Thread: I don't get it.

I think King Gillette is smiling in his grave. Its easy to look at the initial cost of straight razor stuff and think its a load of cash. I had the same initial reaction. I think the breakdown of $165 for stuff is probably in the ball park.

I crunched some numbers just for fun. This amount is roughly comparable with using the mach 5 system at 1 cartridge / week. ( 8 cartridges @ $25 Amer. * 6 = $150. ) If you figure in the resale price of your initial investment at 50% of what you paid, your break even point is 6 months. After that, you are money ahead.

This analysis may seem a bit silly as I would doubt there are any here who were initially attracted to straight razor shaving because it could potentially save them money. Don't, however, be scared away by price. Disposables really do cost more. If you get bit by the collector bug, you have to spin the numbers a little differently. But that's a matter for a different thread.

Now that that's out of the way, I think the biggest barrier is the knowledge and you've come to the correct place to get that.

An old razor, honed, with a barbers hone and a strop should keep you shaving for a decade; for probably under $75. I think thats pretty easy and inexpensive compared to alternatives. Then again, the shaves are better so there is that angle too.

Originally Posted by idaho mike

This analysis may seem a bit silly as I would doubt there are any here who were initially attracted to straight razor shaving because it could potentially save them money.

For me, that certainly wasn't the biggest reason, but it certainly was one. I had been using an electric, and realized I could buy a straight for the same price, but I wouldn't have to charge or replace it.

I had to go back and read the original post to get the real point of this thread.

Yes, initially it is confusing. Do I need a strop, paddle strop, oxide do-dads, hones, coticules, Belgians (no one wants one of them) etc and how can I invest in the magic art of honing ?.

It would also be too easy to spend a fortune on all of the bits and pieces some of the more dedicated and experienced straight shaving members have only to confuse you more and more than likely put you off before you start.

But want and need are two different things.

You need a shave ready razor (coz you don't know yet how to hone).
You need a strop to keep the edge true.
You need a hone which you will eventually have to know how to use.
And you need some form of shaving cream / soap and a brush to apply it.

Later you will want:-

More razors.
A better strop.
Paddle strops with every colour and grade of paste possible.
More hones than coals sent from Newcastle.
An assortment of soaps, creams and about 20 bald badgers worth of brushes.

Gary...at about stage 3 of the assimilation process.

I know this hobby has been very expensive for me as i got into it recently. I bought the following.

2 brushes.
Moss Scuttle.
6 straights, one more on the way, and 1 more to be ordered.
5 soaps.
1 a/s splash.
2 a/s balms.
2 colognes.
Hanging strop.
Pasted paddle strop.
Norton 4K/8K.

Also I already had 3 japanese water stones for knives in 800, 1K, and 1.4K grits which I lapped and could use for restorations.

I'm now at the point where I can take a blade in fair condition and bring the edge back to being perfectly shave ready. The only thing I'm not yet happy about is restoring the bevel/edge to a rusted old ebay blade. But I'm quite capable of keeping my current razors in tip top condition.

Other than soaps and a/s products, I don't realistically need to spend any more money for a long time. The razors should easily last several lifetimes, the hones will probably outlast me the amount they are used. The soaps I have will last probably 3 years.

If I write off the initial outlay now, going forward this should be a very cheap hobby for me - execept of course if I decide I want something for a change or just to add something rare/nice to my collection.

Iwan,

Its like most hobbies or sports the initial outlay is the killer. I play golf or I did before my ankle surgery. The outlay there was fairly steep but I have had the same clubs for 15 years Same spikes for ten same bag for 15 so its just balls and greens fees now.

Originally Posted by idaho mike

This analysis may seem a bit silly as I would doubt there are any here who were initially attracted to straight razor shaving because it could potentially save them money.

It was certainly a factor for me. I was horrified at the price of the new Fusion razors/blades, disappointed in the quality of the shave, and I needed to change blades after 2 shaves with Fusion or Mach3 as they were already starting to pull uncomfortably.

I went over to DE razors after finding B&B, and was overwhelmed at the improvement in shave quality over Mach3/Fusion, and the fact that you could buy 100 blades for £10.

Straights was a natural progression, and now the ongoing cost of blades is zero. Plus I'm not putting metal/plastic into landfill every week like before.

Most of us at SRP have a disease called Straight Razor Shaving. They buy what they want and not what they need.

There are a few sellers on ebay including myself that sell shave ready razors. There are sellers on this site who sell some of the best straight razors in the world.

Lynn Abrams and Bill Ellis are Masters. You can buy a great shaving straight razor for $40 to $60. Tony Miller and Keith at Hand American offer quality strops starting at around 20 bucks. You don't need to buy a lot of stuff if you get a shave ready razor, all you have to do is maintain that edge. Tilly sells a lithide hone for $15, Tony sells a great paddle strop for $38, and Keith sells a great paste for $7.99 and pasting strop for $16.

I don't think we hit a hundred bucks yet and by the way, nothing comes close to a straight razor shave.

How much do you spend on cartridges?

Originally Posted by Iwan

It was certainly a factor for me. I was horrified at the price of the new Fusion razors/blades, disappointed in the quality of the shave, and I needed to change blades after 2 shaves with Fusion or Mach3 as they were already starting to pull uncomfortably.

I went over to DE razors after finding B&B, and was overwhelmed at the improvement in shave quality over Mach3/Fusion, and the fact that you could buy 100 blades for £10.

Straights was a natural progression, and now the ongoing cost of blades is zero. Plus I'm not putting metal/plastic into landfill every week like before.

It was a factor for me also but I was originally attracted by the mystique. I started looking at straight razor prices and got sticker shock, so I started crunching some numbers to see if I could justify the initial outlay of cash. When I realized it was actually cheaper, I was pleasantly suprised. Also, for the really thrifty, you can beat the prices on used razors, hones, etc.

Bottom line: we're removing hair from places where we don't want hair using a sharp piece of metal and a lubricant. (And even that is "looxury" compared to the original shavers who I'm sure used nothing more than a sharp rock or perhaps one of those Pakistani razors! )

Let's face it - technically, hair removal with a straight requires a single razor and something to keep it sharp with. Doesn't have to be a gold-inlaid Dorko with mother-of-pearl handle and a Norton combo stone etc. Whatever works will do.

But, using a straight is about more than just utility for most of us, I'd guess. It's something akin to a hobby at the very least, and an obsession at the other end of the spectrum. It's just something that happens when people get involved in old things - car restoration is a good example. A beat-up old escort will get you from point A to point B, but it's much more fun (and satisfying) to do it in a fully restored, shiny valiant.

James.