Thread: straigh razors are rubbish

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. If the man doesn't like str8's, I'll be more than happy to take them off his hands...

Originally Posted by adamround

its just because you take more time and care over it with a straight one. suddenly going to spending twice as long shaving and going over more than once is clearly going to give a closer shave wether its with a straight razor or disposeable.

Not in my experience. I shaved with a DE for more than 20 years before going straight (that didn't sound right ), but I get a much closer shave after 2 1/2 passes with a straight versus a 4-pass method shave with a feather blade. Not only closer, but I don't start to feel the stubble of a 5 o'clock shadow until at least 12 hours later. But YMMV.

Originally Posted by RayG

Not in my experience. I shaved with a DE for more than 20 years before going straight (that didn't sound right ), .

Ray, are you trying to tell us something?

One other important point to consider is this: A mach 3 is a three bladed razor. Every time you drag it across your skin you are taking three blades across your face. So this question is for everybody- Can you get a better shave by taking a straight razor blade across your face three times or by taking a mach three across your face once.

I know what I would say....

Additional:

Readers of this thread may find the following thread interesting as well which is discussing why people use a straight. The two seem related....

http://straightrazorpalace.com/gener...ht-razors.html

Skill takes patience to learn. Straights edges are superior if you have the skill to hone them. Learning a lost basic man's skill again is alien to the disposable fast lifestyle of the "unskilled" man. Whether it is of interest or not is a man's own decision.

3 times is closer is a fallacy, the second or third blade will not cut closer than the third. Making the same pass at same angle accomplishes squat.
(first cut is the deepest), changing angle of the stroke will get the stragglers. The pivoting head of a mach 3 keeps the edges at good angle. A skilled hand with a straight does the same. The straight is superior imE cut wise and lasts longer.

Originally Posted by SlamMan

Again, the closest shave isn't always the best shave. For me I generally get some irritation over the next 24 hours when I use a cartdridge where as I don't with a straight. The cartdridge is closer and a bit more comfortable while I'm shaving. The straight isn't quite as baby butt smooth but the result is much better over the next couple days.

I get as close with a straight as with a Mach 3 (no closer), but the rest of this post rings true to me. I used to get irritation from a cartridge shave later on in the day. Not razor burn, which you feel right away; more like an itching-irritated feeling some eight or ten hours later. I asked about this once and someone explained that cartridges lift and cut the hair at an angle, so the stubble tends to curl as it grows back – hence irritation and next-day ingrown hairs. Straights apparently cut the hair at much closer to a perpendicular. This explanation made sense to me. I certainly don't get any more ingrowns or itching since switching to a straight.

But I gotta admit that this is the only concrete advantage of straight shaving. The rest is ritual, skill, pleasure, etc. For this reason, Adamround, I took your post in good humor. You're right, we're all waaaay into this & so we tend to exaggerate its benefits, or the supposed hell of our mach-3 days.

I guess one other concrete advantage is cost, but to make that work you've got to really resist the various addiction disorders.

Oh hold on, one other concrete advantage: nicks & weepers from straights stop bleeding after a nice splash of cold water. With both cartridges and DEs, in my experience at least, the bleeding can go on for up to an hour. I do not understand this phenomenon but it's absolutely true, as others will attest.

One last thing though, adam. A disposable straight is really just a DE with an old-fashioned handle. The feel of a an actual straight is totally different. Not talking psychosomatics here; it has partly to do with the weight and profile of the blade and partly to do with the steel itself.

I've only been shaving with a straight for a few months, I still get that "I think I lost a little skin" feeling after my shaves which some lotion helps with (I just haven't gotten around to making or buying aftershave, I'm indecisive on which one).

I don't know if I get a closer shave. I can't shave against the grain with any implement, my skin is way too touchy. I don't notice a difference in the feel, but I do notice the stubble is slower coming back with the straight. is this because it cut it closer or because the hairs are afraid? I don't know.

for me it wasn't about a closer shave at all. it was 1. a connection to a different pace and way of life 2. the time it takes helps me reset in the morning, clear my mind and leave home and home and go to work and keep that there (I guess if I start bringing work home I can start shaving at night? ).

I also love knives, gives me another excuse to hoard them. I love playing with things, fulfills that need to. it takes skill, whereas anybody that can color as well as a 4 year old can shave with a disposable/mach 3 type (I still keep them on hand for shaving over tattoos etc where I don't trust myself with a straight).

I think it is not the same experience at all, even if results are similar. as to how well, I have a big wedge I got for Christmas, damn it shaves super awesome. I don't think I could do any better with a 3 or 5 blade thingy. usually though I'd say I break about even.

Red

Thanks for the replies again everyone but I'm still not convinced! it seems more like everyone wants to believe its better (which i do too) because its so badass and unique, there seems to be the odd person thats kind of saying that. If you want to use one for those reasons even if its no better then fair enough. It does also seem to have the benefit of being less irritating to your skin though ill give you that.

Will anyone openly admit to me that you like it more beacuse of the badassness and fun/relaxation!?

cus i could understand that.

Its just alot of people have said i need to practice more, which im going to try. But i dont know wether it would be just as good spending the next couple of months trying to get the perfect shave with a disposeable. It seems as though people who take care and pride in shaving use straight razors, but that doesnt mean its the razor, you guys are just good at shaving!

Thanks again for the help guys. I really dont want to sound angry but i guess when im going against what this whole website is about its hard not to sound that way!
Im going to keep it up for a bit and ill let you know if results improve. Ill keep checking this thread and see if anyone can convince me, because i really do wish it was better!

Thanks everyone

Adam

I do it because i want to. If you prefer using a disposable thats your preference.. everyone has there own thing. my reasons aren't going to match your reasoning so im not even going to waste my time trying to explain my reasons. I could recommend you continue to practice all day but at the end it doesn't really matter to me.. im doing what i enjoy thats all that matters to me.

You come across as a rather young person with a mild case of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with that. But it will likely get in your way when trying learn a skill that takes months or years of practice. Simply put, unless you calm down a bit, you will not get good results with a straight.

On a tangent, badassness is frowned upon in my generation, and I severely doubt that you will find more than the odd specimen in this community admitting to the social equivalent of disposable cartridge razors.

For completeness's sake: Shaving with a straight razors delivers the best result of all hair removal techniques involving sharpened steel I have tried. And I am not inclined to try napalm for comparison.