Thread: SR or DE... that is the question.

Hello all!!! I've been stalking this forum for about a week now and have to say, the wealth of information and expertise is staggering. Not to mention, you all are the most welcoming unch of guys on the internet!

As someone who grew-up buying a bag of crappy plastic BICs and disliked it so much I've been bearded for the last 10 years (35 yrs old now), I'm wondering if I should start out with the 'ol safety razor and get comfortable with that before moving up to the majors with a straight razor. Any advice on this would be greatly appriciated.

I started with straights and didn't have a problem. Some guys start with DE's. There's a learning curve with both, the SR's have more maintenance to be learned, but give better shaves (for me). Plus, I enjoy the ritual involved in using them. At the end of the day you'll probably buy both eventually lol.

I just switched to SR and have zero regrets. As a matter of fact I wish I started with SR a long time ago. I have been DE shaving for over twenty years and all this SR business still very new to me.

One thing for sure, I have never enjoyed my shaves this much after the switch.

Good luck with the decision!

He asks on a Forum named Straight Razor Place

Methinks the answers may be just slightly biased


On a serious note

Advice that got me started with a SR many years ago..

If you are going to keep facial hair, and want straight lines you need to use a straight razor

I'd suggest starting with a DE. Not as much of a learning curve, and you'll still be getting familiar with the brush, cream/soap lathering. If you apply skin stretching to your shaving with the DE, that is yet another skill you'll have before you go to the straight.

Also the DE is handy to have for those days when time constraints favor a quick shave rather than trying to rush with a straight.

Thanks gents! JimmyHAD's sentiment is what I was thinking. But, thanks to a conversation with another member in response to a comment I left in the classified section, I'm pulling the trigger on old 5/8 ERN. I'll more than likely snag a DE to touch-up the inevitable patch-job I'm left with after my first gos. Ha!

I agree with the suggestion to start with a DE. Having just come to the SR world 2 months ago I cannot imagine the learning curve without the base of information I learned from DE shaving. It gave me the opportunity to learn about cream/soaps and brushes, but more importantly I learned about blade angles, pressure, and most importantly I learned about my face and beard.

DE shaving gave me the opportunity to explore different techniques, and eventually ramp up to more and more aggressive razors. Once I made the transition to SR I could focus on SR technique, blade angle and pressure with as few variables as possible having a base of information about what works for my face and what doesn't from the DE experience.

For me I think I would have given up on SR shaving if I went to it directly, as I think I would have found the learning curve a bit overwhelming. I am sure others have successfully gone to SR right away. I just don't think I could have pulled it off.

That's my $.02 on what worked for me.

But hey, that's just me.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Advice that got me started with a SR many years ago..

If you are going to keep facial hair, and want straight lines you need to use a straight razor

I've heard this as well. And it makes perfect sense. My beard never looks better than it does after a straight razor clean-up from a good barber.

Originally Posted by Newton3108

I agree with the suggestion to start with a DE. Having just come to the SR world 2 months ago I cannot imagine the learning curve without the base of information I learned from DE shaving. It gave me the opportunity to learn about cream/soaps and brushes, but more importantly I learned about blade angles, pressure, and most importantly I learned about my face and beard.

Thanks. I was also wondering (but wasn't sure if this thread was the place to ask) if there's really THAT much difference in brushes/soaps/creams/etc. Everything I've read outside of this forum says badger, badger, BADGER! But I'm seeing a trend on these feeds that a $9 brush from Walgreens is just fine to start out. Any insight here as well?

Mushroom, mushroom? Sorry, old internet reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL6CDFn2i3I

In short, no. Honestly, any brush is serviceable. I've used the cheap boar brush from walgreens and it was just fine, same with my $7 or $8 synthetic omega. They're all kinda different, in general you can get boar or badger for under $20. Boar is scratchier, but breaks in softer and badger can be scratchy or like feathers, whereas my synthetic is stupid soft. It's all personal preference in hair, but I imagine one could get a brush used to clean your back to work if someone was desperate enough.