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.

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."

A day without a chess-match with death is a day wasted. That's my mantra.

A chess match with death! Holy smoke is that what str8 shaving means to the blissful male masses? Still from time to time the movies will show a man with a faceful of lather waiving a straight razor in the air.
It takes an appreciation of tradition and a rejection of the multibladed plastic contraption kept under lock and key at the pharmacy to motivate one's entry into the historic world of wet shaving with a straight. It will be a highly pleasurable experience when guided by experienced men whom have journeyed before.
So I think others will follow into our chess match. The reward out weighs the risk. Any thanks to those for the encouragement given to me to enter upon the journey.