Two of my favorites: 4/8 Maw & Sons portable surgical razor & 9/8 Greaves


Like any kind of preference, it's a complicated bouillabaisse that makes any one thing stick for any given person.

I know shaving with straights in the first place is appealing to a lot of people because it's got a faint whiff of danger, and obviously a bigger blade is more dangerous. I'm sure some guys like big blades because big is perceived as especially masculine.

Another appeal of them is, simply, that they are manifestly desirable -- other people obviously want them, and that drives the price up. They cost more, so they're worth more, effectively making them Veblen goods.

But all straights are also a practical item that let the user control variables that are locked in with disposables and cartridges, and for some of us straights are even money-saving (I, alas, am not one of those lucky folks). If you only ever get one razor, even if it's a 10/8 monster it might save money in the long run versus cartridges.

I regularly shave with every size and grind around. I prefer old Sheffield steel from 6/8-7/8 size, pretty wedgy -- but that's because I prefer an era and a place independently of shaving properties. For pure shaving, I've never found anything I like better than a 5/8 Heljestrand MK31.

For me personally, the thrill of 'danger' is long, long past. They're just tools, now, like good kitchen knives.

When I first shaved with a very large razor, I wasn't too taken with it. But now that I have a couple of my own and can occasionally throw them into the mix, I've found they're genuinely more fun to shave with when I've been lazy and let my beard grow out for 4-5 days.