Thread: Quitting after two weeks in.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Straight shaving is not for most. You have to make a commitment and two weeks is just unrealistic to expect real results. It's not your beard that is dulling the blade it was never shave ready from the start.

Good luck in your endeavors if you change your mind we will still be here.

I expected this to take much time to learn, at least 100 shaves. My problem is that I was not aware of how quickly the blades dull! I have quite a few nast cuts from using my Dull straights. (All professionally Honed by Lynn Abrams) The shaves I got were amazing when new.

I started to read all over the forums and it appears this happens to many of us---so I decided to start learning how to strop and hone. I purchased 4 more razors (They just came in the mail) and a third cheap strop. I also have a set of Norton stones in the mail. (And was ready for one of the 12K stones as well). It turns out honing is a long learning curve as well.

If I had more time I'd love to dive into this ! But I had to hit the brakes hard when I saw what I was getting myself into. I can still enjoy all my brushes, soaps, and safety razors. The Straights take dedication and time that I just dont have.

Thanks much all ! Now time to go play with my five year old son. I'll still have time to sneak a sharp Safety razor shave with hot lather this evening. No time to play with the Straights.

I know how it is when you have small children. Finding the time to have a leisurely shave is difficult, no doubt, so I can sympathize.

Keep in mind though that to be a straight razor shaver you don't have to shave exclusively with a straight. Many of us (including me) use a DE as well, sometimes several times a week. You can still learn this art without 100% total commitment - call it part time studies . But if you have decided that this really isn't for you I say good luck in your other endeavors.

Oh man, I feel awful. I was the one who asked about other hobbies. You were really throwing yourself into this, so I wondered if it was a first hobby or if you were, like me, a serial hobbyist. Sounds like the latter. Sounds also like you make and act on decisions very quickly.

I don't have the 5-year-old son, my hunting dog is fully trained (that was an all-encompassing hobby for the first couple of years), so I guess I'm writing as a guy who does have time for this. I'd say, hang on to the stones for a week, lap the 8k when you've got some time, and give your dullest blade 10 or 20 light, gentle strokes on it. Maybe you're a natural at that too, and you can still be a weekend straight shaver.

I didn't mean to be a buzzkill, or a reality check, just an interested fellow shaver. But a 5-year-old son... there's an important way to spend time. Best wishes to you.

Just to offer my two cents. Quitting seems reasonable to me. I have two kids under three. The time this takes is a bit more hassle than almost any other shaving option. I have been using the straight for 6 months now with only intermittent Mach 3 use for mornings where the straight was not going to fit into the schedule. I have sent them off for one sharpening, but I don't have the desire to learn the honing process, I figure the cost of sending them off to sharpen three or four times a year balances out with the cost of mach 3 blades. I don't have the time for the honing learning curve. It took me three months to get consistently decent shaves, and even now, if I am honest the mach 3 is the quicker and better shave. It just isn't as much fun, and the improvement with the straight is continueing... so I am sticking with it.

I have noticed that the blades are staying sharp longer. I am also noticing a dramatic difference in quality of the shave between types of soaps and quality of lather. Bad soap with bad lather pulls and sucks...

Good luck in your other hobbies.

Sounds like you have made up your mind, but I think if we didn't try to encourage you to stick with it then there would be no purpose for this forum to exist.

When you get the technique down, you will have more time to learn the other aspects of straight shaving. In a few more weeks you won't even think about how to hold the razor, the strokes, or the strop... You'll have more time to analyze the other aspects, like honing for example. Does that make sense?

In all honesty, there really isn't much to learn about stropping the razor. Hold it tight and strop it light. Yes you can roll the edge if you use way too much pressure, hold the strop way to loose, or lift the spine off the leather; but, it isn't rocket science. Honing does present a whole new level of learning to the straight razor, but it is not rocket science either, its more like "rock science".

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Originally Posted by roughkype

Oh man, I feel awful. I was the one who asked about other hobbies.

I didn't mean to be a buzzkill, or a reality check, just an interested fellow shaver. But a 5-year-old son... there's an important way to spend time. Best wishes to you.

Man, you did me a huge favor. I take all of my hobbies way too far and was headed in the same direction with Straight Razors until you set me "straight". I made a quick list, and this Hobby loses to many others...Especially this !

#1 hobby. Family ! My son asked to play Star Wars with me tonight. I agreed, but made a deal. He had to have a shave with me first.





And there are much simpler sides to the shaving hobby. (My Brushes and another hobby, Photography)

Sorry to see anyone quit anything if you enjoy it.

I think of hobbies as just that things I do when I have the time. I love cigars, do I moke one a day? I WISH! I smoke them when I have the time. I work on my straight shave when I can usually once a week.

They say cigar are a luxury good but the real luxury is having the time to smoke them - same with straights.

Say keep them around use them when you have the time.

I quit straight razor shaving after a few months in 1986 or maybe '87. Same reasons you're quitting. I kept my razors and stones up until 2006 and sold them on ebay. Within a couple of months I was DE shaving and within another year after that went to straights and had to buy more straights to replace the ones I had sold and (kicking myself in the a$$) more stones. I'll always regret selling those 3 vintage coticules. Say that to say ..... you're a young man. The gear isn't 'eating anything'. Save it and if the day comes when you decide you want to give it another go you'll have it.

As a newbie with a young son and a lot of hobbies, I can see your point. Other hobbies had to take a back seat for a while, while I figured out what needed to be done with a straight to keep it in working order, but I never let it interfere with my time with my son. Fortunately, after hours of watching videos and practicing, I learned enough to be effective - not a pro, but the blood loss has lessened and stropping/honing is fun. But, this is something I was intrigued with (my wife calls it obsessed) and really wanted to learn to do, so I had to adjust my hobby priorities. If this isn't your priority, setting it aside is definitely in order! Good luck with you future endeavors.

Originally Posted by KBaz

They say cigar are a luxury good but the real luxury is having the time to smoke them - same with straights.

I'd never thought of it like that, but the time is the key to all luxuries. It's also the best thing you can give to your family.