Thread: Misinformation by a barber

Just read an interview with a barber about wet shaving, in one of the national newspapers.

The article was not bad, but unfortunately he made the following quote:

Q: should I shave with a straight razor?
A: No, absolutely not, unless you intent to hurt yourself badly. I can shave my customers, but not myself. It is too clumsy and too dangerous.

This sort of thing really annoys me. First of all, it's not true, and second, it is conflict of interest. A barber telling you that you can't shave yourself... right...

So I just sent him an email, explaining who I was, and why I did not agree. I finished with telling him that his statement is incorrect, and that I'll gladly give a demonstration if he doesn't believe me.
We'll see what happens.

NICE!

I had a similar experience with a local guy whom I was referred to for honing services. The local Art of Shaving shop had given me his name and when I called he said that straight razors were meant to be used by the person giving the shave, not getting the shave. I told him that I was sorry to be wasting his time and good bye.

I can't wait to see how this pans out for you Bruno.

-Rob

I think this means that we are all INVINCIBLE SUPERMEN!!!!!

Sounds like a poor marketing ploy. "It's best you don't do it because it's far too dangerous. Instead come to me and I'll do it."

I was talking to a barber friend of my fathers. He told me that old cut throat razors can not be used because they all have bad edges. He also said that it's impossible to sharpen them to shave ready.
I just smiled at him and thought 'you are an idiot.'

In the early '80s when I first attempted to get into straight razor shaving and honing I had one barber in particular that I relied on for help. He was in his seventies and had been cutting hair for 50 years. He showed me how to hone on a coticule and on a Swaty. Rather he showed me how he honed for about 30 seconds.

Some of the misinformation that he gave me was that you could overstrop a razor and that you should be able to get a razor sharp using just the weight of the blade in just a few strokes on a coticule with lather.

If he knew about lapping hones to flat he never mentioned it and I'm reasonably sure that he didn't. Years later, after coming to SRP, I lapped the Swaty I got from him and that was the first time it had ever been flattened. He also didn't tell me about setting bevels or using a bit of pressure in the early stages of honing.

He was a really nice man and a good barber and meant well. Unfortunately an example of the adage that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". BTW, if it seems like I'm blaming him for my giving up on shaving with straights years back I'm not. I should have been more persistent. All's well that ends well and I found SRP.

That reminds me of what my step-mother recentle said to me!

I had posted pictures of my razor collection over Facebook to show all my friends how awesomely cool I was, and my step-mother made a comment saying that I shouldn't post pictures of straight razors because they are dangerous and scary and that "potential employers" scan social networking sites. She then proceeded to ask me if I would hire someone who had tons of pictures of razors and knives.

I told her that my boss thought it was really cool that I'm respecting a shaving tradition passed down from generation to generation for the past 1500 years.

I have a client who was a PA licensed barber. His prior criminal record was an impediment to his real estate licensure and that is why I was hired! But he is a good guy, now.

Anyway, I told him I was SR shaving and was secretly hoping he'd lavish me with hones, strops, SRs....ok, maybe some advice. In PA to get a barbers license....you once had (perhaps still a requirement, though I havent researched) to know how to SR shave. He told me they practiced on inflated balloons. He told me by law, he is still required to have a strop in his shop...so he had one hanging somewhere. I could tell he was more interested in the woman sitting beside me (acquaintance) than my my passion for everything SR!!

Its been years since I've had a PA barber give me an SR shave. The old guys that I'd trust have long gone. We have an AOS in the Philly area......no way am I sitting in that chair! Judging from the conversations I've struck with the personnel there...not much depth. I get the sense that they are there for the job and have little more training than the burger flipper at a fast "food" joint.

Best all......

Ouch, the stupid hurts my brain. Does this barber think that no one shaved themselves before disposables were invented? How old was this guy?

I have to tell you, I am about sick to death of the "straight razors are dangerous" Bull $#!+. Do a google search on straights and find all of the various articles out there. Every last one starts off with "you might cut yourself really badly". It's like the movie "Christmas Story" when everyone tells the kid, "You'll shoot your eye out". How the hell did people shave before disposables?

It's been 9 years since I started using a straight and my head is still firmly attached to my body. Have I ever cut myself? Yes, but it's never been any worse than when I used a disposable (my worst shaving injury came from a Bic, I managed to remove a pretty good chunk of my chin). Of course I've gotten nicked, everyone gets nicks, including people who use disposables.

Here's a little safety tip. If you're dragging a razor blade across your face and you start to feel it bite into your skin, stop. But I don't really have to tell you this, because people do that naturally. Really, they do. I have yet to meet the man who would do otherwise. It's like pulling your hand out of a fire.

[Used partial quote from Bruno ] So I just sent him an email, explaining who I was, and why I did not agree. I finished with telling him that his statement is incorrect We'll see what happens.[/QUOTE]

Why don't you give us all his email address so we can enlighten him to the success and knowledge of str8 shaving on SRP.com