Thread: Straight Razor shaving - worth it?

Ed,

I feel your pain/concern! I have been straight shaving for a little about six months now and the shaves continue to improve. I learn something new every shave.

I will say that I saw very fast improvement for the first month or two and then I seemed to hit a wall. My shaves did not get better or worse, they just stayed about average. My problem areas (chin/neck/stache) continued to give me fits.

I will say that around the five month mark, things started to improve again. My shaves are now as close and almost as comfortable as my DE shaves.

To me, it is not just about the result, but the entire process. For me, shaving is relaxing, fun and enjoyable and I start every day out with a challenge. I look forward to it.

Stick with it. It will continue to get better and better as long as you have the motivation.

I can shave as close with a straight as I can with any other type of razor at this stage of the game. I can also do it from start to finish much faster than I could when I started. OTOH, I never rush when shaving with a straight razor. If time is an issue I would find an alternative that day. Try the cold water shave. That alone cut my shaving time considerably and I get better shaves. YMMV.

Straight shaving isn't for everyone especially in our disposable hurry up world. When Mr Gillette came out with the DE men switched in droves and never looked back.

Having said that I will say using a straight is something you really need to be motivated to do. I find no other shave method can shave as close. You just need to decide what you expectations and priorities are, and if they coincide with a straight to keep using it. If done correctly your shaves will continue to improve.

I think sometimes we see all the guys who seem to pick this thing up and are getting BBS shaves within a week or so. This is not normal. You just need to have patience and of course realize the extra time it takes to shave (which should decrease over time) is something many of us enjoy.

Str8 shaving is going to take more time than the other stubble removal alternatives. Shaving takes more time than not shaving which is why yours truly grew a beard for about 30 years - lazy is as lazy does. I started shaving with a straight razor - went to DE in the Army - went shaveless out of the Army - returned to straights about 6 or so years ago.

Among the reasons for the extra time involved with straight razors is using the traditional strops, brushes, soaps, etc., and then the time consuming caution needed in dealing with that unguarded and marvelously sharp blade you are using. Shaving time will get less as more you become experienced with the razors and accessories, but it will never become as quick as other wet shaving methods. Canned goop and a Bic disposable is about as quick as you can get with shaving wet. Or you can use the Norelco while driving to work - faster yet.

Straight shaving is culture!

So far, you have not described anything that most people do not experience along the learning curve.

It took me 6 months to give up a cleanup pass with a DE, and maybe 8 months to get consistent results. It took 4 or 5 months for my skin to break in.

Then there are the things that help in such an incremental way that they are hard to realize. Such as the amount of pressure you are stropping with or how tight you pull the strop. These things matter, but only experience gets them right for you.

Just get yourself to consistent passable shaves right now. If you are going to give it another 3 or 4 months, you won't believe how much better things are going to get for you.

You have already passed the "I Suck" stage. Stick with it and you will be rewarded.

David

Yes I am planning to stick with it for several more months at least but just felt a need to vent today.

I estimate that using the straight probably takes about twice as long as a DE or Gem does and I always made two passes with those. Part of that has to do with the stropping and part of it has to do with the additional concentration and different passes - WTG, ATG, etc.. The Gem used to provide a closer more reliable shave than what I am getting from the straight. I'm not saying that the GEM shaves closer everywhere or maybe anywhere but overall it makes the whole face a lot smoother - in hard to shave areas significantly so.

I'll keep plugging at it. It's the harder to shave areas that are the real challenge.

Ed

Originally Posted by eddelgado

Yes I am planning to stick with it for several more months at least but just felt a need to vent today.

I estimate that using the straight probably takes about twice as long as a DE or Gem does and I always made two passes with those. Part of that has to do with the stropping and part of it has to do with the additional concentration and different passes - WTG, ATG, etc.. The Gem used to provide a closer more reliable shave than what I am getting from the straight. I'm not saying that the GEM shaves closer everywhere or maybe anywhere but overall it makes the whole face a lot smoother - in hard to shave areas significantly so.

I'll keep plugging at it. It's the harder to shave areas that are the real challenge.

Ed

Different people have different learning curves. Do not worry about getting bbs shaves on the first two or three months. You will know once you are there. Once you start to get close to good shaves you will find that shaving is more relaxing than worrying about the bbs results. At least that is how it happened to me.
I can honestly say that nowadays shaving with straight doesn't take much more time than shaving with DE.

Originally Posted by eddelgado

Yes I am planning to stick with it for several more months at least but just felt a need to vent today.

I estimate that using the straight probably takes about twice as long as a DE or Gem does and I always made two passes with those. Part of that has to do with the stropping and part of it has to do with the additional concentration and different passes - WTG, ATG, etc.. The Gem used to provide a closer more reliable shave than what I am getting from the straight. I'm not saying that the GEM shaves closer everywhere or maybe anywhere but overall it makes the whole face a lot smoother - in hard to shave areas significantly so.

I'll keep plugging at it. It's the harder to shave areas that are the real challenge.

Ed

I have gone from 1 hour to 30 minutes for 3 full passes plus clean up. That includes making my lather and cleaning my area.

Now for those hard to get at areas. I am betting that your trouble areas are just below your jawlines and about 1/3 of the length of your neck down. These are areas that you can't get your blade vertically into and the whiskers are growing crazy in.

This is where you really have to develop your guillotine (or scythe) cuts. I could not get a good shave in those areas until I got that technique down.

Can you let us know if that is the case here?