Thread: Why a Straight Razor

Well when my wifes step-grandfather who was a 83 year old Barber passed I obtained several barber hones, barbering text book the 3 razors a Peter.J.Micheals strop a Henckels 451 Friodur,Antalope 94 and a Spanish Point Boker all of he still used. Being a Taxidermist I have a passion for extreamly sharp objects anyway and was intersted.

So I had been using wore out mach 3 blades and got rather flusterd when my wife stole my last new one. So I figured what the hell and the Friodur felt sharp....I did not strop and used way to much angle but it worked and I didnt cut myself. I then found this site and never looked back! I only wish I had been into straight shaving sooner I would have loved to have talked with him about it.

Now my wife dont use my razor anymore.....yet!

well as yet i haven't actually shaved with one, going for a barbershop shave tomorrow and have an antique razor, wet n dry paper, norton waterstone & strop at home so have some work to do before i do my own shave but my reasons...

initally a 'green' issue, sick of throwing away those carts, then sick of paying for them, then sick of changing razors because no longer made the carts, sick of being screwed by the big corporates who charge me all the money for those carts that don't stay sharp for very long.

NOW looking ofrward to the hobby/new routine of it all AND a much better shave to boot.

Good morning all. I have been shaving probably 35-40yrs. I really don't remember what I used originally but I imagine it was a single edge disposabable and can of cream. I have been thru several different types of electric razors over the years. I really can't complain about the shave from the electric but I hated to pay for the replacement screens. I have been an antique hunter for several years. I collected and have several antique radios which I love. They have so much character and look neat. Of course there is only so much space in a house for radios. Last year I
started looking at old razors, mostly cause they also looke neat and are a reminder of a by gone era. Finally I found a single edge and blades at a
flea market last summer. In October the wife and I took a trip to the SE. Driving thru Tenn. we stoped at a town with a statue of Davey Crockett in the town square. I wanted to get a mug of soap and brush to use with my new found razor. I found an old pharmacy on the square, upon walking in I saw a group of elderly men sitting around a small table playing checkers. This was a scene out of a time gone by. I asked the clerk, an elderly woman, if they had shaving soap and a brush. She turned to the old wooden display case an took a brush and puck of soap off the shelf handed them to me and I was on my way. On my way that is to a whole new world. I used that razor for the remainder of the trip. I wasn't very good. The blades were as old as the razor, nos. In Memphis while staying at an old historic hotel, The Peabody, I happened in to a mens clothing shop. There they had products from The Art Of Shaving. I talked to the salesman and ended up purchasing some shaving cream and after shave. I wanted a brush but the cost was prohibative. Upon arriving home I was looking on the internet for help in finding a better soarce or shaving products (cheaper) than I found in Menphis. I happend upon B$B and shorly there after found SRP. I had by this time purchased 4 DEs and thrown away that single edge, also the Braun electric. I started reading about str8 razor shaving and thought that it was appealing. I think the str8 invokes thoughts of the old west. It reminds me of a simpler time in history. I asked my aunt, now 80 yrs old about her dad's shaving habits. She only ever remembered him using a str8 and strop. Finally last December I took the plunge. I purchased a SR from Ken and a SR From CS sharpened by Lynn. I got Lynn's DVD and was on my way. I am still on the learning curve but am enjoying and looking forward to shaving with my str8's. Oh, I have also still continued the Antique hunting. I have found several str8s in need of restoration so I had to purchase the required stones and learn how to hone. What a trip it has been. Today I am in Anchorage, Alaska visiting my step son and looking for Antique stores to hunt some str8s. So all in all this str8 thing has taken me back to a time gone by. I enjoy the shave and even more the continued journey..

Thanks Lynn for asking.

Happy Shaving!

Mark

Sadly I don't have a really good story.

For me I like the challenge of mastering the skill and like the idea of having that skill (two slightly different things).

I am still in stage one.


In the long run, I will be happy if I can get as good a shave as I get with my SE GEM. If it turns out I do even better that will be a bonus!

When I was about 10 years old I was watching my father shave with a DE and talking to him about shaving. I was curious about it and eager to get to be old enough to have to shave myself LOL. He made the offhand remark that if he had the choice he would shave with a straight razor. He never did in my remembrance and I can't recall why if that was his preference he didn't but that remark planted a seed that lay dormant for years but never died. Thanks to SRP for making the dream a reality these many years later.

Great post idea, Lynn.

I'm a person that's wired to go against the flow and learn how to do things myself if possible. I find that the things in life that take effort, training, practice, fortitude and mastery are the things that provide the greatest satisfaction. The idea of grabbing the same shaving products off the same shelves at the same stores that virtually every other guy does really rubs me the wrong way. Hey, I'm proud to be a guy, but I'm my own man. I drive manual transmission vehicles, make my own toothpaste, hone my own razors and shave with a straight. It fits. I've always been an individual sometimes to the annoyance of others but I won't have it any other way.

Thanks for being here, Lynn and all you other members of SRP.

Chris L

also I feel it will be nice to share with my boys if i ever have any...start them with a de when they are ready to shave and then the straight a couple years later...

that would be really great...

and start them with this when they are really small...

My First Shaving Kit at Toys to Grow On

Code:

I had been running across my grandfather's razor for 20 years or so in my things.  One day, I decided that I wanted to learn how to shave with this tool in honor of his memory.  Once I began the nostalgic endeavor, it then became a challenge since it was not so easy as I might have liked it to be.  Now, after acquiring a few dozen razors and learning a bit of technique, I have a nice feeling of accomplishment and well as the joy of getting the finest shave possible.  The fact that I am also somewhat reducing my carbon footprint on the planet comes as a nice added extra.  

Many thanks to Lynn and all of the other members that have provided a community where questions can get answered and information shared.  We really have a great group of guys and ladies in this forum and I am proud to be a member here.

I honestly don't remember.. And I've tried.. I even got my wife involved (Who serves as my memory)... And we don't remember.. Just sometime I was up no the old yahoo group, and had razors.. It just magically happened.

I was a barber back in the 70-80's and for some reason recently after I retired [at 55 } the thought of a str8 popped into my head. Got burned bought a Zee and THEN found this site. Ever since I've been enjoying shaves that last almost 2 days. Also I thank all you pro's for the help and info.