Thread: Which one would you pick.......

Don't take the one the edge fell off of, Ben!
Seriously, you are a brave man! I look forward to hearing about it! Good Luck!

You wouldn't hand over the keys to your Ferrari just because the other guy has a drivers license would you?- AKA trust no one! ;-)

I have to agree with most of the guys here, I wouldn't take one of my favorites for sure as their right the barber might drop or damage my blade in some way. Another point is that most of the guys here use a straight razor more often than most barbers, even the ones who used to give shaves on a regular basis. Even the best would not be at the top of their game, and the good ones are getting up there in age. We who use them every day are probably better at using them than most current barbers. If you do go through with this, I would like to know how things go, as I once had a shave from a local barber and it was less than stellar.

Here is something Mark Twain wrote about barbers. It is even more true today! About Barbers - Mark Twain

Alright so here goes! Decided on the Red Imp based on the great advice here HOWEVER...... I'm gonna chat with the barber before handing it over and see if he uses a straight himself if not I'll let him use what he normally uses. I'll update once it's over, hopefully not from the ER!

Originally Posted by Joed

Here is something Mark Twain wrote about barbers. It is even more true today! About Barbers - Mark Twain

Wow Joe I was just now sitting in an inconspicuous corner of a 150 year old barber shop, watching with facination the same old repeated ritual that men would daily endure.
I suppose those with money could afford the best barbers with preferencial treatment.
Imagine how Samuel Clemens felt stepping into the street, yet again plucked, plastered and bruised to his chargrin, with little he could do about it.
What an amazing historical insight. Thanks so much for sharing this :

Alright so I survived!!!! And it wasn't bad at all! Ilia and I chatted a bit before starting and decided to go with the Feather he usually has to use. He said he uses a straight razor himself about once or twice a month but disposables most of the time (don't know how one could know how great a straight can be an still use a disposable but to each their own I guess). The shave was actually very enjoyable but not as rewarding as doing it myself. He used about 12-14 hot towels throughout the whole shave and ended with a BBS face! Would i do it again probably not, because there are some parts of my personal routine that I missed but, I will say it was worth doing it for the experience. Since the tradition is still there and Truefitt & Hill was a great place to have it done!

Glad things worked out in the end.

IMO I would be more concerned about a modern barbers' overall SR experience level. Some may be proficient with a shavette/Feather style razor, but how are they with a real straight? Are they able to compensate for factors such as differing blade widths, grinds, weights, level of sharpness etc. These are all factors that we learn on our own, since most of us have a variety of different razors and are able to adapt at the drop of a dime. In other words, how adaptable is the barbers' technique?

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Glad things worked out in the end.

IMO I would be more concerned about a modern barbers' overall SR experience level. Some may be proficient with a shavette/Feather style razor, but how are they with a real straight? Are they able to compensate for factors such as differing blade widths, grinds, weights, level of sharpness etc. These are all factors that we learn on our own, since most of us have a variety of different razors and are able to adapt at the drop of a dime. In other words, how adaptable is the barbers' technique?

That's a great point Ryan!! I would assume the barber I had has some ability with a straight since he uses one some time but it brings up the point, at least with me, that if I were a barber giving shaves I feel like I would WANT to use a straight. I know it must be MUCH different shaving some one else but of the barbers I've talked to (and it's not many probably 3, one of them was at AoS so take that for what it is) none of them use a straight on a regular basis which was interesting to me.