Thread: The Straight Razor's Future

I think wet shaving is making a comeback,but SR shaving is a very small percentage.
The learning curve is very long and steep,the younger players do not have the mentality in todays world to learn a lost art.
Do not know what the membership of SRP is,but I would bet out of the total listed,a very small percentage stick with it.
You see new members come along every day,buy this, buy that, than they disapear.

When I look back 15 years from when we started the first Straight Razor Place and there were no other wet shaving forums on the internet and only a few sources providing wetshaving products, I would say we have come a long way. The perception of enjoying shaving or looking forward to your next shave finding pleasure in shaving is foreign to many, but once experienced, hard to imagine life in any other way. If my figures are correct, when we started out, Dovo and TI's revenue was derived at about 35% from razors and 65% from cutlery or other merchandise produced. Today, it is now at 65% from razors and 35% from the other areas. This is a significant turn around considering that we remain a small niche market, but I think very telling.

The biggest problem in the US has been that razors produced recently have come from small artisan shops trying to capitalize on US made, while the traditional manufacturers will not even give making razors and DE's a go as it is not in their "Core" businesses. What a shame. Eventually and hopefully, someday they will get the message as their remains a very decent market for razors of quality. I hope people continue to try to make razors and I hope more people continue to hang honing shingles as well. The more people we have helping to grow the environment and preserve the art, the better off we'll be.

I remain positive in the hope that all of the products in the wetshaving arena will continue to flourish and that we will benefit from all the people coming up with new and better stuff to feed our AD's.

So far, I would say "Mission Accomplished"

Have fun.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

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.

I can't stand the normal American beers. I grew up in Germany with the "Heffe Weisen's" , "Permeator's" and "Duble Bach" beers. To me the average American beer is watered down mule piss.

As for the influx of using a SR , I never thought I would like it myself ... but that has changed. I started to tire of the cartridge razors years ago, but they were the norm and readily available. Not to mention that my wife at the time was a coupon monster and would often get a razor and 3-5 cartridges for $1 or less. So we had a stockpile.

I then started to use a DE. It was easy and fairly quick. I still used canned cream though. Once I started using good creams and soaps I loved the feel and looked forward to the time I spent shaving without any rush.

A short time later I had a friend give me his "Parker" SR1. Yeah I cut myself a few times , nicked myself a ton , but I loved the shave. I eventually got pretty good at not cutting myself , and only occasionally had a few nicks. So I decided to make the move to a REAL SR.

I browsed the forums , read reviews on creams and soaps , different razors and whatnot before deciding on buying a SR from a local shoppe (The Razor Emporium) here in Phoenix. I went to buy one and ended up with 2. They are both mighty fine shavers. I used them for a bit , then talked the wife i nto letting me get a kit from SRD.

I now have the 2 razors from TRE (the M.E. Repenhagen Army & Navy #7 & the George Wostenholm & Son) , the Ralf Aust from SRD and a Wade & Butcher off eBay. I think I'm done for now, but only time will tell.

I think many will love wet shaving once they give it a shot. Some may stay with the cartridge razors , but I think many will come to like the shave with safety razors and progress onto straights. There is an influx of newbies (me included) , and I think many will keep at it once they discover that with time and practice they will not get a better shave than with a straight.

I will also admit that I use both a safety and a straight. I'm just not very good ant using the straight on my chin and neck yet. I can get it to where it is ok , but that's not good enough. So I use a DE to tidy up the rough spots still.

I think I may have rambled on and lost my train of thought so I will stop now.

~Gary

The future of straight razor usage....most interesting point to ponder.

I'm believing the masses will always continue to be influenced by popular media (i.e. that pawn shop guy hawking ridiculously overpriced DE razors/blades). One might think, all things considered, that the hipster crew may have jumped onto the SR/DE concept (hmm...Dovo in one hand, Pabst Blue Ribbon in the other. What a vision!!). They seem to have eschewed it though.

Most of my friends are in their mid-late 40's/early 50's (I'm the old guy at 63). Their shave discipline is "quick and simple". One buddy of mine just smears some soap on his face when in the shower and uses a disposable whatever was on sale at Wal Mart razor. Works for him I guess.
Others who head shave I think are a tad sketchy about the idea of a straight razor on the melon; this does not explain the reluctance to use a DE though. They all just look blankly at me when I tell them I use a SR. My 34 year old son had this to say during a conversation about the problems of getting my razors/blades through TSA airline security..."Well, if you shaved like those of us in the 21st century, you wouldn't have those problems." Guess he does have a point.....

Indeed, easy acquisition of the tools necessary for a proper wet shave has to be considered, although with the presence of the internet allowing for the quick and near effortless purchase of necessary items and longevity of most wetshave accouterments, I can't see that as an issue to turn people off from the wetshave idea.

Really, one good razor, one good brush, a strop (even folded newspaper if preferred), and a $2.00 Arko stick will last most for a waaaay long time. Hey, who here has actually worn out a stick of Arko (or Palmolive, Tabac, LaToja, etc??).

Decent straight razors are readily available, even now. The nicer production razors (Boker, Ralf Aust, Dovo) can be had with a few clicks of the keyboard; if you look around with any effort they're out there. Now the customs?? That indeed is a different tale, but one step at a time.
Brushes?? DE razors?? All the other stuff one might want and/or need? Even easier to acquire.

Overall, I believe there has been a significant uptick to the popularity of wetshaving and straight razor use, but I'm inclined to think it's in the process of going dormy. I believe the process will always be seen as a novelty or nostalgic throwback thing. For sure more of a hobby than necessity (which "mainstream shaving" may be thought of as).

I feel that straight razor shaving will always be a niche market, and I personally think that that is not such a bad thing. It's nice to be part of something thing that is not the norm.
As a youngish 34 year old who started using a straight about 4 years ago I've spoken to friends and work colleagues whom all but one thought it was "cool" but showed no interest in trying. The one that said he would give it a go didn't get past his first shave. He even brought a shavette and I showed him all great info on SRP!
The likes of the last James Bond film has been said to boost sales of Dovo and Thiers Issard but how many people buy one and give up after their first shave and then sell it on ebay?
All these things show me is that although alot of blokes like the idea, most cant be arsed to go through the learning curve and spend time on what most see as a chore.
One more point that I don't think has been posted is that a lot of men dont shave at all. Nearly everyone now sports designer stubble (at least in England anyway.) Even friends who work in offices say they don't have to shave everyday. You can buy a bead trimmer that can adjust within 0.5 mm for "perfect" stubble, and takes 2 mins once a week. Where dose this leave the likes of Gillette let alone this wonderful world of straight razors...

I agree that it will never be mainstream and will always remain niche. At some point technology is going to surpass even the modern gimmicks. I don't doubt people will be "shaving" with lasers or thermal devices of some sort in the foreseeable future. Technology is growing exponentially and shaving won't be any different. That being said, wet shaving won't die for the foreseeable future either. Some people just enjoy the feeling, routine and act itself.
Every method of shaving has pros and cons. Wet shaving's only con is time, and convientence compared to other methods of shaving. For those who don't care about that, it will be an appealing venture. In the last year I've already converted two people to DE shaving just because of the sheer fact that it is cheaper and provides a better shave. Shortly thereafter they started tiptoeing further into wet shaving products and are full hearted die hards. Now they are starting to ask me about straight razors. Some of their friends are asking about DE now and some more people I know are asking me about wet shaving. It spreads like an infection
I started my father on wet shavi very shortly after I did a few years ago. We boths still used cartridge razors. Shortly I went to DE then to SR and shortly I got him a DE for his birthday. He grew up on DE razors and fell out of them with the rest of the media drones. Now he has a collection of DE razors brushes and soaps on his own "shaving shelf" and gets up earlier every morning to shave for half an hour.

Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen,How do you see straight razor shaving advancing, if it is advancing in the first place, and inviting more users into its ranks?

Let's hear your thoughts.

I was born in 1951. Dad was born in 1910; My grandfather was born in 1882.

Until last year I wore a beard or shave with a cart (after a couple of bad-luck years with a DE).
My father only ever shaved with a DE; he was an artiste with a DE.
Grandfather went to a barber for a shave once/week until he caved on a safety razor (DE) before WWII.

Trend is going the wrong way for straights as far as I can see. I am not a big razor-talker but, the few times it has come up, men wince at the thought of a straight on their skin and, nearly as much, a DE blade. This means to me most men doubt themselves in fundamental ways. Men here would, in the main, shave a gnat of the end of their nose just because they can. Men over there would rub grapes off their arms with a Popsicle stick.

Since I've been using straight razors I've been offering them to people I know as well (don't want to be the only lunatic in the asylum...)

What I've noticed is that it's a certain kind of person who takes you up on the offer initially, and then of those it's a certain type of person who pushes through the learning barrier, the dulled edges, the cut strops, to come out the other end as what you'd call a certified straight razor user. I cannot really put a firm figure on it, but in my experience it may be around 1 in every 5 I talk to takes it up initially, and then of those maybe 1 in every 3 keep at it over the medium to long term.

Of course, it could be the people I'm asking - I don't do it at random

At least here in my part of Australia, longer term use seems to be loosely related to someone's perception that they can maintain the edge themselves over time, and that brings up honing of course which, although intimately related to straights is a whole other skill set with its own set of learning barriers.

So, long story short (too late!) I don't think straight razor use in Australia at least will die out, but neither do I think it will explode into the mainstream. It will always putter along, there will always be new users (of which we only get a self-selected sample joining up here at the forum), and it will increase over time. But that increase will be slow.

James.

In today's fast paced, multitasking, need to be connected to some electronic device almost constantly type of world, I don't see straight razor shaving taking off, but continuing to hold a niche among a small group who see the virtues in taking the time for a morning shave. People's minds are cluttered with everything going on in the world and everything that they have to do that day, and sometimes don't slow down until after their first heart attack. Some discover meditation, prayer, or yoga, which helps the to slow down and "unclutter" the mind. My morning shave is similar to meditation, and has become an important part of my life, instead of a necessary chore to be done as quickly as possible. I fear that most people today don't have or make the time, or have the patience to slow down and smell the roses, or shave with a straight. Unfortunately, they are missing out.

Over the years I have dealt with this question, not only with straight razors but most of the things that interest me on different forums. Film usage was/is a big concern on APUG. As I have stated there, I will do so here. I don't think that we should concern ourselves with the "direction" that this is going, the fact that it is "going" at all should be our only concern. The ability to educate new members accurately is the biggest hurdle we should overcome. With the advent of the internet and sites such as SRP and youtube delivering valuable information to the uninitiated this endeavor has become just a little bit easier. Even so, there is only so much information that can be passed on in these venues, it is the hands on with a mentor that will go further to keep the momentum that we desire. This is why, whenever I answer a new members question (whatever it may be) I will suggest that he put his location in his profile so that we can find someone near that can mentor them. Get togethers, if advertised thru local media such as Craigslist may bring new converts out of the wood works and give them a taste of what is available with a SR and the like. But as far as becoming mainstream or the norm, I don't see that happening. We live in an age of information overload and instant gratification, most people do not have the desire to slow down and enjoy the simpler things that are available because they might miss the "next" big thing or the latest Angry Cat MEM.