Thread: Is straight razor shaving for everyone?

I suspect that there are more than a few people with complete high end kits with fancy razors, brushes and strops sitting in a drawer somewhere, that wil never be used and that might be what keeps these places in business.

I see the same thing with flyfishing. I've been an avid flyfisher for quite a while now and every season I see guys sporting brand new rods, reels, waders, boots and assorted paraphanelia that must total in the thousands. Rarely do I see them more than once, and I'm on the stream a lot!

Originally Posted by paco664

there must be enough to keep stores like AOS in bidness..... cause they are usually in upscale malls and i know they don't give that space away for free....

While AOS sells straight razors, they tend to cater more towards the broader group of traditional wet shavers, i.e. use of brush, soaps/creams and other items with whatever type of razor, including multi-blade monstrosities.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

As I recall cartridge type razor shaving is king in the U.S but in Europe and Japan and the rest of the developed world the electric is king with around 80% of the market. I don't know about the undeveloped world and places like Central America or Mexico.

Those poor people using electric shavers. I had one in college for my first two semesters. I had only been shaving for a couple years but it only took my first two weeks of using the blasted thing to know I'd never get a good shave with it. It was convenient, though. I could shave while I walked to class and toss the thing in my bag after.

I know that DE's are still rather prevelant in places such as India and many Middle Eastern countries due to the relative poverty of the people and the low expense of DE razors and their blades.

You can kill a deer with a high-powered rifle or hang in a tree all night with a bow and arrow.
You can shave with a cartridge or take the risk of a straight razor either 8/8 or narrow.
You can write longhand cursive, but then there's calligraphy and italic so people can read it.
Straight shaving is not for everyone, but for those that do they like it and then they NEED it.

I would think the percentage would be too small to measure . Most people must think we're a little crazy .

I live in a town of about 7000 people, and I'd be willing to bet I'm the only one in town using a straight. I know a guy in town who collected them but has never shaved with any of them. So I guess I'm finally unique, at least in this way (and that's about it).

I live in a town of ~60,000 people, and besides rumors of the occasional older barber who will still give a straight shave, I haven't heard of anyone else using one. The knife store at the mall carries a few Dovos, but I don't know if they ever sell. So far I haven't convinced any coworkers to try it out. It can be a lonely hobby. There's another reason for us to be thankful for SRP.

We are a strange group,lets face it. Out of all the people i know and i know a few after being above ground for 55 years, i can say without a doubt,nobody i know shaves with a straight. And i cant even get someone to try it.

Originally Posted by Knife

I haven't been straight razor shaving for too long, but I love it, I find myself wanting to shave more than once a day. So I want to spread the word, but I don't know if its for everyone. So a few questions:

How many people in the world, percentagewise, would you say straight razor shave? And if its not proportional among the different countries, expand on which or where its more prevalent?

Ignoring the potential for spending a lot of money, the extra time it takes to pre/shave/maintenance, the initial fear of cutting yourself or wasting money or the unknown in general, basically everything except the shaving part. Is it for everyone? What I mean is, is there a face too sensitive for straight razor shaving and is it always a better shave than any other means of shaving, just based on the results?

Now as far as I'm concerned its not only the best way to shave for the results, but the cheapest way. A modest bare minimum set will allow you to shave for less money than any other form. Anything above that is the cost of a hobby and thats how I would advise people. Now considering everything else, potential of spending a lot of money, the extra time....... how many people in the world do you think would straight razor shave? By that I mean what percentage of the world has the right combination of patience, willingness to explore.......?

I got started out of 40 years of unsatisfactory shaves and a chapped face from disposables, cartridges, and electric razors. I hated shaving, so I was open to new (actually old fashioned) ideas. In fact I actively sought alternatives on the internet.

I haven't converted a soul among the people I know, and I think the reason is that they never reached the level of dissatisfaction I did. Plus, the generation after me doesn't feel it is mandatory to shave every work day like I do, so if their face is tender they just skip it until the irritation goes away.

I get the best shaves out of my Merkur38C and 39C DE razors with Medical Personna blades, but prefer to shave with a straight and maintain my own blade. It has branched into a hobby because a shave has become enjoyable and it's fun to try various razors and toiletries. I am not saving money by shaving this way but that is my fault. If you're disciplined, you do save.

If everybody had my shaving experiences or felt like they had to shave every day, I think either the DE or straight would become the norm for everybody.