I think i know why this is so addictive.....

I've not been doing this long, maybe 1 month at the most, but i am really really addicted to it. This morning I figured out why this is.
Throughout the learning process, i have been blessed with a number of shaves that I would describe as 'revolutionary' in terms of the bad shaving experiences I have had in the past, and today i realised that this feeling is exactly why I feel so addicted.
This stems back from shaving with a DE and the learning process with that, and every time you make a new discovery and feel the difference it makes to your face. Obviously the first few shaves with a DE and then with a straight will not be the best.......but i didn't expect this, and this only helps to iron out problems by having to learn quickly. The switch over to a straight was not very smooth but every few days i have made a small discovery that has made a HUGE difference to closeness and comfort of my shave. These discoveries inspire me everyday to make the effort to find out more!
My findings this morning come from trying two with the grain passes instead of one before going across or against the grain(on my face it isn't easy to do one or the other, just a combination of the two!)
This one small adjustment gave me the best feeling shave ever, and i can't wait to do it again tomorrow(why oh why does hair grow so slowly?)
Well, I hope that anybody else who is in the same position as me can share this feeling of discovery, and if not, that they will soon make a discovery that inspires them. Anybody else fancy sharing what hooked them to doing this?
Now, if I can just get my honing perfect.........

That´s an interesting idea Nick. I hope I´ll remember to try it once I wake up from my zomby-like state.

For me - and this is the main thing - it's just there are so many damn things you need to learn to get it right and as you say every time is different, either good or bad. I suppose for some there is also the pride in being able to put an edge on a blade that will split molecules so that's something I hope to learn.

Also I really enjoy the 'you're fr1gging puddled' face I get when ever I tell anyone about my razor.

E.g Christmas has been and the blokes at work were waxing lyrical about the Gillette Fusion. It was a kind of Crocodile Dundee moment 'That's not a razor! THIS is a razor!' I don't tell them how cr4p I am at it obviously but the look is priceless!

BTW the stubble has grown and I am looking forward to getting home to have a bash with the patched up blade to test Xmans theory that I may not have trashed my edge. Hang on, why did that sound so sick?

For me it's mostly a nostalgia thing. I remember as a young boy in the 60's going to the barber shop. Straight razor shaving at the barber was still common then. The barber used to lather me up, then strop and give me a fake shave with a dull razor just for kicks.

I also have a strong affinity for just about anything that is "old school."

Another attraction for me is the skill component.


Scott

Amen brothers. Just what y'all have said. But the real addictive quality...for me it's exactly the same experience as with golf. It's not an expensive hobby--but it can be. It doesn't take extraordinary skill or effort to be moderately proficient--even though a lifetime of practice will never be enough to overcome all of your minute failings. Both can be wildly frustrating at times. So why keep coming back?

It's that one perfect swing. Out of an entire round, that one 30-foot putt you dropped. The glass smooth feel of your chin at 5pm when all of your coworkers were sporting stubble by noon. That feeling is like crack to an addict. Once you've experienced it, you need it again and again. Maybe its the caressing feel of a silvertip brush applying a truely top shelf english cream, or the effortless removal of 3-days growth using a freshly Lynn honed razor (or better yet, one that you honed to perfection for the first time). It may not be perfect every day...but it might be. Maybe today is the day?


It may take more effort, but the pursuit of elusive perfection is worth it. If it were easy we wouldn't value it as dearly. Is it the BBS shave? Not for me; if that were the important thing I'd have laser hair removal done and never have to shave again.

Savor the shave,
Ed

For me it seems to be the most difficult path to great shaving short of a chainsaw. If it was easy, I wouldn't do it and if the results weren't one of a kind , I think I wouldn't keep doing it. Plus how boring would shaving be if you whipped out a cartridge razor -- I don't think there is any going back.


Justin

I love it when a plan comes together. :D

X

I am just an anachronism, a throw back, a man out of time. when I was 15 I went to live with my father (who is just a touch on the wild side ) in the mountains. We were totally self sufficient. If we needed it then we grew it, made it, or killed it ourselves!
Ever since I've been hooked on almost any thing pre twentieth centery !!

Mark

It's like learning how to drive a standard: sure, one could go back to an automatic, but it just wouldn't be the same.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ForestryProf

~snip~ The glass smooth feel of your chin at 5pm when all of your coworkers were sporting stubble by noon. That feeling is like crack to an addict. Once you've experienced it, you need it again and again. Maybe its the caressing feel of a silvertip brush applying a truely top shelf english cream, or the effortless removal of 3-days growth using a freshly Lynn honed razor (or better yet, one that you honed to perfection for the first time). It may not be perfect every day...but it might be. Maybe today is the day?~snip~

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This is what draws me to the straight blade shave, more so is the morning after a truly exceptional shave and SWMBO is still happy to cuddle up the cheek... what worth is that?:nj

I don't necessarily like all things old. I mean I still love using computers and a blender to make a nice Pina Colada but shaving with a str8 really rocks my world. Not everything from the old days (I hate the expression Old School) works as well as things made today. Just my humble opinion:w

For me it seems to be that few men do it anymore. It is classic, yes, and that is certainly appealing. But just the thought of someone using my bathroom and seeing the straight razor sitting there with my brush and mug. It is just to cool to pass up. Not to mention the fact that everytime I shave, I feel like I am really accomplishing something. That I am developing a skill most choose to forgo, or even more common, don't even know still exists. There is also the feeling that I am treating my self to something few men experience. Eventually, when I am good enough, I would like to give my friends a real treat by giving them a classic shave. I have a buddy getting married in August. If I am really good, and I mean shave a balloon good, then I told him I would give him a shave for his wedding. He really liked that idea. And just think, when the special evening rolls around , he will still be BBS :rolleyes:, or at least pretty close.

Matt