Thread: What are your friends/familys reaction to you shaving w/straight rzrs

Originally Posted by Zorro

The best reaction I got was from my barber. Once I told him that I was buying some stones, strops, razors, etc. his eyes just lit up! He's an old Italian gentleman from a family of barbers. He says he misses the days of straight razor shaving customers. State law prohibits that now and he has to use the disposables. Only one customer gets a full shave these days on a regular basis.

I did actually meet someone else who uses a straight razor but not for shaving his face. He trims the calluses on the knuckle of his thumb! He's a very good bowler and owns his own pro shop. I tried to convince him to try it but no luck yet. Maybe try it by a professional and you will be rubbing your face all day.

There's a guy at work who's interested, but not willing to take the plunge yet. I have a Chinese razor (whose name shall not be uttered here) on order, which I plan to re-work, hone and strop as necessary to turn it into a shaver. If it turns out to provide an acceptable shave, I may give it to him. That's probably all the push he needs. He can buy his own strop and hone. And brush. And cream or soap. lol.

Originally Posted by Zorro

The best reaction I got was from my barber. Once I told him that I was buying some stones, strops, razors, etc. his eyes just lit up! He's an old Italian gentleman from a family of barbers. He says he misses the days of straight razor shaving customers. State law prohibits that now and he has to use the disposables. Only one customer gets a full shave these days on a regular basis.

I did actually meet someone else who uses a straight razor but not for shaving his face. He trims the calluses on the knuckle of his thumb! He's a very good bowler and owns his own pro shop. I tried to convince him to try it but no luck yet. Maybe try it by a professional and you will be rubbing your face all day.

The cost of a barber shave here is about $40 AUS a go. Could you imagine spending that every day, or even every other day. I wouldn't even consider that as a once a week thing. And then the shave you get...Or at least the one I got, left me rubbing my face alright, but that wasn't a good thing. My face and Shavettes loaded with a Derby blade...Actually just Derby blades no matter what, don't do my face any good what-so-ever. They are a match made in Hades.
No, I think I am happy taking care of my own shaving. It's always smooth, comfortable and 99.9% of the time, irritation free.


Mick

Ya know, I have been using a straight since I was 17, (41 years) and unless I was shaving somewhere it did'nt come up much,but whan people saw it they generally thought I was nuts untill I let them feel the results. When I found this fourem, I could'nt believe that wet shaving was new to anyone. Now that they are coming back I think they will be around for awhile,both my sons use then and there 23 and 19.

Well, at first, my wife couldn't cope with the noise of the hollow razors as they mowed down the whiskers, now, she loves the results, smells of the different creams and soaps, and the clean shaves. She now shaves with a lady gillette. All three of my boys shave with DE razors now, as do two of my daughters, one son in law, father in law, and two of my best mates. One son is dabbling with straights. Most people I talk to about straight razor shaving have that look in their eye like you are nuts, so I don't bother too much anymore.

I keep my strop in the guest room. When her friends stayed a couple of weeks ago, my wife hid my strop but let her friends use my Thayer's witch hazel.

A girlfriend of a friend of mine came by the house the other day and saw me honing a razor. She told my friend that she was sure I was planning on killing him with that thing.

She then asked why I would shave with that. I told her because I can.

A friend at work heard I'm good at sharpening stuff. He gave me a little dinky 1" buck pocket knife to sharpen for him. I brought it back to him today, and he had a crowd of people in hisoffice went I walked in to drop it off. He opens it, runs his thumb, and says "WOW!!! I've never felt an edge like that." The smart aleck in the room says, "did you test it by shaving with it?"

I said, "no, it's not as sharp as the straight razor I use in the morning." The whole room went dead silent and looked at me like I'd revealed where I buried the bodies. Pretty funny!

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Like bidets?

Or the other French invention: 60 grit dual use toilet paper. I took me 2 weeks to get right after my last trip there.

Originally Posted by MattNOVA

You know, all these people who're convinced you'll somehow decapitate yourself by shaving with a straight: they're the best argument I can think of for shaving with straights. There are way too many pathetic ninnies in the world today. Shaving with a straight is one small way to take a stand against the slow decline of Western civilization. Or at least that's going to be my story from now on.

I'm waiting to bring this up in casual conversation in front of that aggressive nagging mother henning ninny of a British HSE lady we have.

Originally Posted by jgjgjg

I'm waiting to bring this up in casual conversation in front of that aggressive nagging mother henning ninny of a British HSE lady we have.

You had me scratching my head with the HSE comment. I had to go Google it. Guess it's like our OSHA. Yeah, that's just the sort to fill her pants at the thought of a straight razor.