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

Why are you shaving with these Str8 Razors? Are you cRaZy?


That is the response I get from virtually everyone I mention this to. I work with a bunch of engineer techno-geeks so maybe that's why.

But frankly, I don't know why *I* am so caught up in shaving with a str8.

Why are you?

Is it a macho thing?--you know proving to yourself you are a real man? (I have to admit this is one of my motivations).

Is it because the shave is so great? ( I can't claim this as my starting reason because it wasn't for quite a while)


I have to admit, it is just absolutely fun, one of the best things I have ever done in my life--but I can't figure out WHY!!

Maybe it is a suicidal impulse? Self-reliance? Re-enactment of History?

Perhaps it was inevitable for me. Long ago I eschewed power tools and now work mainly with hand tools, especially 19th Century wooden planes and japanese tools. I guess I am a partial luddite in that I believe that just because a technology exists doesn't mean it is a good idea to use it. Hell my boat is even a sailboat.

Maybe I just like the fact that a str8 razor doesn't have a genetic code that can be cloned. Each one is an individual--like me.

And may be finally I feel that

*skill*

Is a rare and valuable thing--and worth developing and preserving.

Sorry. I had to get that off my chest.

Please chime in if you feel like it--or insult me if you feel like that. Have at it.

Regards,

Paul

Not a macho thing for me, not many know I shave with a straight and those that do may not know what the heck I'm talking about...

Historical pull had something to do with it I'm sure as I started thinking about a straight while I was out muzzle loading one year. I was using an old straight that was made into a patch knife.

Another factor was not wanting to buy M3 blades anymore...

Now that I'm a full time convert I can't imagin using anything else.

I am not sure what brought me to straights, Maybe since I have around a hundred knives, and I like sharp things, maybe one reason.
Why did I start using a fountain pen, because it actually means something I think, It writes better, and there is a small amount upkeep, I like to play w/t things.
Str8ts were always in the back of my head, the class, whenever I saw one in a store I wanted to buy one, even though I would not know what to do with it.
I used an electric, and only very rarely would I bust out the M3 for the wife, The days following would be bad razor burn, and ingrown hairs. So one late night after work I stumbled on this site, and everyone saying how great of a shave, no razor burn any more, So I invested some cash, two months later, The wife is glad I am one again clean shaven, probably for the longest stretch yet. But she does not see the need for my six straights, and desire to buy more.
I get the same thing though from people, how your crazy, and that is after you explain what a str8t is.

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

Another factor was not wanting to buy M3 blades anymore...

That's definitely my main reason. I'm against any "use-and-throw-away" lifestyle, because of ecological and economical reasons in the long term.
Another reason is the DIY part of razor restoration. It's fun!

I think these are pretty simple and plain reasons that all the "non-straight-shavers" understand perfectly, right?

I started out with the intention of shaving my head with a straight .. the guy who used to do my radical flatop was taught by a traditional barber and said he'd bring one of his straights in to shave the section of my flatop in the middle ... Sadly he had to spend some time in hospital due to mental illness .. So eventually I bought a straight and thought .. I'd better try shaving my face first just to get a feel for it .that was me hooked ...

To Date I've still not went near my head with it

It gives better shaves but it does require more effort.

There's the challenge involved of maintenance: honing, stropping, keeping rust at bay.

There's the nostalgia aspect.

And so on.

As with every hobby, favourite pass time, sports: de gustibus non est disputandum ( which translates more or less as: beauty is in the eye of the beholder ).

It simply gives me the best shave I've ever had. That's the thing I think.

Originally Posted by Garry

Sadly he had to spend some time in hospital due to mental illness ..

Sad yes... But lucky for you maybe?

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.

Originally Posted by Sharp&Shiny

...plus the ffact I have fond memories of a favorie Uncle shaving whit his straight In His kitchen when I was a small Boy.

Yep. For me it was uncle Dick. He was a former blackjack dealer in Reno, drank a shot of bourbon in the evening, chewed a toothpick, wore suspenders, and shaved with a str8.

If you expressed an opinion he disagreed with, he kept his silence, but if he agreed with you, you would get a quick answer: "You're god-DAMNED right!"

He had owned three dogs, had named each of them "Bob," and the last one died driving off a burgler from his house.

So, I shave with a str8 and tip my hat to Dick Meeks of Crescent City, CA, may he rest in peace.