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Thread: Benefits of Straight Razor
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01-18-2012, 09:02 PM #1
- Join Date
- Jun 2010
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- Brisbane/Redcliffe, Australia
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- 6,380
Thanked: 983How can you hint at something that has no words except for the experience?!...Oh hang on, razors are not the same as motorbikes in that respect...I suppose you could hit at it, but to jump in and try the water for yourself is always going to be the best way. You could just dangle your toes in the water, like what the OP is doing, or you could grab ahold of the rope swing and take a flying leap into the deep part of the creek to get the maximum enjoyment out of the swim.
Mick
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01-19-2012, 01:32 AM #2
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01-19-2012, 01:48 AM #3
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- Sep 2011
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- The Philadelphian Suburbs
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Thanked: 30It's badass.
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01-19-2012, 02:05 AM #4
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01-19-2012, 11:38 AM #5
No, not really. Teddy Roosevelt was an American President and a very interesting man. While President, he had time to read two books a day. He was an adventurer extraordinaire and a most driven man. I would say he had plenty of adventures while reading about those of others. He probably got ideas for adventures of his own that way. Reading and words aren't antithetical to life. Words document and celebrate life. They can do that for anything, whether it's love, motorcycle riding, or straight razor shaving.
On a different note, what's straight razor shaving good for? Well, this morning SWMBO and I had a little disagreement about vet bills. I don't like conflict and wasn't feeling up to my shave this morning. I wasn't sure I was going to do a good job. Well, the concentration straight razor shaving requires focused my mind and took me away from all my troubles, if only for a little while. Even now, I know my day is better because of it. I really concentrated on technique, especially stretching my skin. I scraped my troubles away much like the hair on my face.
In the beginning I can see how a frustrated beginner might not see things this way. The hair stubbornly refuses to come off and the skin can be raw; but over time, your successes will add up and your concentration will improve and a great shave will mean more than just having a well groomed face.
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01-19-2012, 02:15 PM #6
Mick, I'm with you. You can talk about what it's like to cruise the twisted two lanes or scream down a highway at 100mph with the wind in your face, but talk is just talk until you work up the nerve to experience it yourself.
For me...
1st Economy: Shaving with a straight costs me about $.50/mo vs. $35-40 with a cartridge
2nd Health: Shaving with a straight yields healthier/better looking skin & a lack of ingrown hairs I can't get with a cartridge
3rd Comfort: Even over a DE my straights provide a more consistently comfortable shave in skin irritation and closeness.
4th Heritage: Having a razor used by 3 of 4 preceding generations and shaving with it like they did connects me to my ancestors, the trials they overcame, the frontiers they settled, the wars they fought, the faith they lived.
5th Posterity: I intend for my sons to inherit my razors, but it's more than that. I intend for them to inherit a value for things that last, things that go against the flow of perpetual waste, the consumer driven mentality, and the reliance upon a system designed to forever leach off of your hard earned dollars.
Oh, and it's one of the few "unprotected" things you get to do in life.
Peace,
JimLast edited by BigJim; 01-19-2012 at 02:22 PM. Reason: Late breaking thought.
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01-19-2012, 03:56 PM #7
I started because my grandfather did it, and in his late days taught me how to shave him when I was about 17 or 18. Being the hairless monkey I am, it wouldn't be for another decade that I needed regular shaving. Having tried the electric and disposable razors I picked up (on a mall store, of all places) a plain vanilla Hoffritz and a cheesy strop and had a go for a couple or three years. Due to an unfortunate encounter between the razor and the faucet I stopped for a long time, until I found this place and had my old razor fixed up and took it up again.
As opposed to many, and mostly due to my own shortcomings, I don't think I get as close a shave as I did with disposables - although is by far not a shabby shave by any means - but I enjoy the ritual and the time with myself it allows me. I can shave in ten minutes on a weekday morning if I need to, but oftentimes I spend half hour or more in the evening or on a weekend morning, no rush, no complications. I like the feeling of getting it done too.
That's just me, though, and your mileage may vary.
Good luck,
Marcos