Thread: Are straight razors personal in the way they shave?

I am amazed at the difference in the quality of shave between different razor blades in my DE razor. I have just sent my straight razor to be honed proffessionally and am looking forward to trying it. My question is; do straight razors differ only in their ability to take and keep an edge, or will a straight be the best shave for one person and the worst for another?

Just IMHO, it stands to reason that some straights will feel different to an individual shaver just the way that a DE does. I think that may account for why some guys like an edge honed on one hone more than another. At least that is the way it seems to me personally.

I know some of the more senior members have posted in the past that some razors 'like' one type of hone better than another and that is what I mean. If you get the right combination between hone and razor it will be good for you. That same combination might not be good for another guy but there will be a combination using the same blade but a different hone that will be good for the other guy. Anyhow that is my theory and I'm sticking to it.

I absolutely think it is subjective based on what the user likes. I think it is like tastes some people don't like some things and many people have many different favorite foods and I think you find the same here, what some people consider their favorite/best shaver others don't consider it their favorite usually in the top few but not necessarily what is the their consideration of the "Best".

Originally Posted by mutters

will a straight be the best shave for one person and the worst for another?

In general, bigger razors with heavier grinds are better for heavier beards, but people develop individual preferences, for a legion of reasons, which trump every other consideration. Most of the time, when people say "I love (style X) and I hate (style Y)," it's not because they can't do a good job with a style Y razor, it's because they don't like the feel of it for one reason or another.

I have 2 straights, one is a 5/8 full hollow Dovo, the other is a 6/8 quarter hollow Wacker-- they shave totally different. The Dovo is light and quick, the Wacker is heavy and substantial. I like the contrast between the two razors- I pretty much alternate between these every time I shave. I can see why people start collecting these things...

-Chief

I have razors that I love, razors that I hate and razors that are "in between". On the theory that it could be my honing, I took the two that I hate the most and sent them out to be professionally honed. After they were honed, the honemeister shaved with them and loved them. When they came back to me, I found no difference and hated them just as much. All I can figure is that some razors are compatible with my face and technique and others aren't.

its somewhat personal, you Can tell the difference in blades. not only in the way it feels on your skin, but how comfortable you can hold it and get into the tight spots.
i find that bigger blades really need jimps to be handled comfortably

+1

I am still new to this, but I have one razor that shaves better than the other two that I keep in my rotation.. I have 4 more out being honed right now that I haven't shaved with yet, so this may change.

Originally Posted by mutters

My question is; do straight razors differ only in their ability to take and keep an edge, or will a straight be the best shave for one person and the worst for another?

I may be reading this wrong but I think you are asking if any straight with a good edge will shave good for one person and not for an other person.

The comments above are describing the difference between straight blades and honing techniques. I agree with most of them, but to answer what I think is your question, it really depends on the sharpness of the SR, shaving skills of the person using the straight and the beard prep as to whether they will think it is a good shave or not.

You can take the same razor to several barbers for them to shave you with. With some you will like the experience, with others you may think there is something wrong with the blade.

Since you are going from a DE to a straight you are at the beginning of the learning curve. Straight shaving requires a bit of a different skill set. At first you may not like the results or find you get better results with a DE. As your skills develop you will enjoy your straight shaves more. A bit more experience and you will be able to tell if you like one type of blade or honing method over others. What you find to be in your liking is strictly personal. With the proper skill set a straight shave will be better than a DE shave regardless of the DE blade or the straight being used, if the straight is of a good make and honed correctly.

Good luck!

Thanks Joed, a great help. When my SR comes back and if it works out I will be looking to add another razor to the one I have. I have seen a lot of positive posts about wapis and they are a reasonable price. Maybe one of those next.