Thread: What is WRONG with You Guys????

I have never enjoyed shaving. I have a full beard and am fair skinned, shaving causes excessive irritation, or so I thought. Electrics were the go to, but usually I just had a beard, but then when I was a kid I was in England for 5 weeks, and bought a DE. Using that my girlfriend could give me really good shaves with little irritation.... skip ahead 10 years the idea of using a DE jumps back into my head. Within a week I made the mental progression to the straight and now things are moving along nicely, 1 blade, 2 passes = looking presentable without red bumps etc.. It feels good and I look very young now, much closer to my mental age.

Originally Posted by 2Sharp

Switching to DE shaving from the Mach 3 led me into straight shaving. I joined a couple wet shaving boards and kept reading about straight razor shaving that was included in these boards. I am now hooked on straight shaving and will never go back to DE. I get closer and more irritation free shaves with the straight and think it is way cool to be shaving like my grandfathers.

bj

Yeah. Me too. Plus cartridges are expensive and I don't like the idea of disposable products. Plus it is kind-of manly to shave with a single blade. I like the historical aspect as well. And the self reliance it brings.

As I read this thread I realize that moast of the people here have some common traits. Good coffee, pipe and cigar, wines and sprits, real beer complete with flavor and a general appriciation for quality. BTW anyone into steampunk I am not but find it very interesting?

I shave with a straight because my grandfather was a barber and I have several of his razors. I had them in a drawer and thought I would like to try to use them. After a butchered face I found this sight and bought a new Dovo, Lynns video, TM strop, ect. and haven't looked back sence I do however occasonaly use a DE on my head but only when I am in a hurry. I am now getting the hang of honeing and using the old razors in the drawer.

and Garry go ahead and try the head. It is not too bad use both hands one to feel the stubble and streach the other to shave. I have found it to be enjoyable but time consuming at first, I now have nearly retired the DE (too hard to find good blades that you don't have to mail order)and use the straight more.
Don

Originally Posted by junkinduck

BTW anyone into steampunk I am not but find it very interesting?

I did not know that it had a name. But I have always loved seeing the movies. I love to see the brass machines and steam. I wish more modern electronics would use "Steampunk" as a design inspiration. Everything you buy now is cheap plastic. I would love to have a high end TV and stereo in brass and wood. ;-)

Oddly, I discovered this site when reading reviews of an electric shaver! I was looking to replace my old Braun and found a link.

As I started thinking about spending another $200 on a top-o-the-line Braun, I started looking at options. I didn't use a cartridge razor because it caused me to break out so another electric was the logical choice at the time, even though the best of electrics still did not shave very well (close) compared to a razor.

As I looked at str8s more, I was intrigued by the simplicity, effectiveness and how many folks used a str8 to avoid the irritation from a cartridge. Add to that the nostalgic feel and the "tinker-factor" associated with the maintenence and resoration and I was sucked in. I also enjoy the personalization of the razor options, something that is more uncommon in an increasingly impersonal world.

I am a tactile type person. I ride a (fairly) low-tech motorcycle because I like to be able to work on it and I like the feel and feedback I get from a simple V-twin engine out in the open air. The car I choose has a firm suspension because I like the feed-back. I like to take things apart and fix (er, sometimes break) them.

Last, I appreciate quality. Spending money on something disposable doesn't make sense to me. I earn a fairly modest living and try to invest in value whenever possible. Inexpensive does not always mean junk and expensive does not mean quality; with str8s you can sometimes invest a few bucks into somthing that will be a treasure with a bit of work. That is what drives my wife nutz every time a new package arrives in the mail, but I enjoy it!

Enough rambling.....

Allen

Like others The thought has been in the back of my mind for a long time. Now that I have started shaving with a str8 I have been thinking about the why as well. I have two reasons.

1 macho how cool is it to have a potentially lethal blade right next to your own carotid artery.

2 and more important Something to differentiate me from the masses. This second reason I find Ironic because I also use it to belong to a group. I am just as proud to be a member of an elite group as to not be a member of the masses.

Originally Posted by junkinduck

As I read this thread I realize that moast of the people here have some common traits. Good coffee, pipe and cigar, wines and sprits, real beer complete with flavor and a general appriciation for quality.

Yup that's me.

I first fell in love with straights decades ago when I looked into the window of an antique shop and saw a display of them. As I recall they had blued steel blades and I've never seen that again or stopped wishing that I'd bought them at the time.

I started because of the challenged and stayed because of the superior shaves and the enjoyment that they provide. Most people do not know that I shave with a straight.

Its just one of the man skills that i've always wanted to learn.
So after years of experimenting & teaching myself I discovered this forum & have been able to bring my skills up to an amazing level of irritation free BBs shaves.
plus the ffact I have fond memories of a favorie Uncle shaving whit his straight In His kitchen when I was a small Boy.

I started for purely economic reasons... I absolutely refused to pay the high price for any more cartridges. So it was either a DE or a Str8... and since I'm a minimalist about most things, I picked the Str8. In retrospect, I chose wisely .