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have a good grip on the blade and mahe sure you dont move the blade from side to side and you should have no cuts my very first shave i went slow and did not get a single cut srt8 shaving is very enjoyable and a art that you can pass down to your kids and grand kids i wouldnt giv e it up for anything :gl:
I think the term "cut throat razor" gives it a sense of danger straight away. When I got my razor first, I collected it from the post office on the way to work and everyone wanted to see this dangerous cut throat blade.They stared at it in awe and admiration :D I prefer to call it an open razor.I started out with very shaky hands although they are not so bad now.I just hold the razor with two hands sometimes if I feel the shakes coming on when I do my chin.I have had more cuts with a disposable razor than with an open/straight razor.
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Originally Posted by RayG
Good point, RayG.Lynn's dvd is a valuable source of info.
Chances are anything that would leave a mark won't happen while you're shaving as long as you keep track of where your spike point is. The odd nick is possible, of course, but what's a nick among friends? Certainly nothing to cause alarm.
Most straight "horror" stories come from cleaning or restoring straights, when caution is key- particularly if you're using power tools in the process. Abandon your fears. Embrace the straight.
I have straight razors on their rack in my "shave den", on my dresser, on my desk, in my tool bag and in the shop. They are all behaving perfectly civilly. I watch them surreptitiously in the event that their overt behavior might be an act but they remain docile. I have been in possession of at least one straight razor continually since I was sixteen years old, 34 years ago. Not once have I observed any aspect of a razor that left to its own might be considered dangerous.
In the same house with my razors lives a polydactyl orange tabby named Mr. Toes. http://straightrazorpalace.com/finer...t-mr-toes.html This cat has on many occassions, without provocation attacked me, biting and scratching without mercy. I have tried to avoid him but he lies secretly in wait and runs at me from all sides clearly intending to do me bodily harm.
My conclusion is that Mr. Toes is infinitely more dangerous than a houseful of straight razors.
first time i cut myself like 5 times but not bad enough to quit... straight razors are rather benign compared to a loaded gun.. but it all depends on who has it and what they do with it and how much clothes they have on when they're doing whatever they are doing. i wouldn't consider shaving with one warrants a family powwow.
I too am relatively new to the straight razor game, but as everyone else has said, it's only as dangerous as you make it. Following advice from Lynn's DVD and other things I have read online makes it much much easier, and I also work with very sharp knives every day (professional Chef), so I got over my fear of blades long ago. Use short strokes and only do your sideburns/cheeks at first, and once you're more comfortable, you can move onto the more contoured and complex parts of your face.
My parents, aunts, uncles, etc were also apprehensive about me starting to shave this way, telling me I would cut my throat etc...when I pointed out that my grandfather (their father) shaved with a straight every day of his life and lived to 98 years old, they stopped arguing with me.
As a few people stated, one of the things I see in kitchens with people inexperienced with blades is that they often cut themselves AFTER they are done using the knife/razor, etc for its intended purpose. You're all finished up, you go to clean the edge of the blade, blade slices through a towel...oops, 1/4 inch gash in your hand. As long as it's in your hand, you just need to be aware of it, not scared, but aware.
Someone else said never catch the thing if you drop it; that is probably the best advice I've seen on here. Let it fall, fixing a razor costs a lot less than stitching together the tendons in your wrist.
Cheers, and good luck :)
It would be interesting to try disecting an artery from a cow just to see how hard or easy it would be to have a fatal slip. I personally think it would take quite a bit of effort to slice through an artery and have a fatal mistake.
Sorry if this has already been stated, as I didn't take the time to read the whole thread, but IMO...
A straight razor is like a gun. Both are perfectly harmless unless used in a dangerous way.
They are only as dangerous as the hand that is guiding them! There is no danger factor unless having the greatest shave you've ever had is to be considered a danger!:tuQuote:
Originally Posted by xgenra
Never ever cut myself ever. If I have ever cut myself shaving its always been with a double edge or a cartridge razor in hand. A straight has never done this to me.
I don't have time to read all of the above posts but from what I have read it is good advice. I would add that you should not pause the blade while it is making contact with your face. The smallest movement will give you a slice. Start the blade moving slightly before making contact and lift it off before stopping the stroke.
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Originally Posted by icedog
Perhaps Mr. Toes is exacting his revenge for being paraded around in stylish PJs! :w
I like to think Mr. Toes likes his PJ's.Quote:
Originally Posted by rsrick
I have Von Willebrands Disease, which is a clotting factor deficiency, and I shave with bladed razors. If you have such a severe clotting problem that you can't shave with a straight, you shouldn't shave with a bladed razor at all, and instead use an electric razor or grow a beard.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno
I gotta say, so far, my first month of straight shaving is going *way* better than my first 2 years of disposable/cartridge blade shaving.
I haven't given myself anything but a couple of really, really minor nicks. As soon as I wipe over them, the blood stops, and 2 days later I can't even see them anymore.
However, I have matching scars on both calves from a disposable razor where I flayed the skin off the front of my shin. They've been there for about 8 or 9 years now. I also have a nasty slice behind the tendons of my left ankle that's been there for probably 7 years. I cut myself shaving all the time, and if I didn't, I had horrible razor burn and bumps to show for it. And that never stopped, no matter what I did. That's kinda why I used to be lazy about shaving.
I think this is mostly due to the fact the shaving prep we're given from modern-day Gillette just, frankly, sucks, and that I have no control over angle, and without using at least a little bit of pressure, disposable razors just don't work. I certainly can't go as light as I can with a straight, anyway, or I might as well not bother shaving.
I'm much more careful with a straight. It's a razor blade on a stick with nothing between that blade and my arteries except my utmost attention.
It's sharper, which means I can always predict how it will act in given situations. When you're dealing with a gradually dulling, poor-quality disposable blade, you can't predict. Razors that are "kinda sharp" are the ones that will hurt you - not sharp, or dull.
Honestly, I think that due to the respect it commands and the maintenance we put into the edge, a straight is a hell of a lot safer in day-to-day use than a disposable Bic. At least, in my hands it is.
It is really very simple. Tell your mother all you have to remember is to go up and down and not back and forth.
The worst I ever got was a couple of small nicks on my cheek. If you take your time, follow the advice given here and treat the blade with respect you shouldnt have a problem IMO.
The worst cut I ever got was cleaning a razor actually, I sliced my thumb! But nothing more than the odd nick when actually shaving.
Some people do have an irrational fear of these things, same as some people are scared of guns. And if we were all slicing ourselves to ribbons regularly, this hobby would have died out long ago!
I genuinely get the best shaves of my life with a straight razor, BBS smooth and no irritation. Driving to work each morning is far more fraught with danger than using a straight razor, and these have been around FAR longer than the DE and cartridge razors. People have been using them for hundreds of years with no problem after all!
You should direct your mum and bro to SRP and let them have a read of this thread..! Its definately something you should try if you are keen, and once you do you'll probably never go back!
Good luck!