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  1. #1
    Special Agent Gibbs's Avatar
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    Default Use for those ebay cheap straight razors

    It occurred to me just now there may yet be a logical reason to buy one of those Krieger or Pakistani razors if you can get it on the cheap. I remember reading in a post I started about a a practice razor and LawsonStone gave me some food for thought in his reply

    We, some of us, grew up watching someone shave with a straight razor. In the bygone years children were often given play razors, or made something of their own to practice with... alongside Dad/Grandpa. I started a thread about me using my wife's specialty hair cutting straight razor and replacing the "replaceable" blades with some pieces of cut up plastic (like old credit cards). However, one might want to try this and not have a source or want to spend money simply on a replacement blade straight razor holder. I'm sure that you can still find them at large Beautician Supply Centers, but they are not in the norm of going into Wal-Mart and picking one up.

    BUT... there are those NOT RECOMMENDED blades found in the wiki here that one should not invest in for a decent shave. Brands like Krieger, "German Style", etc come up on ebay for usually under 10 bucks.

    One could buy one of those "on the cheap" razors with the idea of dulling out the blade and simply giving it to your son, friend or yourself to practice on getting the muscle and eye co-ordination down a little better. After all, I don't shave every day, and sometimes I go about 5 days before shaving again. So getting in practice time by actually doing is a long stretch in between times. In the meantime, you can lather up, shave with the completely dulled razor to get in that practice time as many times in ONE day as you want. You can give it to your boy to practice on next to you shaving. Your wife, if she shaves with a straight razor can give it to her daughter so that it becomes a binding thing between parent and child.

    I can practice shave dozens of times before I need to do my next shave. True it does not give feedback to how the razor "will" cut, but there is a learning curve with shaving on the off side of the face with the razor WHILE looking in a mirror (backwards feedback). I have shaved my right side with my right hand pretty well at 2-3 times trying. It is my left hand and left side that are really really troublesome for me. I can practice getting down that left hand switch before I put a sharp object in my hands.

    Ebay "poor razors - cheaply made" are within reason of a practice razor and certainly a LOT easier to find than some hair dressing razor and cheaper than the DOVO shavettes that Dovo sells.
    ~~ Vern ~~
    I was born with nothing and managed to keep most of it.
    Former Nebraskan. Go Big Red

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    DCasper (02-20-2011)

  3. #2
    Member Diederik's Avatar
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    I think you can only really learn shaving with a fiendishly sharp razor. If you dont know the angle, dont know how sharp it is, dont know how much pressure you should use....dont you learn the wrong things?

    One should respect a razor at all times because of it ability to remove your ears. You can only learn this with a sharp and good razor. You dont learn to ride a motorcycle with your bike. If you want to swim just jump in the deep part.

    Just my thoughts on this.

  4. #3
    Senior Member TrilliumLT's Avatar
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    The only real use I've found for those garbage razor is opening boxes and cutting leather. And I may be able to cut someones ear off with it ( with some effort)

  5. #4
    Senior Member LawsonStone's Avatar
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    Get ready for the Attack of the Alpha Males!

    A few folks here have an irrational abhorrence of any kind of practice tools. They forget how generations of young men learned to shave: they watched their brothers and dads, and they played with toy shaving kits they got for Christmas or Birthday.

    The muscle movements involved are not violin-virtuoso precision moves, but they do require practice, and I've had success, along with several folks I have started into straight shaving, with a completely dulled Gold Dollar razor. They've used it to learn the basic strokes, the use of the off-hand, stropping, etc. and all have been very happy with the outcomes.

    Really handsome men can afford a cut or too in the learning process, but us Ugly-Enough-To-Scare-Children-and-Small-Animal folks don't need any more disfigurement than necessary!

    So carry on, and don't let the Testosterone Club discourage you.

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    Gibbs (02-19-2011)

  7. #5
    Member Diederik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LawsonStone View Post
    Really handsome men can afford a cut or too in the learning process, but us Ugly-Enough-To-Scare-Children-and-Small-Animal folks don't need any more disfigurement than necessary!

    So carry on, and don't let the Testosterone Club discourage you.
    Well I do second that, to each his own.

    Thanks for the handsome! (Don't be so harsh on yourself)

  8. #6
    Senior Member 1sgtscot's Avatar
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    Gibbs,
    I am very very new here but...

    I am a civil war reenactor and several years ago I purchased one of those Pakistan razors you talk about. It was dull, not even 'not sharp' and would not cut box tops or leather but I bought it to carry in my haversack. Just to have something to talk about if someone asked what I had in my haversack besides food. Never thought much more about it and left it there to rust...

    This past year around Christmas I started thinking about straight shaving and received a vintage, restored, and inexpensive straight for a Christmas present. Boy was it different from the Paki razor I had in my haversack. This one was shiny and SHARP.

    I did retrieve the old cheap paki one and cleaned it up. By now it had a good patina on it and I thought I could practice cleaning it up as I learned how to shave with the SHARP one. I found it was perfect for practicing my stropping at first as it was not sharp enough to slice leather like the SHARP one was. Then I found I was having trouble with my neck and could not figure it out. I decided to try different angle with the paki blade and low and behold it worked just fine. No need to be careful as it would not cut and I could put lather on and watch how I held the blade and feel how it felt with different angles and pressure. One morning of this and I had a good understand of the SHARP blade.

    It's been about two months now and this morning is the first time I've cut myself since that time. Guess its time to practice a bit more.

    Muscle memory is great, but takes practice. I am starting to learn how to hone and discovered many of the gurus saying this very thing so now I have several antique store discoveries to practice with. They are getting sharp (paki never would) so I gave up on the paki blade but for a day or two it was very useful.

  9. #7
    Fear the fuzzy! Fear it! Snake's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TrilliumLT View Post

    <snip>
    And I may be able to cut someones ear off with it ( with some effort)
    In the name of everything that is good and wholesome, what kind of activities do you engage on that would lead you to think of this and know that it'd take effort?

  10. #8
    learning something new every day Deerhunter1995's Avatar
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    Well snake if he told ud he would have to come to ur house and show you, wink wink,

  11. #9
    Fear the fuzzy! Fear it! Snake's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deerhunter1995 View Post
    Well snake if he told ud he would have to come to ur house and show you, wink wink,
    Uh... I'm busy this life; maybe next one?

  12. #10
    Striving for a perfect shave. GeauxLSU's Avatar
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    Do yourself a favor and leave them on eBay.
    I strop my razor with my eyes closed.

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