Originally Posted by
Prahston
I think of it more as my new Hobby. It just makes shaving a LOT more fun and the 'manliness' comments are absolute... I just feel more like what I consider my Grandfather and Great Grandfather were as men. The funny thing is I've spoken with many men in their 80's and 90's and none so far have said they used a straight razor... All Safety Razors. So, that part ia just really the coolest hook of all... You are doing something not many men in the last 90 years have done commonly!
Timeline wise... I think it varies a lot. Before I started I saw videos and posts that said 50 shaves to get anywhere close to comfortable. Regarding quality of the shave... I use a Mach 3 to shave my head and tight around my goatee. Obviously, having a goatee makes things easier as it cuts out the majority of the difficult spots. I feel I get as good or slightly better quality with a straight razor shave in one pass as I do with a Mach 3. As I get more comfortable with multiple passes I'm sure that will improve a lot!
I have been at it around 3 months and can shave well with a straight, can easily strop for maintenance and have been successfully honing to shaving sharp for a few weeks getting small improvements each time I do it!
I started this whole thing buying a $15 brush and soap combo about 18 months ago in order to decrease the trash I was creating and it took me a year to go through two pucks of soap. The razors I am shaving with are 90+ years old and I'm learning to rpeair/restore now.
Just a total blast in my opinion!