on straights. After reading the sticky I was just shocked at the amount of stuff you need: a lapping stone, a Norton stone, a finer grit stone, a slurry stone, a finishing stone, a strop, strop paste, a paddled strop, abrasive pastes, etc. etc., OMG the list just goes on and on! No offense to the author of the sticky, it was informative but scary.

Larry's website showed me I just need three things. That's what I like: simplicity. I can wrap my mind around a razor, strop and hone. Then his prices where just amazing. I don't care about gold letters or fancy scale materials. I don't care if the razor is shiny, I just care about how it shaves!

Anyway, I'm only 6 shaves into the straight razor world and while I'm getting better results from my DE at the moment, I'm looking forward to the amazing feeling that so many other straight razor users eventually feel.

 

[Shangas]

Hey Gull,

The amount of content we'd need (all that stuff you listed) well and truly scared the bajesus out of me and for a long time, turned me off straight shaving. I had no idea where to get it or if I'd even have the money for it. I searched around the house and remembered we had a honing-stone already. A razor was easily bought for a few dollars and if I could find an old belt (which according to various writings, was a good substitute for a strop), then I would be in business. I found such a belt and jerry-rigged it into a strop. I was set and ready to go.

 

[cadomniel]

I switched over to DE in April/May after seeing a video about language learning. It was comparing language learning with shaving, saying that technology has replaced technique and we become enamored with all the latest technology when actually better techniques will improve the end result.

Anyway, I found this forum and read about DE shaving and bought some supplies from Fendrihan. When i was ordering from that site I become more and more curious about straight razors. It took me about two weeks to relearn shaving and get a good and quick shave with a DE.
After reading the forums for a couple months, I decided it was time for a new challenge so I ordered the strop and Dovo razor from SRD. Well, my strop got nicked up very quickly and I rolled the edge of my razor with the same poor stropping technique. Then I received my second razor a Le Grelot, and have used that a couple weeks. Now is my third week straight razor shaving and I used my Wapienica this morning and it was the best shave ever, nearly BBS except for near corners of my mouth...and in less than 20 minutes.

Now I'm starting to collect some ebay projects to practice restore and honing...

 

[taffy]

Natural progression for me, came off the carts about 5 years ago and got into de's, so the next step, although it took me 5 years to do, was to get a straight, found one at a antique store, cleaned it up and sent it to a honemiester, enjoyed the shave and then got into the honing and stones side of straights, at the moment i really enjoy cleaning up an old razor and getting it shave ready, got a load to do at the moment, but struggling to find time to get them shave ready, and to lazy to put some on the bst, apart from the enjoyment of shaving with a staight, its also a nice, though not profitable, hobby to have

 

[MaritimeFanatic]

The path to Straight Razors was a long and winding one followed by a giant leap for me.

Like my father, I was duped by the big shaving companies - Gillette, Schick, etc - into using their multi-blade disposables with cans of pressurized goo. I cannot say that I ever really enjoyed the act of dragging a piece of plastic across my face which would only yield sub-par results and razor burn.

The catalyst was the day I went to the store for replacement cartridges and saw that four of the darn things were $20. That was more than I paid for the razor+blades from the get go so I looked at other options. To my utter disgust I found that others were no better, and some even had batteries that made them vibrate. How this is supposed to improve my shave is beyond me, and I am NOT shaving my face with something that could be mistaken for a marital aid.

I had always been drawn to straight razors, but never had the stones to take the plunge. That very day I ordered a str8 shaving set from SRD. The first two weeks were a bit rocky, but I am 2+ months into it now, and have started to get some amazing results. Shaving has now gone from a chore to a pleasure, and in this world we live in where everyone and their brother seem to be in a hurry it is nice to take a minute, slow down, and enjoy a few moments of zen.

Plus, if you have to do something, you might as well do it with some class!

 

[Chimensch]

The path to Straight Razors was a long and winding one followed by a giant leap for me.

Like my father, I was duped by the big shaving companies - Gillette, Schick, etc - into using their multi-blade disposables with cans of pressurized goo. I cannot say that I ever really enjoyed the act of dragging a piece of plastic across my face which would only yield sub-par results and razor burn.

The catalyst was the day I went to the store for replacement cartridges and saw that four of the darn things were $20. That was more than I paid for the razor+blades from the get go so I looked at other options. To my utter disgust I found that others were no better, and some even had batteries that made them vibrate. How this is supposed to improve my shave is beyond me, and I am NOT shaving my face with something that could be mistaken for a marital aid.

I had always been drawn to straight razors, but never had the stones to take the plunge. That very day I ordered a str8 shaving set from SRD. The first two weeks were a bit rocky, but I am 2+ months into it now, and have started to get some amazing results. Shaving has now gone from a chore to a pleasure, and in this world we live in where everyone and their brother seem to be in a hurry it is nice to take a minute, slow down, and enjoy a few moments of zen.

Plus, if you have to do something, you might as well do it with some class!

Right on! And welcome to BadgerandBlade!

 

[Luc]

The path to Straight Razors was a long and winding one followed by a giant leap for me.

Like my father, I was duped by the big shaving companies - Gillette, Schick, etc - into using their multi-blade disposables with cans of pressurized goo. I cannot say that I ever really enjoyed the act of dragging a piece of plastic across my face which would only yield sub-par results and razor burn.

The catalyst was the day I went to the store for replacement cartridges and saw that four of the darn things were $20. That was more than I paid for the razor+blades from the get go so I looked at other options. To my utter disgust I found that others were no better, and some even had batteries that made them vibrate. How this is supposed to improve my shave is beyond me, and I am NOT shaving my face with something that could be mistaken for a marital aid.

I had always been drawn to straight razors, but never had the stones to take the plunge. That very day I ordered a str8 shaving set from SRD. The first two weeks were a bit rocky, but I am 2+ months into it now, and have started to get some amazing results. Shaving has now gone from a chore to a pleasure, and in this world we live in where everyone and their brother seem to be in a hurry it is nice to take a minute, slow down, and enjoy a few moments of zen.

Plus, if you have to do something, you might as well do it with some class!

Welcome to B&B!

 

[Shangas]

**Wild applause!!**

A wonderful story, MaritimeFanatic!!

I confess, I too, haven't figured out the supposed "practical purpose" of vibrating razors. Can anyone 'explain' that to me?

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Long story, but I'll make it real short.

In the military...so clean shaven is a must.

Been electric shaving for the past 20 years or so.

We shaving for the past 4

Str8 shaving for the past 1

Picked up str8s due to B&B and B&B alone...wife was shopping in the mall and I stopped into AoS...got the "true" wetshaving bug (not canned goo and Mach IIIs) and subsequently picked up str8s.

Now, I'm hooked!

 

[johnmrson]

When I first started shaving about 28 years ago, I actually started with a DE. An old Rocket. Slowly I drifted over to cartridges and disposables and even had an electric for a while. About 12 months ago I found my old DE and decided to do some research on blades as the Wilkinson Swords sold at my local supermarket literally didn't cut it.
12 months later I have multiple collections. DE's, Injectors, SE's, brushes, DE vintage blades and now straights. Straights just seemed to be a natural progression for someone that got hooked on shaving. I had one false start where I had a try with straights and gave up but I knew that I had to conquer it so a few weeks later I jumped in again and took to it like a Dubl Duck to water.