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!)