Relative newbie says thanks to SRP.

A friend of mine once asked me if it hurt to shave with a straight razor! My reply was simple - no, it doesn't. It would only hurt if it's not sharp.
I've been a member of this site for about 6 months now (but haven't up to now posted anything) and it's a constant source of really useful info for me as I've been SRS for about a year. The only thing I wish is that I found the site earlier!
Years ago I bought a brand new shiny razor, made of moulded plastic and rubber and even the case turned into a stand, that was so sharp that it had to be kept behind bars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????? What? I was so annoyed at it constantly getting clogged up and the fact that I had been conned into buying this crappy thing that I tried a straight razor (surely this scarily beautiful thing will be able to do what it was designed to do - to shave (well) unlike all those poncey new razors. I bought a brand new one but sadly I had no idea what i was doing and it was blunt so gave up on the idea for a while.
Last year I did a fair bit of research and bought myself a W&B razor and a basic kit. Haven't looked back!!! There's just something incredibly pure and satisfying about shaving with a straight razor and I believe that modern men have lost their way a bit (slowly turning into women?!) and if they tried this they'd walk just that little bit taller!! The way forwards is backwards!!!
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate all the info that's available, it's really helped me refine my skills.
Cheers!!!

good to see you are so satisfied with the ritual. :)

Granted I'm not one of these people that put down the disposable market. It's a trade off, disposables give a quick, less than satisfying shave while straight razors require more thought and give a better shave. I dunno if the men of today have lost their way as much as they've traded a quality ritual for a mindless chore. That would be like me looking down on someone for eating fast food while I'm going to a 5 star restaurant.

Although you will probably find more on this site that agree with you than agree with me. :)

Yes, Welcome. Shaving with a straight razor puts a whole new spin on shaving for you.
It turns a normally mundane ritual into something you actually look forward to doing. It turns into a hobby. Be advised, Addictions quickly take over if your like me. I have an addictive personallity. Bad for me, Good for vendors. There's always a new razor, or another hone I think I need. Let's not even get into the Shave Creams and Soaps.
I couldn't imagine using a can of anything. There's a "Zen" like quality that comes over you when your whipping up the lather and preparing for you shave. I still look forward to it each and every day, and always allow the time to do it. Never rush through it.
Enjoy it, and welcome to the forum.....

Rich

Welcome! I completely agree with you about the satisfaction gained by "the shaving ritual". My favorite part is the smell of sandalwood. Never knew there was a sandalwood. I've got to try tabac at some point. I hope it is the bottled essence of my humidors.

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