Thread: why a straight razor?

Because I was born in the wrong century. Or so my wife would have you believe!

I started because the cartridge razor I liked got phased out. And the 5 blade monsters that are real easy to get hold of destroy my face, and eat my wallet. So I thought what are the alternatives. I looked at DE razors, Decided that I'd still have to find blades for them, Then I was looking in a specialist tobacconist shop and there it was... The el cheapo RSO... Nestling in between a few pots of tobs. I got the razor, Then found out it was basically a letter opener, Honed it on a trans black arkie with a slurry made from polishing compound because the arkie was so slow. And it actually shaved, eventually.

Anyway I then went looking for forums and video's, Found out that everything I had done was wrong and slowly started to correct my mistakes.

The amusing thing. My first shave was on an el cheapo, honed on paste on that trans black arkie, and it wasn't stropped..... And I actually had a reasonable shave off it. No cuts, no ingrowing hairs! Perhaps not a DFS, but it was as good as the 5 blade monster!

Started out of curiosity. Used to see a lot of guys getting straight shaves at the local barbershop while growing up. One day, in my mid-20's, when the barber asked my how I wanted my hair cut, I added "...and a shave" to my usual response. He said, "I can do it, but with your thick, course beard hair you're gonna bleed."

Thinking back on how many guys I'd seen him shave in the 20+ years I'd been going there I figured he must know what he's talking about and responded, "okay, just the hair cut then."

In the years that followed it gnawed at me though...

'What did men with course beards in the centuries before King Gillette and disposable SEs and DEs came along?': so, I finally bought a shave ready straight and tried it myself - and haven't looked back since...

Only difference now is the reason I continue using straights - what was born out of curiosity has now come to feel like 'luxury'.

To me, whipping up a good face-lather and shaving with a straight feels about as relaxing, zen-like, and enjoyable as it can get.

The only other thing that makes me feel as calm, light-hearted and trouble-free is a few hours out on the motorcycle.

I started because I was irritated badly by the electric that I'd used for years. Then switched to disposables. The shave improved, but the price was killing me...then I found this forum and never looked back.

Like some of you I got peeved at the rising price of carts.

I was a dental tech in a previous career so metal working is kinda my thing.

So when the thought of refurbishing old razors I started my journey.

Met gssixgun and watched a lot of his videos on sharpening razors.
I bought a strop, buffer, a Norton whetstone set and went at it.

I only have about 10 razors but most of them under $20 dollars.

Oh, and there is something cool about somebody exclaiming "Wow, you're brave, I could never use a straight razor!".

For me it started when someone else on a different forum said he was going to try it. That was a few years ago. Got me started thinking about it. Add to that that I was born a few hundred years too late... I am very old fashioned. I feel that there are a lot of things in life that we have "improved upon" rather poorly. I want to get into this because I feel more sophisticated/old world gentelmanly/refined by straight shaving. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that SR shaving actually makes you any of those things, just how I feel about it.

What actually pushed me over the edge was that I was tired of paying for the fusion cartridges and having ingrown whiskers and irritation. Upon reading and researching here SR shaving is supposed to be better for you. I will say that since I've started (just after Christmas) I haven't gotten anywhere near as close of a shave as I can get with the fusion but I'm getting better with it. I like the routine of making the lather, stropping the blade and taking my time. It really helps wake you up when you know you've got surgically sharp steel on your face and to your neck!

Just my experience with it!

I'm new to shaving like a gentleman. I tried a DE for two weeks and loved it. So I gave a straight razor a try. like it even more. A challenge, but not really that difficult. Getting my blades whipped into shape seems to be more of the challenge. They are coming around and the shaves are getting smoother and faster.
Interesting conversation with my 80 year old grandma. I told her I took up using a straight razor and my experience so far. She chuckled and said "about time people figured out that's the proper way to shave". She continued to tell me that she never understood why my grandpa switched to wasting money on shaving blades.

Originally Posted by Ludvig

I think people have their own reasons why they do it. I started SR shaving because I thought it would be fun to do things a bit differently than most people do it. It was also interesting to learn a new skill. Ordinary modern shaving is so easy and "straight" forward. It's more interesting if it takes some skill.
Since I started, shaving has become more fun than it used to be. I incorporate more things into my routine to make it more comfortable and that makes the whole experience better. The feeling you get after a SR shave with proper preparation, execution and finish is so much better than after a quick electric dry shave.

I agree completely, changing a task into an experience reminds to do the same with other aspects of my life. Life is not a to-do list, this reminds me to enjoy the, "right now".

Out of curiosity for the heck of it is how I started. Happily, like others have said, it turned a mundane daily task into an enjoyable experience and hobby. Shaves are pretty decent too.

Bob

I had been making knives and I thought I wanted to make a razor, but never had used a straight. So, I found a serviceable Wostenholm and held onto it for quite a while as I was only DE shaving. I finally got my ducks in a row and got the Wostenholm honed and started shaving with it. I have since finished making my own razor and have been shaving with it for the last week. I have always loved knives, so I guess it's natural to gravitate to using a straight razor.
-Brian

I always hated shaving, its a chore and i only shaved because I had to.

Originally i purchased the straight razor because i thought it would be cool to try. Now I don't know if its due to the concentration of the repetitiveness but i find the whole process extremely relaxing, from honing (honing in-particular), stropping, preparing the shave and the shave itself. Its almost like meditation and i find it relieves stress for some reason.... It temporarily takes my mind off the real world.