Technique or Hardware?

So for most of us, shaving with a straight razor yeilds a closer, more comfortable shave, hence one of the reasons we use them. But I had a thought while driving the other day, and I wanted some opinions/discussion on it. Do we get closer, more comfortable shaves because of the technique, i.e. multiple passes, with, then across the grain, or because a straight razor coupled with traditional lather and brush are superior pieces of hardware and perform better than a can of gel and multi-bladed razor and/or electric razor? Or both?

Thoughts?

Better tool, better technique!:tu

I think it's both. Technique and Tool. Michael Schumacher could probably turn better lap times than me if he were in a 3 cylinder geo and me in a BMW M3, but his lap times in an M3 would be far better than my M3 times.

Straights are less sharp than blades by Gilette etc. However the blade of a straight rests on the skin while the cartidge thingies more like hover over skin. That fraction of a millimeter feels like a huge difference.

Ahhh an interesting point. Are straight razors really less sharp? If that's the case, then wouldn't the absolute closest shave be a double-edge safety razor? Because of the sharpness of the blade and the fact that the cutting edge of the blade lies directly on the skin? Just playing devil's advocate here ;)

Ever heard the old adage, about a bad carpenter blaming his tools?...

Do safety razors give close shaves-absolutely. The big companies have spent BILLIONS of dollars.They shave me close-they also cause me to suffer ingrown hairs.

I know I can hone MY razors and get BBS shaves EVERYTIME with no razor burn and no ingrown hairs. Str8 shaving is a skill that must be learned through trial and error. If you have the patience as well as the hand eye coordination,develop muscle memory and master the task-you too can get great shaves.

It doesn't matter if it is a $25 dollar ebay special or a $400 custom-provide the razor is SHAVE READY- you can get a shave that rivals anything you can get out of a "cartridge".

In the above post, I was more referring to a DE safety razor giving the absolute closest shave, like a Merkur Heavy Duty or similar razor; not so much a Mach 3 or other mass-market product.

Greeting All. Let me introduce myself as a new convert to straight razor shaving. I was already a wet shaver and my razor of choice was the Merkur Vision. Many of the techinques of wet shaving are common to straights and DE's and once you start shaving WTG,XTG and ATG a fine shave can be had. So why am I a straight razor shaver now. In a word comfort. It has taken me four months to finally get the hang of putting a keen edge on my razors (norton 4k/8k and shapton 16k) and to learn how to shave with them (yes RAD has already got me). I think what it might be is the lighter touch straight razors allow. Of course I am still a beginner and still learning and may I say he StraightRazorPlace is a gold mine. In four months my Merkur hasn't been out of the stand once and the shaves just keep getting better. Hope this helps

i think its a combo of equipment and technique the brush makes a big difference as it holds the hairs in an upright position, and who can complain about removing hair 3 inches at at time plus its nolstagic and bada$$

Absolutely bada$$ and nostalgic.