Straight or Safety razor?

Greetings to you all,

I just discovered this forum while looking for information on water stones, and became intrigued by the notion of using straight razors for shaving.

My question is a simple one (I think)

Is a straight razor shave better than a safety razor shave? If so, how much better?

I currently use a Gillette Fusion with five blades, and I am pretty happy with the results, apart from the cost of replacement blades.

From what I have read so far on this forum, a straight razor is a pretty big commitment in time and effort. So, before taking the plunge and investing the time, effort and money, I need to know if it is worth it.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Cheers,
Rick

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

Greetings to you all,

I just discovered this forum while looking for information on water stones, and became intrigued by the notion of using straight razors for shaving.

My question is a simple one (I think)

Is a straight razor shave better than a safety razor shave? If so, how much better? YES, MUCH.

I currently use a Gillette Fusion with five blades, and I am pretty happy with the results, apart from the cost of replacement blades.

From what I have read so far on this forum, a straight razor is a pretty big commitment in time and effort. So, before taking the plunge and investing the time, effort and money, I need to know if it is worth it. YES, COMPLETELY.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Cheers,
Rick

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Do it. You will either 1) love it immediately, even though there is a learning curve, your first shaves might not be too good, and you mighjt get a little nick or cut or irrititation. 2) Not love it immediately, but stick with it, then love it. or 3) Not like it, not grow to like it, or quit before you grow to like it. If you purchase your starter stuff wisely, you can sell almost all of it it to a new beginner at nearly no loss.
The shaves are AMAZING...and my favortie part (yes, even better than the shaves), is the fact that it took something that was a chore I had to do every day and turned it into a joy, and an enjoyable hobby, fun and luxurious products that I GET TO use EVERY DAY, in time that has become MINE again, time that I can breathe deeply, calm down (safer that way!), and focus on the day ahead.

Well...

There is a larger up front investment with Straight edge over Double Edge safety razors.

but...and thisis a big but... If you dont go nuts and just stick to 2 razors, a strop, barber hone for touchups. You will be good for life, just send out your razors if you bump the sink or something for honing.

You can get very good shaves from either.

the only person who may have an idea whether this way of doing it is worth trying out is you.
if you're looking for a cheaper alternative a safety razor (the one with the double edge blades) is not terribly expensive. replacement blades cost $0.10-$0.50 as opposed to few dollars for a cartridge.
razor, strop, hone would cost you somewhere in $100-$300, depending on what is important to you.

I am a new straight shaver myself so I do not know much in the way of straight razors, although I do have one of my own. I have been using a safety razor for years. The way I think of it is that the straight razor will cost a lot more in the short term but will coast less in the long term simply becuase you need not buy anything additional ever. The double edge removes the ability to sharpen the blade so you need to keep buying hence it will cost more.

I still use a DE when traveling on short trips.

Other than shave prep. Learning to use a DE will not help you learn to use a straight and vice versa.

If you want to start out with a DE then get your butt over to B & B!:roflmao

Just kidding Rick, welcome to SRP! The others have already given some good advice from a starting point of view. All I can tell you is that if you have the itch to try a straight razor the itch will never go away until you give in to curiosity. If it's not for you it's easy enough to recoup your losses, especially on the classifieds.

which has more attraction to you?

I think we can pretty much accept that the shaves they give are more or less on a par, there are guys who love their DEs and have absolutely no interest in straight razors and vice versa.

I would deffo go the route that holds the most attraction to you. Personally DEs scare the crap out of me and straight razors are cool.

If you want to ease into the arena try a Gem or EverReady. They are considered SEs or Single Edge Blades. They have a couple of advantages.

1 - you really do not have to search for the "perfect" blade to match the razor as most have to do with DEs or double edge razors like Gillettes.

2 - SEs operated similar to a str8 in that you still need to watch the stretching, and the prep.

3 - The blades are stiffer than a DE so the shave, IMHO, is better.

4 - Price, SEs are not particularly looked for on the Bay or in the Antique stores, so they are sometimes cheaper than Gillettes.

5 - If you go with a DE you have two and 1/2 choices. There are the Gems and Everreadys that have a set angle on the head. I love them both. They shave easy and comfortable. Shoot for a 1912 Gem or ER. The other choice is Schick. They made an injector style since the 1930s. They shave very similar to a cartridge so your learning curve will be less. The 1/2 is the Rolls Razor. A great start to getting into Str8s. They are a small piece of str8 blade that sits on a handle. Again stretching and proper prep are needed. These are like str8s with training wheels. The downside to Rolls are price and condition. You can find them cheap, but you have to make sure that the strop and hone are in good shape as well as the mechanism. You also need to make sure the handle is there and that you have at least 2 blades.

If you came to me and said SW I wanna learn straight shaving and I knew you had a background in cartridges, I would hand you a Schick and a package of injectors. When you got that down, I give you a Gem, and then a Straight or a Rolls which ever.

Also go to youtube and see Mantics videos on shaving.

I haven't used a cartridge razor for well over a year now and for the better part of this time I've used straight razors exclusively. But I do remember the shaves from cartridges to be pretty bad and rather expensive - too expensive, considering that the companies advertise that this new gizmo is the best ever... The straight razor is a lot better and a lot closer, not to mention the reduction of irritation as soon as you get the hang of it.

Straights are more expensive in the short term. But unless you go crazy and buy a lot of razors and strops and hones and whatever catches your fancy, the difference in cost will be enormous and you'll feel like this was the best bargain of your life. The equipment you'll need is quite small: one or two professonaly honed razors, a leather strop, a good brush, some good soap or shaving cream and, eventualy, a barber hone or a pasted strop so you can touch up the razor. Learning to use this equipment is not very hard but there is a learning curve. But unless you are a talentless twit - which you are not - you'll get along just fine and be proficient quite quickly, although there is always something new to learn everyday.

The DE is considerabily cheaper when compared to the straight razor option. But the shaves are much better if compared to the ones you get from a cartridge razor. If your shaves are good with a fusion, the ones you can get from a DE will be way better... as soon as you get proficient with the thing. You'll need less stuff if you choose the DE: a DE razor, blades, a good brush and some good soap or cream. The cost, however, is higher than with a straight because you'll need to purchase fresh blades from time to time... but it's a lot cheaper than using a cartridge razor.

Whatever your choice is, you'll find that our "policy" is always correct: one blade is always better...

Two other things that I might add to this:
1) wether you choose the straight or a DE you'll be breaking out from the pack and doing something that is always unique, needs focus and dedication and therefore is no longer a brainless chore... this means that, if the enjoyment factor kicks in, you'll enjoy shaving and start your day in a better frame of mind;
2) even if you choose not to take the leap into DEs or straights, do jump into the whole wet shaving thing... goo from a can is not a good way of shaving. I don't know if you are a wet shaver, but trust us on this... wet is best.

As a final note: welcome to the forum! You'll love this community, I reckon... there is no place like this in the world wide web. Enjoy and participate. You'll find that no question you pose will be forgotten and that all the people here are helpful and courteous at all times.

So... good luck on your quest for better shaves!

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. :gl: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 :shrug: but I tend to fall fast and hard...

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

Greetings to you all,

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Hi.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

I just discovered this forum while looking for information on water stones, and became intrigued by the notion of using straight razors for shaving.

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You're in good company.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

My question is a simple one (I think)

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Nope. Not simple at all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

Is a straight razor shave better than a safety razor shave? If so, how much better?

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Yes. So much better that I can't really put it into words. (for most people)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

I currently use a Gillette Fusion with five blades, and I am pretty happy with the results, apart from the cost of replacement blades.

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You have my sympathy. I was using a mach 3 a couple months ago, and I 'thought' I was pretty happy too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

From what I have read so far on this forum, a straight razor is a pretty big commitment in time and effort. So, before taking the plunge and investing the time, effort and money, I need to know if it is worth it.

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As others have said, that's a really personal question that nobody can answer for you. Value is a tricky thing to quantify. All I can do, is tell you how I started.

First of all, I was in a very similar situation to you. I was using multi-blade safety razors and thought that I was reasonably happy with them, other than cost. I was never thrilled. I never finished a shave and thought, "Wow, that's a great shave."

I did some reading, and convinced myself that some of the thing that people said about one of the "brands to avoid" was just snobbishness and went ahead and spent about $65 to buy 4 super cheap razors, a strop and a hone.

The whole lot of them turned out to be garbage, and I'm still waiting to hear back from paypal for my claim. There's a reason we have a "brands to avoid" list in the wiki. It's worth checking before buying.

After coming back here, I purchased a very nice shave-ready razor and strop from the classifieds here for $100, and started shaving. The first shave was awful, but with each shave it got better and better.

Now I've been shaving with a straight for almost 2 months. My shave only takes me about twice as long as it did with my mach 3, and is so much more close and comfortable that it's hard to even compare. I enjoy shaving more, my girlfriend enjoys the results more, and I've gone from shaving just as often as I need to, to shaving every single day.

Straights can (and do for many folks) turn into a hobby, and a collection. I've still only got one shave ready razor, but I've got 3 others that I'm working on restoring. I've purchased a barber's hone, tried lot's of new soaps, and plan on buying a full set of hones eventually. However, if money is your main reason to do this, it's easy to get started for $100, and possible (if you're a really great deal shopper) to get started for $50-$75, and you "can" just stop there. $20 a year to have your razor re-honed, and buying new shave soap when you run out, and not spend anything else on shaving for the rest of your life.

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Originally Posted by Unclericky

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Cheers,
Rick

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You're welcome, and I hope we've helped.

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Originally Posted by smokelaw1

Do it. You will either 1) love it immediately, even though there is a learning curve, your first shaves might not be too good, and you mighjt get a little nick or cut or irrititation. 2) Not love it immediately, but stick with it, then love it. or 3) Not like it, not grow to like it, or quit before you grow to like it. If you purchase your starter stuff wisely, you can sell almost all of it it to a new beginner at nearly no loss.
The shaves are AMAZING...and my favortie part (yes, even better than the shaves), is the fact that it took something that was a chore I had to do every day and turned it into a joy, and an enjoyable hobby, fun and luxurious products that I GET TO use EVERY DAY, in time that has become MINE again, time that I can breathe deeply, calm down (safer that way!), and focus on the day ahead.

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Short and sweet, I agree with the above Have fun:rock:

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Originally Posted by HungeJ0e

....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

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Flashback to a most unpleasant shave and an experiment in money-saving that didn't: I threw the Bic away, along with the rest of the pack!

Ouch!

Brenton