Thread: Why did you start using a straight razor?

Originally Posted by CloseShave

The reasons are several:

• The same reason people climb mountains- because it's there
• It's the best known shave
• The lore surrounding the straight razor
• It intimidates the uninitiated
• The razors are well crafted and attractive tools
• It's a very satisfying daily accomplishment

Hey there neighbor, like I said - bacause its cool (Insert best Beavis and Butthead laugh here)

Jordan

I was posted in Korea in the late 70's and after coming out of the field or off of the 10 day gaurd post on the dmz, my favorite thing was to get showered and run to the barbershop. All the barbers were female and I could get the shampoo, haircut,shave and facial massage for less than 5$. I always walked out of therefeeling great!! After Korea I bought an old fleamarket razor and used it for several years until I got married and then we split(I wonder where that thing went). Then for years just used bics & etc. Being military and out in the field most of the time I got to where a dry shave was as good as anything, and did that for years. I got out of the military started civilian life and then in the early 90's started civil war reenacting, I remembered the shaves I would get in Korea and the bug to do it hit all over again. I have not looked back. Of course me shaving myself is nowhere like the pleasure of sitting back and being shaved(especially if her hands are soft)(Viola, Lilith are you listening).Just the same I'll never go back to any of the lesser tools of facial desecration.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I'll never go back to any of the lesser tools of facial desecration.

You get fifty points for the colorful use of desecration...

I got into straights because of Sweeney Todd. That is to say, the movie brought it back to the forefront of my mind. A month ago I would have been ashamed to admit it as it seems to be a sort of taboo or stigma around here at times, but I really don't care anymore.
When I was 16 or 17, my father and I went regularly to this rather younger barber who would do the full hot lather shave treatment and finish with a hand-mounted massager after every haircut. Of course he was only shaving peach fuzz at that point, but I always remembered it... the luxurious feel and the zen-like relaxation necessary to do my part to not get cut.
Once I started shaving (M3's of course), I got a hot-lather machine for a christmas present at my request. I asked for a straight, but of course I got the parental corporate line of "hell no!, you'll cut you're throat..," so I settled for my slightly better shave with a standard multi-blade disposable. Eventually, I graduated to a Fusion razor with the single blade on the back. The ads said the single blade was for more delicate areas and I got to thinking "my whole face is kinda delicate or at least I should consider it as such." In addition, I noticed that every square inch that I touched up with the single-edge side was infinitely smoother and almost never irritated. Hmmm...
And then Sweeney Todd brought it all rushing back. I saw the blade and and the 7-day set and that part of me that likes things like pool cues and chess sets yelled "gotta have it!" Now, of course, I live on my own and with no parents to argue with me, I took the plunge. I justified it to myself that it would save me money,but we all know how that goes...
So my answer is "other"."

Sorry for the long post...

Adam

Well, I put 'the old timey' bit, because I think that's the closest. To be totally honest, I remember seeing an episode of Due South, a Canadian TV show about a Mountie who goes to Chicago, I believe it is and he's all old fashioned and some kind of gentle, super cop (complete and total BS if you've ever met a real Mountie). Anyhow... I was quite young at the time, long before I started shaving. In this episode, he stropped up his straight razor and set about giving himself a complete shave. That's when the bug bit me.

As per standard, though, when I asked my father about straight razors he told me that you wind up shaving very rarely as you cut the holy hell out of yourself every time you shave. When I pointed out that at one time it was the only way to shave, he pointed out that most 1900 and earlier pictures... Men seem to have beards an awful lot. :P

So as a result, I grew up thinking that straight razors were ultra dangerous and difficult to use. Long story short, I eventually decided I didn't really care too much (I've bled before, a little bleeding isn't going to hurt me) so what the hell, I decided to do some research and get myself a razor.

I found this place through a post on Badger and Blade, came over here, did my reading and what do you know? I've never had anything worse than a nick.

Well, unless you consider the mounting pile of money I've spent on razors to be worse than a facial nick. :P

Oh, P.S.

Do me a favour and don't tell my fiance that I didn't find out that you don't cut the holy hell out of your face until after I had decided to start shaving with a straight. If she found out I was willing to let her marry a man with a bunch of self inflicted facial scars... she might be a little miffed. :P

Well, I'm only 22 but ever since I was a kid I liked the "old" stuff, old tractors and motors, cooking on a wooden stove etc. I value craftmanship and I hate disposable stuff.
Why I starded using straights is a different story: I never cared about shaving but wanted to give straight-razors a try. I had to join the army (it's mandatory here in Austria to either serve in the army or in a civil organisation like the red cross for a coupla months) so I thought straight razors would be cool to shave each day. Alas, I couldn't find one in the next bigger town. One apothecary said they could order one but I didn't want to wait. Thinking about it now I think that was the better choice. So I went with an electric. 2 years later I was looking for a sharpening stone for my pocket knives on dick.biz and saw they carried straight razors. I immediately got interested again, browsed the net and a big German forum and in December 2006 I bought my first straight. The rest, as they say, is history.

I started with str8's because I love to have a challenge in life.

Also the thought of being able to do something that most other men would never even dare to do made me passionate about it.

Str8's can also be so beautiful, unlike all other razors.

My wife and family just don't get it, but who cares?

I had been curious about straight razor shaving all my life , and had aquirred a small collection of straights , over the years . I discoverd the SRP last March , and read everything I could about straight shaving . Bought a Norton 4k/8k , and a Gemico strop , and honed a couple of razors from my collection . At first I had ordered the strop , and a Col. Conk hard Arkansas "razor hone" , and found that , although a hard Ark. will get my knife pleanty sharp , it didn't get my razor sharp enough . So I took the leap , and kicked out 75 bucks for a Norton 4k/8k . In the mean time I had milked all the shaves I could out of my M3 cartridge , and needed to get more cartridges . I went to Wal-Mart to get some , and to my astonisment I couldn't find any , all they had was this new 4 bladed crap . And the 4 bladed crap cost more than the 3 bladed crap . I thought 3 blades was more than enough blades , and was not about to pay more for 4 bladed cartridges . So I bought a 3 pack of Shick disposables to hold me over 'til the 4k/8k arrived . After the 4k/8k arrived I started shaving with my straights . It took about 3 shaves to get my razors honed acceptably sharp , and I had to touch up my "gotee area" with a disposable for the first 2 months . I've been shaving exclusively with a straight ever since , and I love it , I just wish I'd started when I was younger . I therw my M3 away after the first month , and threw the disposables away after the third month . So , the reason I started shaving with a straight was out of disgust for the mutibladed shaving cartridges , and simple curiousity . The reason I've kept shaving with straights is because I love everything about it , and it makes my face feel sooo good .

Originally Posted by iron maiden

Kenrup, I too, am a blackpowder enthusiast. Are you a flintlock or caplock kinda guy? I use flintlocks whenever I go out with a blackpowder rifle.

I use rock guns almost exclusively. I do have a .54 in percussion but I don't use it much. Cap guns are like kissing your grandmother compared to the rock guns.

You didn't include all of the above. Even then I guess it would fall short. Others have pointed out reasons that are similar to mine.
The learning something new.
The perception of doing something dangerous demanding great skill
The love of simple, elegant, well designed and efficient tools is a big one for me. In my work I use a chainsaw a lot and it is an efficient tool but nothing beats the feel and exoerience of using a perfectly balanced and sharpened axe to fell a tree. Knowing that the axe will last with care for generations and does not demand fuel, oil or replaceable parts is neat.
I transitioned from DE to straight and waffle between the two as my mood dictates.
Since both allow me to use all the wizzy soaps, creams, brushes etc they let me have a shaving experience that is second to none.
Lastly i get to experiment.