Thread: Think I found out how to get a REAL straight razor shave at my barber

I was talking to my barber who gives straight razor shaves with disposable DE blades, while I was getting my haircut. I asked him what do you shave with...and he said a mach 3 (I just about fainted) I brought one of my pretty 8/8 henckles with me and I asked him if he wanted to see a REAL razor ,he was excited and he was checking it out and asked me if he could shave my neck and sideburns with it and of course I said yes. I didnt have time to get a shave, but Im pretty sure he would have done it with my razor...I guess the state sanitary laws might not apply if its with your own razor (that or he just didnt care since he was never going to use it on another customer)

Anyway just a thought if anyone else wants to try with a place that requires that they use disposable blades....


BTW...he said the first time I walked in and got my first SR shave from him...he could tell the way I asked him questions and talked about it that I was going to be a lifer lol

Thats cool. I am curious if you think he done a better job with your razor than you do ?

I went to my barber one day to ask some questions about straight razors and such and well, that got me almost NO information. He said"You will cut yourself up with one of those" and get a German one. That was it.

Sounds like you have a better barber than I do

That's very cool Josh. Hopefully he's not that out of practice with a straigh that he can give you a nice shave. Let us know how it goes when he gives you a full shave.

I think you just wanted to show off that bea-utiful 8/8 Henckels. Not that I could blame anyone for showing off a razor like that.

That's a great story. The only thing I would add is that if you want to do it with your barber bring your strop. He's not likely to have one (and if he did it would probably violate the local law), and might want to strop the razor before using it or during the shave.

If you know how to shave with a straight razor, I think bringing it to a barber and paying him to shave you with it is pretty pointless.

I'm not debating that they're fun to show off, though.

Originally Posted by pitbulls20

I went to my barber one day to ask some questions about straight razors and such and well, that got me almost NO information. He said"You will cut yourself up with one of those" and get a German one. That was it.

Had a similar experience 20 years ago when I started straight shaving with my old barber who used to shave pre-WW 2. He told me to forget about it because disposables were much sharper anyway. Might be his honing wasn't that good... He was a cheap students' barber at the time.

Originally Posted by Blade Wielder

If you know how to shave with a straight razor, I think bringing it to a barber and paying him to shave you with it is pretty pointless.

I'm not debating that they're fun to show off, though.

Blade,

I certainly understand and appreciate your point. However, I don't have a barber's chair in my bathroom, or someone to apply hot towels to my face. Or to give me a neck massage at the end of the shave. That's what I would be after.

RT

Originally Posted by Joe Lerch

That's a great story. The only thing I would add is that if you want to do it with your barber bring your strop. He's not likely to have one (and if he did it would probably violate the local law), and might want to strop the razor before using it or during the shave.

Actually they do have strops hanging from every chair and they look old but very usable.

He definintely shaves me better than I shave myself even with the 8/8 henckels, Im not sure if its because he shaves so many people or simply because its easier to shave someone else...but it was really nice just to have my neck and cheeks/side burns done...I cant remember more than that....Im in vegas on a company meeting and drunker than hell...lets leave it at that


BTW...not shaving drunk lol

Originally Posted by JLStorm

Actually they do have strops hanging from every chair and they look old but very usable.

I would be surprized if they still use them. The problem with str8s is more with strops than with the razors. You can't touch a razor to the strop after it touches a customer's face. So, it would be safe to use str8s on different customers if they're sanitized in between, but if you needed to strop mid-shave you would either have to switch to a new razor or continue using a sub-optimal one. If you brought your own strop, the problem is solved.

He definintely shaves me better than I shave myself even with the 8/8 henckels, Im not sure if its because he shaves so many people or simply because its easier to shave someone else

My gues would be because he has a better view of what he's doing. Most of my issues have to do with missing or skipping over spots. That's not a problem if you have a good view of the face and the razor angle.