Thread: Hello from San diego

Hi all,

First off, I wanted to thank all of you for being so willing to share your experience and passion for straight razors over the internet, as I certainly never would have made the switch were it not so easy to find information about how to begin.

Had my "First" real straight razor shave today. So excited! Certainly not BBS, however it's a vast improvement over my last attempt, and I am super excited about getting better with each day.

The reason I got interested in straight razors is that SR shaving is a perfect expression of radical self reliance; once I build up the skills, It's something that will be with me till I no longer grow hair. In a world where disposable everything is the norm, something as simple as switching to a straight razor becomes a revolutionary statement. Plus, it's a small statement against western cultures' obsession with convenience and instant gratification. Anything to imbue more presence into the day is a huge help in today's breakneck pace.

I have a tendency to get super animated about new things, and jump right in. Did that with Straight razors. Decided to find a handmade damascus steel one, went to etsy, did a search, found https://www.etsy.com/listing/2557006...ns?ref=pr_shop , bought it, and waited a week with anticipation building more and more each day.

Finally got to my place, and the first thing I do is try and shave with it. Assuming anyone selling a handmade SR would sharpen it before hand.

Wrong.

Figure out I need a strop, luck out on one at the swap meet, get all excited again, come home, run through my first stropping, try to shave again.

And, still, not very sharp. Needless to say I got a bit frustrated, watched a TON of videos, eventually figure out that the blade needs a real hone, not to mention the fact that the blade was warped to begin with. Lesson learned, just because something looks pretty doesnt mean it actually does the job. So I promptly returned it.



Now the most ironic thing is that today I found a barber shop that sells handmade, damascus steel straight razors within three blocks of my house. The one I got from there is beautiful AND functional. Sometimes you don't have to look far to find what you're searching for.


I'm so stoked! Thanks for having me