Thread: The SR resurgence

I've been a SR shaver since February of this year and can honestly say that I haven't been so enthused by something since I was a boy. One of the things that has interested me recently is the number of new razor makers there are, especially in the US and Germany; this does lead me to wonder however if there is enough of an existing consumer base to support these wonderful people, and IF there will be a new generation of SR shavers to replace them?

IMO. I believe shavers are realizing how expensive disposables are becoming. As for a straight you spend the money one time and have it for a lifetime. You can go expensive with a new straight. I prefer the vintage razors. I pick them up on eBay (yes eBay) at a low price. Put a little time and muscle into restoring it. Hone and enjoy. Most of my razors are 150 years old. Have been used by who knows who. May have been all around the country or world. They still have several lifetimes of shaves in them.

Interesting question. I don't think shaving with a straight razor will ever be more than a niche market. It has been a growing niche market and razor makers are scrambling to meet the new demand. The market will eventually stabilize and at that point you may see a number of makers drop out because of over supply to market size. Until then enjoy the new resurgence.

Bob

Yes, do believe the Straight Razor market is a limited market, just because for a lot of folks, it is just too much work.

I hone a lot of razor for new guys and many switch to double edge, just for the convenience, my son is one of them. For many of the instant gratification generation, it is the learning curve that puts them off.

A double edge, you just pop in a new blade and go, the shave is almost the same. But like the fountain pen, custom car, or even bespoke coffee drinking markets, there will always be a limited market for high end hand-made works of art that can be shave with daily.

For many, it is the process as much as the end result, and not unusual for an aficionado of one, to appreciate the bespoke aspect of other tools for daily chores. So it is more of a lifestyle or mind set, than practicality.

Personally I too prefer vintage, and older the better. I do admire some of the new razor makers, but there were some beautiful vintage razors that were made in the thousands, and are readily available. This morning I will shave with a hundred-year-old, ivory scaled razor, that will shave as well as the day it was made.

You can still buy a pristine, NOS or restored vintage razor, for much less that a new custom, and that, will impact the custom new razor market.

Most custom razor makers also make knives, that probably support the razor market. So it really is a quality issue, and as long as a custom razor maker can turn out quality and aesthetics, at a price the market will support, there will always be a limited market.

The 'Instant Gratification Generation', part of the reason I actually enjoy getting older (40's) is that I can look at the some of the younger generation with a healthy measure of contempt!

I don't see SR shaving going away, ever. I don't think it will ever be mainstream, as it once was. Let's face it, you gotta be pretty hard headed to go through the huge learning curve of wet-shaving with a SR. There are just to many easy alternatives.

Straight razor shaving lost it's grip on the masses with King Camp Gillette's invention of the "disposable bladed safety razor" which he began marketing in 1903. The lure of cheap, sharp and disposable blades (no more paying the local barber to hone their straights and trying to make it last as long as possible) made it very attractive to the average man, who simply wanted to get the ordeal of shaving over with as quickly, and cheaply as possible.

The more affluent could afford to have the barber visit them in their own home or stop by the barber on their way to work and have the barber shave them. There were a significant number of men who still used a straight razor up until around the 1950s, but that is when the DE safety razor took over the market.

Today, only those few that are willing to endure the ordeal of learning and practicing not only shaving, but maybe also honing straights, will be the market for such items.

Considering this is THE forum Straight Razor Shaving, and it has the entire world before it.... there's not that many of us, but we appear to be willing to part with hard earned $$$, something that has not gone unnoticed, and fuels the resurgence of traditional style shaving gear, soaps and creams. Today's "Above The Tie" razors, as an example, would never sell in the 1950s, and Maestro Livi's razors would meet a similar fate as most folks just did not have that kind of disposable income, if they could even find such a luxury item.

Thankfully, the Internet came along and made it so much easier for us to congregate and share our knowledge and ideas. I remember when I found SMF. I was behind the curve at the time, but back then.... even DE blades were hard to come by.... there were maybe a 1/2 dozen different blades to be had.... then, once again thanks to the Internet, we all found each other and locally produced and used DE blades became available to anyone around the world (thank you Postal Union).

Right now, it seems the majority of straight razor users are in the upper end of the age group.... I think there may be a few new young users that will come along, but as the electronics and personal computers evolve, I suspect there will be another downward trend in the number of users.

So.... I think some of the new razor makers will find it difficult to make a living, making straight razors, down the road, but there will always be a small market for exclusive shaving products, just like in the 18th and 19th century... only without the real ivory.


Regards

Kaptain "Retro grouch and pessimist" Zero

It wasn't actually bad shaves but the desire to be rid of waste that started me down this path (I had also had enough of dishing out hard won pennies to Mr Gillette and Wilkinson (or whoever had the best offer on at the time)). I think there was an article online that I read that led me to think 'if it worked then, it must work now', plus the prospect of never having to buy those bloody awkward - to - open packs of expensive cartridges was enough of an incentive to want to learn. The savings and feel good factor came later. I also enjoy the fact that my boys actually watch me shave now, something they weren't that interested in before, and I love my wife's response each time I tell them: "yes son, daddy will teach you how to shave" Her words are not repeatable here. So hopefully, in these more quality oriented times, there will be an increasing number of like minded individuals who will come to appreciate the experience. Who knows.

There was a recent article in Outside magazine about the resurgence of SR's and Dovo mentioned how their production has shot up due to demand.

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Holy Cow - just found an article from, "The Telegraph", in the UK, talks about a guy trying straight shaving, and he's used Lynn Abram's video tutorial in it....we all knew Lynn was a star!!!

A close shave: my cut-throat razor disaster - Telegraph

Laughed at this line, we're awesome:

"While there is no more authentically manly act than shaving with a straight razor, the downside is that the straight razor also turns the most repetitious act of grooming of all – the wet shave – into a chess-match with death."