Thread: The Straight Razor's Future

Shaving with a straight razor is such an arcane hobby that I don't believe it will ever encompass more than a very tiny faction of a percent of all shavers. I hope this small renaissance we now appear to be in is at least sustainable for a while. That is the best anyone could hope for.

Bob

I agree with the DE user increase. I believe only a portion of new DE users will actually use a brush and create some quality lather (best part of wet shaving). The rest will use canned stuff or pay more for fancy canned stuff and pre shave oils. Of the small portion say 25% that use a brush maybe another quarter will go on to try a straight razor.

So, sad as it is, somewhere around 2% may try a straight and that is prObably being generous.

I think straight razor shaving is here to stay, even if it will always be a 'niche market.' Those of us who have persevered through the learning curve know that it is really a superior method of getting the job done. Transforming what once was a chore into a passion for some, and at the very least, a pleasure for others.

I think it'll be like micro brews. You'll get a wave of popularity that hits the scene and then the majority of beer drinkers will retreat back to light beer. But along the way you'll get a few people that will come to realize that there are various viable options. So I see the market for soaps, creams, aftershaves, DEs, and yes straight razors all increasing. But I think that straight razors will not hold their audience for all the same reasons they originally lost it - it's simply more work than the average guy wants to fuss with when there is an easier option. This is fun for us but it's not for everyone. Like cooking is for me, it's simply a chore for many others.

To be very honest when you take in how many men in this world shave and then all the different ways to shave I think the straight razor will be a smaller percentage than the others but if just 3 percent of the world of shaving men take up the straight just think how many that would be. I know that when I was working before retirement I really didn't have that much time to shave. I would shave in the shower using the body soap for lather rinse the razor and leave it in the shower. I worked 9-10 hours a day and a 1-1 1/2 hour drive each way. A lot of men where and are in that same boat. it was when I retired that I could take things slower and for me better. I do look for straight razor shaving to increase in popularity but not as it was in the late 19th and at least 1/2 of the 20th century. I do know that it's forums like this one with members and mentors like there is here that gives our sport or should I say ritual life and keep it breathing.

Dear Obie,

I am not as pessimistic as some of my compadres on the forum about the future of straight razor shaving. The fact that manufacturer’s like Dovo are having a problem keeping up with demand suggests that something of a small, if imperceptible change is occurring in men’s wet shaving tastes or preferences.

This change will not occur overnight. It took King Gillette’s marketing of the DE razor about half of the last century to get most of the world’s men to discard their straights and turn to DE razors. Remember too that Gillette’s marketing blitz coincided with the global economy’s shift from mass production to mass consumption. Mass production was well-suited for societies that wanted to lower the cost of necessities, like straight razors, to buyers. However, mass consumption societies require people to want something, even if they don’t need it--and to keep coming back for more. This was the strategy behind Gillette’s early marketing of DE razors. They would give you the razor for free, but you had to buy the blades; a marketing strategy that has apparently continued into the present--along with the promise of a closer, more comfortable shave.

Growing concerns about the environment as well as the recycling of trash like disposable cartridges may offer other reasons besides the adventure, glamour or history of straight razor shaving for the younger generation of men out there. We’ll have to wait and see.

Maybe SRP should get a contract with a cable network like DIY for a show about straight razors? You could be the moderator and interview guests such as Lynn Abrams, sales representatives from Dovo, Ralf Aust, Thiers-Issard or custom straight razors makers such as Robert Williams, Max Sprecher, etc. to promote the environmental value and personal pleasures of straight razor shaving. Then men of all ages would realize what we all here at SRP have known for a long time--that a day without a straight razor shave is like a day without sunshine.

I shave with and enjoy almost any type of blade and from most eras. I also collect and renew razors for myself and friends. I also am a mentor. All that said, few I talk with will ever shave with a straight. I have been called a psycho to a friend by a guy I worked with that saw my collection.

I had blades in three antique stores, not any more. I did find that the Adjustable DEs sold way better than TTOs; better they than Schicks; better they than three piece DE's, and better they than straights. I have always left good shave literature and a list of links to shave fora and blade sources.
In a central farming and construction company area of Wisconsin, speed and convenience seems the rule.

There will be always persons interested in the straights, but the only way to interest folk from here is on the 'internet. Dealers here go by online sold listing and no-one wished to pay that kind of price for a blade even if it is "Forever." A basic $10 blade still gives few sales. I have found many blades around here and am at the point I leave most lay there for someone else to profit from unless I find an over the top collector bargain!. I cover about a one hundred mile radius in a different direction each time I go "Shopping"

In a large city, I could have sold those lots many times over but not around here. Just a couple years experience with this area. Those few that came to me for training are still in the game and I occasionally hear from them.

Just my take, other areas of the country will be different of course.
~Richard

Originally Posted by jhenry

Dear Obie,

I am not as pessimistic as some of my compadres on the forum about the future of straight razor shaving. The fact that manufacturer’s like Dovo are having a problem keeping up with demand suggests that something of a small, if imperceptible change is occurring in men’s wet shaving tastes or preferences.

This change will not occur overnight. It took King Gillette’s marketing of the DE razor about half of the last century to get most of the world’s men to discard their straights and turn to DE razors. Remember too that Gillette’s marketing blitz coincided with the global economy’s shift from mass production to mass consumption. Mass production was well-suited for societies that wanted to lower the cost of necessities, like straight razors, to buyers. However, mass consumption societies require people to want something, even if they don’t need it--and to keep coming back for more. This was the strategy behind Gillette’s early marketing of DE razors. They would give you the razor for free, but you had to buy the blades; a marketing strategy that has apparently continued into the present--along with the promise of a closer, more comfortable shave.

Growing concerns about the environment as well as the recycling of trash like disposable cartridges may offer other reasons besides the adventure, glamour or history of straight razor shaving for the younger generation of men out there. We’ll have to wait and see.

Maybe SRP should get a contract with a cable network like DIY for a show about straight razors? You could be the moderator and interview guests such as Lynn Abrams, sales representatives from Dovo, Ralf Aust, Thiers-Issard or custom straight razors makers such as Robert Williams, Max Sprecher, etc. to promote the environmental value and personal pleasures of straight razor shaving. Then men of all ages would realize what we all here at SRP have known for a long time--that a day without a straight razor shave is like a day without sunshine.

Without talking to Dovo executives about their current production situation & their perceived status in 20 years, I don't read into the lack of supply as a major boost in the change to straights. I see the number of true converts being slightly higher 20 years from now & the increase so small, that it goes unnoticed by anyone but the dedicated users.

I definitely do not feel that the environment or any concerns about it, will have any measurable effect on straight razor sales. I think that any of the major vendors or custom makers would be wasting their time working the environmental angle. How many members now, made the jump due to environmental issues?

The image of a young man shaving with a Wade & Butcher, then headed to work with his Toyota hybrid, with a mocha lotte in his hand,,,,,,well,,,,,something is just wrong,,,,IMO,,,,

Sorry guys if any of you fit the above,,,, just my feelings,,,,& Lord knows I got my issues,,,,,

I personally don't want the straight razor market to "Kick Off". I would not mind a small gradual increase over my lifetime, but that's it. I feel good, to belong to a small, special group known as wetshavers.

Out with the Prius and in with the 32 Roadster

I have to say, my nephews are interested but in the end, I'd guess they'll end up as decorations and the boys will end up with beards like the rest of the hipsters i see, (not that there's anything wrong with that)
I do think its a bit of a bubble but that like most everybody else is saying will always have a niche following
There's my two cents
Mike

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Without talking to Dovo executives about their current production situation & their perceived status in 20 years, I don't read into the lack of supply as a major boost in the change to straights. I see the number of true converts being slightly higher 20 years from now & the increase so small, that it goes unnoticed by anyone but the dedicated users.

I definitely do not feel that the environment or any concerns about it, will have any measurable effect on straight razor sales. I think that any of the major vendors or custom makers would be wasting their time working the environmental angle. How many members now, made the jump due to environmental issues?

The image of a young man shaving with a Wade & Butcher, then headed to work with his Toyota hybrid, with a mocha lotte in his hand,,,,,,well,,,,,something is just wrong,,,,IMO,,,,

Sorry guys if any of you fit the above,,,, just my feelings,,,,& Lord knows I got my issues,,,,,

I personally don't want the straight razor market to "Kick Off". I would not mind a small gradual increase over my lifetime, but that's it. I feel good, to belong to a small, special group known as wetshavers.

Great thread! I too feel proud to be one who is of a few and proud straight edge users. Markets are very hard to predict. Just one scene from a movie can spark a huge interest so you never know. I don't think the hobby will die out but I am just happy to be having my own fun. I don't need to convert the rest of the world