Which one would you pick.......

Hey guys so i thought i would pose a question to everyone that is somewhat unique........

there was a post recently, that of course i can't find now, that a member was taking some of his razor to the local barber to chat about the hobby and what not and there was a reply that posed the question if you could take your own razor to a barber to get a shave since now a days most, if not all (all here in chicago all must), barbers are required to use disposable blade straight razors for the shaves. So since its the holiday's i figured i'd give my self the gift of a hair cut and a shave at Truefitt & Hill here in Chicago and asked if it would be possible for me to bring in my own razor to be used for the shave. I kinda figured the answer would be NO but to my surprise they said YES!!! So now i am fit with the task of figuring out which razor i want to take so heres my question.....

First, would you take your own razor to a barber to have them use it for a shave or no?
and Second which one of your razors would you choose......

i am currently debating on 2, and please if you so feel let me know which of the 2 you would pick if you were in my shoes, First is a DD Goldedge that is in MINT condition will all the gold and blue on the tang and was one of the first razors i bout b/c i got it cheep and had it honed by Lynn and i have yet to use it just because the right circumstances haven't hit me yet. And second is a NOS Toyo 666 frameback that i picked up from a member here that i just got and haven't used yet. Both are shave ready and good to go so which would you go with.

It will be interesting to see ppls responses on if they would even take their own razor and which of their collection they woud take!!!!

I will probably take a picture and use it for SOTD tomorrow!!!!


thanks guys!

My answer would be to ask them what sizes they are used to. More than likely a 5/8 or 6/8 that has been freshly honed...

Brand is of no matter as long as it's a good razor...

Personally, I wouldn't bother. I can shave myself with my own cut-throat without entrusting it to an unknown to use on me. I might have a small control issue though, so take that with a grain of salt.


Mick

As if i can shave with my own razors, then why should i ask anyone to do it for me? That would be girlish in a place i live.
But as said, never mind the brand, just take the best shaver you have.

I would first want to know if the "barber" is competent. Most of these guys are more butchers than barbers. Assuming he is a "barber" I would take a razor that is shave ready and not fancy in case there is a mishap in razor handling.

Personally, I enjoy the "me" time when I shave and I don't know if I could relax enough to enjoy a straight shave from some one else, let alone with my gear. What if the barber dings or drops your razor? All he can say is "I'm sorry." Meanwhile you could be stuck with a damaged blade. Based on that alone, I would not take my best or favorite shaver. However, if I were so inclined, I would take my least favorite razor, knowing it to be shave ready, I would be curious to see if the barber could give me a decent shave with it. Lord knows I've tried with less then stellar results.

Just read Nelson's post, and he is right. The barber I went to today butchered my hair...glad I didn't ask him for the shave.

I look forward to hearing the results, no matter which one you take...

Considering that the legal requirement where I live is to use a shavette, I would probably take the razor that is closest to that in size and weight.
Having said that, I would lean towards my W&B 4/8 wedge and, given that they aren't allowed to have strops in barber shops (health? regulations), I'd have all stropped and ready to go before I went there.

I'm with TBS in saying I wouldn't take a fancy razor for the first shave. I always bring my own razors to my barber for a hair cut that he uses for trimming and the back of my neck. The barber I like is in his 70's and did shaves with real razors back in his younger days when real razors were allowed. I had another barber in the same shop give me a shave. THis probably was his first shave with a real blade and it wasn't really enjoyable. The guy I like won't give a shave because the shop 'isn't set up for shaving', meaning they didn't have a way to steam towels. The older gent did shave my cheeks once because he liked the edge on the blade I brought, a Robeson. Both barbers prefer round points but a muted point would do. The older guy likes larger blades because he doesn't need to wipe the blades off as often. The younger guy would prefer a 5/8's. One of the other barbers there dropped a razor of mine once. For your first shave there just take a Plain Jane razor along to see what the barber can do. Good luck.

Don't take the one the edge fell off of, Ben! :rofl2:
Seriously, you are a brave man! I look forward to hearing about it! Good Luck! :gl:

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!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joed

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

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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 :tu:

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?

Quote:

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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?

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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.