Thread: Straight or Safety razor?

My shaves from cartridge razors were closer for me at this point in my straight razor journey. At least, more consistently closer. The big problem was irritation. If I went 3 days off, then shave, I could get irritation free BBS everytime on 100% of my face. If I tried to shave every day... OUCH, VERY bad irritation all over my neck. The cartridge razors (mach 3 / fusion, etc) would tear my face up in a hurry.

DE shaving was a step up, less irritation, and I could reliably get 95% BBS or so, just a couple random areas here and there that I would miss. Before I mastered the DE, I moved on to the straight razor and it is by far the most fun and least irritating for my face. A few months in now I can get BBS on most of my face, but definitely not all of it yet. There's definitely a learning curve here. I obviously get a very close DFS (damn fine shave) every day, but not quite BBS everywhere yet.

For me, from everything I've tried, my only options to be well shaven every day without irritation is an electric or a straight, and the straight is closer and much more enjoyable. Though to be fair, I haven't tried to latest generation of electrics, mine was/is 10 years old now.

To be fair to cartridge razors, I never did do proper prep like I do now. I have half a mind to give the mach 3 a go again just for kicks, but continuing to use my top notch products and prep (and a lighter touch than I used to). I have a feeling I would get decent results. Of course, I would never switch back though either way.

Speaking as a neophyte, I think my handle on the prices here are pretty up to date as the minimum you can expect to spend on quality equipment:

$40 for a reasonable shave ready razor
$30 for a starter strop
$14 Tweezerman's brush
$6 Glycerin shave soap
$5 Alum block
$10 Shipping for all these miscellaneous items (will vary, depending on how much you get locally)

You can use your own mug...

That said, you will almost definitely ruin your edge while learning, so figure another $25 including shipping for professional rehoning. You also stand a reasonable chance of ruining your strop and requiring another.

Once all these items are purchased, you're pretty well set for up to 6 months until you need a rehone, and then you're looking at $20-$25 for periodic honing.

So ultimately you're looking at $130 MINIMUM (assuming you don't need another strop) for the first 6 months, with $20-$25 periodically after that (a pasted strop will almost completely eliminate the periodic outlay, but is another investment). More than likely, you're going to get more razors to try out and upgrade your strop. And some of your equipment can be sold at a loss should you decide to quit.

So in the short term... you're not saving money. Over a lifetime, you're going to save a fair bit (and of course some people turn this into a money making enterprise as well, but they are certainly the minority...). But unless you stumble across a workable setup in your father's attic, I think it's difficult to argue getting into this as a money saving enterprise. You need additional motivation, be it mystique, quest for a perfect shave, love of the ritual, etc. If you just want to pinch pennies, you're going to use disposable Bics. But you're also going to get a horrible shave.

Cheers,

- HJ

Well you see what you have done is like going to a chevrolet site and asking if a chevy is better than a Ford.

I think we would all say a straight is the best way to shave.

Ricky, I'm not sure what you mean when you ask about the "quality" of the shave. If you are only looking at the end result -- closeness, smoothness -- I would say DE and SR are about the same. The difference is the experience. Before I discovered SR shaving, shaving was a miserable morning chore. Now, it is a joy-filled experience in self-care. I have learned to enjoy the experience and I love it. The only drugs I do these days are caffiene, adrenaline and testosterone. SR shaving certainly gives the testosterone a boost. I suggest you start with one professionally sharpened Dovo straight razor and a decent strop. You can get a tweezerman brush for $14 on Amazon and a cake of Williams soap for $2 at the drugstore. Try it for a month. If you don't like it, you can sell the SR & strop to someone here, and you can still use the brush & soap with a DE. If you find you love it, you can invest more. By then you will have a better idea of what you need. Oh, don't forget the red towels. Gordie

If all you care about is removing whiskers from your face before beginning a day of work, and want it done as quickly as possible. Then stick with Fusion, or cartridge razor of choice. Or an electric for that matter.


If you like a bit more "pizaaz", and involvement in your shave, then get a DE, a brush, some quality shave soap/cream and have at it. That is quite nice.

If you want shaving to become a hobby, a pastime, a ritual, and an enjoyment such as savoring a fine wine, and are willing to put in the time and effort to master a new skill, then straight shaving will indeed give you the closest, most comfortable, and ENJOYABLE in all aspects shave imaginable.

Just getting a straight razor wil not give you better/closer shaves in and of itself.

I've been at it now for a bit over a year, and only now can I say that the shaves are truly on a another level than I got with cartridge, or DE razors.

For me, the fun & enjoyment was the immediate reward, but a DE loaded with a Feather gave me as good, if not better and smoother feeling results for quite a long time.

I haven't used a DE since last July,and I don't miss it at all. And I can now say that just recently my shaves have attained truly another level of comfort.

So, for me the benefits came in this order:

1. FUN! Shaving with a razor sharp knife up against your throat is a unique experience! I also find the aesthetic qaulity of the blades themselves to be quite enjoyable. I doubt you spend alot of time gazing at how the light shines and glints off of the contours of your Fusion...

2. Hobby: Lots of stuff to do with straight shaving-stropping, buying more straights, looking for that "perfect edge", buying more razors, working on technique (or simply to not cut yourself!), buying more razors....

3. Shave closeness: After a few months of straight shaving I thought the whole idea of "a straight shave lasts much longer than a DE shave" was a bunch of bravado and positive thinking. As I said, my DE shaves felt just as good as my straight shaves for quite a while...then at one point all of a sudden due to technique improvement I noticed that indeed my straight shaves were definitely lasting much,, much longer than a DE shave, as in like 12+ hours of BBS goodness.

4. Shave comfort: This has been the most recent gain. I have been getting great, enjoyable shaves for a long time now, but recently while paying particular attention to blade angle, and going for extreme light pressure. There have been some shaves that have had no sting (even with the alum block), no irritation (even shaving every day), and have left me with velvety soft skin.

So, a straight will repay your investmant of time with great shaves.

But no more so than buying a set of top-level golf clubs will improve your golf game. Once you know how to use them, then yes, they can take your game to another level, but you can shank a shot with a $$$$ Callaway driver just as easily as with a yard sale plunker if you think all you need is a new set of clubs to make the improvement. Know what I mean?

A Fusion is designed to give a nice shave. It's designed to be idiot proof. It's shaving ala paint-by-numbers. It gives a decent, acceptable result.

Van Gough didn't paint by numbers though.

(although he did cut off his ear with a razor!)

Many of the women in my office think the man who uses a straight is way cooler than one that uses a double edge or a cartridge or a disposable or an electric razor. They think that a man who can sucessfully use a striaght is mroe rustic and somehow more desierable than one who uses any of the other instruments.

jb, my girlfriend thinks I'm crazy. But that doesn't stop me. LOL

Ricky, check out this post from Ray -- he's got lots of good affordable options for all facets of SR shaving:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...irt-cheap.html

Thank you all for an *excellent* set of responses.

My understanding as it now stands is:
1 - A superior shave than a (Gillette Fusion) is possible/probable if you take the time learn how to use a straight razor properly.
2 - It takes perhaps several months to learn the ropes.
3 - Cost is not really an issue (And it wasn't my big concern anyway)
4 - Using a straight razor is (for most of you) an enjoyable and satisfying hobby.
5 - It's "Cool"
6 - It satisfies the itch many of us have to appreciate fine tools/gear.

Does that about sum it up?

I am leaning toward taking the plunge. Do any of you have any suggestions as to where I would look for straight razors and strops in the Burlington Ontario area? (That's in Canada BTW)

Cheers,
Rick

Rick.. Check in the classifieds. As SR shaving is going through somewhat of a rebirth, there still isn't much of a "localized" demand for the materials required.

That said, there are quite a few Canadian SR shavers here that may be able to point you in the right direction. Also, visit the banners of the SRP-supported vendors. They have everything you need to get started as well.

Best of luck, you'll be hooked in no time,

Ogie

I'm not sure about Canada but as stated above there are a bunch of Canadians on the board. As far as local gear goes ANTIQUE SHOPS I've picked up some great razors for 10.50$ USD that I honed up from a shop one building over from my apartment but I may be the exception. That said fancy shaving shops in cities that might support such things had much higher prices than the classifieds here on SRP from what I've personally seen in the US North East. Also everyone seems to love the tweezerman brush I'm not familiar personally I went with the el cheapo boar brush synthetic handle from CVS with a puck of williams starting out and it's served me fine though it has lost a few bristles along the way and the badgers do appear nicer perhaps in time...

I started this hobby with it being much cheaper than traditional cartidges.... It has gotten.... expensive... but like everything it's how far down the rabbit hole you want to fall that being said I'm working on trying to take some electron microscope pictures of blade edges but I tend to fall fast and hard...