Thread: Why did you start using a straight razor?

Voted "other"... It looks like I'm the first who started shaving for environmental reasons. Don't like the idea of buying & throwing away cartridges, packaging, etc all the time.

I have two personal revolts that make me a bit out of time in the 21st century. I don't like technology for the sake of itself and I will happily pay more money for things that are well made and will last a very long time.

If there was one person I would like to kick soundly in the nads, it would be the first person who realized they could make more money by selling disposable crap rather than putting out the time and effort to make products that will last a long time.

As I get older and have more time to actually think about things in general, I've come to appreciate the inverse relationship between convenience and environmental responsibility. At some point in the past, the money and environmental consequences of disposable products became more important and here we are. Now we buy perfectly stupid ideas like disposable razors and canned shaving cream whose performance is a fraction of the products they were supposed to replace and extrapolated over a lifetime, they cost far more.

I doubt that using a straight razor will ever be as common as it was a hundred years ago. In a way, I hope not. Once that happens, companies who may not give a rat's ass about the experience and art of straight razor shaving will start to flood the market with inferior products to make a buck.

All of the above and then some more, except for the money saving idea - it's not gonna happen! - , and Dad didn't shave with a straight, Grandpa did.

• Hated cartridge junk
• DE shaves too harsh on my skin
• It's cool
• Love the shave it provides
• Enjoy the procedure
• Nobody else I personally know dares
• Preservation of a traditional skill

Did I mention, it's cool?

Mine was a mixture of 'old-timey' aspect and that I loathe the disposable muck that provides a less than adequate shave! All this and upon completion of a straight shave I feel more manly than a lumberjack who uses chilli coated sandpaper to wipe his arse!!

Rick

Originally Posted by CatMan

Dad didn't shave with a straight, Grandpa did.

Even grandpa didn't on my side... I've been saddened by the lack of straight razor use in my ancestors. I have an electric bought in the early 70's by the grandfather on my other side.

At first I was tired of getting disposable stuff in general, when I came across this site after wondering about older straights. My interest in old time stuff kicked in.

For me:

-save money
-got sick of replacing cartridges
-got sick of electric razors and them breaking
-like the nostalgia

-then once I got hooked, the first reason went out the window

Other: I've got a pretty interesting story

I work as a butcher/meat cutter(for now), and I take an extreme amount of pride in keeping my knives sharp. I had one of the guys tell me, "I bet you could not shave hairs with it". So when I got off of work, I cleaned and sanitized my knives and showed him that it shaved the hair off of my arms. He then replied, "Yeah, well, I bet you couldn't shave your face with it!". Well, I took it as a challenge. I went home and REALLY sharpened my knives. I brought a can of "goo" with me to work and shaved just the sides of my face and cheeks in front of the guys. It was a nice way to make $20 each from three guys, but I then realized, why am I shaving with that disposable crap, when I could just spend the time on sharpening a real razor. Well my father found out about the story and heard I had my first straight razor on the way, so he gave me his old boar brush, a cake of Colgate soap, and a Wedgwood scuttle that he used to wet shave with. Apparently he found wet shaving too time consuming and went to canned gels, and he has always shaved with disposables and electrics.

Now I shave everyday, when I used to shave twice a week, and my face has never been more clear. My family (wife excluded) thinks I'm a nutjob, and the people at work think I'm crazy.

Originally Posted by Ockham

I was interested to find a way to have a confortable shave AND avoid razor burns... I found it

Agreed!

The cool-factor is nice and it now is the most (and sometimes only) relaxing part of my day.


v/r

Allen

nostalgia, and eco friendly. I guess it doesn't hurt that my girlfriend find it very sexy.