Thread: The Straight Razor's Future

Thanks ace - I'd like to add one comment regarding why we may see a lot of folks giving up after a little while, which I think also adds to your position. Many folks today, it they're not good/great at something right away, give up.

There was a great episode of the Simpson's, where Homer said to Bart, "You tried and you failed, so what did you learn? Never try."

Homer then followed the remark up with something along the lines of, "Just throw it in the closet, along with your Karate Gi, your guitar, and all the others things that you weren't good at right away!"

I think you're right, in the sense that something like straight shaving takes some dedication and practice, and many lose interest the second it's not working out for them, or an iota of frustration comes into the picture. So why try? Just pick up the cartridge razor, or whatever else you're not good at instantly, and take the easy road.

As always, just my opinion...

And they are ones who made it this far. And bothered to post instead of lurk. And came here instead of another forum. Etc etc. We get a biased view here.

The other thing I always try to remember is that we are the Choir, and we are preaching to it. We get it, we believe in it, we enjoy it, we think it is beneficious in every way. We don't understand how anyone could prefer electric or cartridge. But the fact is that, by and large, electric and cartridge work.

I think we need to be careful how we view non-straightrazor shaving. For a lot of people (maybe most) it's the end that counts, not the means. If all that really matters to you is that you have something to put your TV on, it doesn't matter whether you buy pre-built Ikea or spend 6 months hand-crafting mahogany with your grandfather's horse-drawn lathe. You just want a tv table.

Most people just want a shave. I don't think it has much to do with society having inherent "quitter" attitudes.

James.

I think many of the folks who decide to try a straight have this modern frame of reference as to what the experience should be.

So they buy the paraphernalia and do everything they have read or studied (if they stumble on a site like this) and the result? A crappy shave, massive burn, maybe bloodletting and the shock of "hey, what the heck?"

Maybe after few more attempts the progress just ain't fast enough. For many the first try is more than enough and the discouraging spouse or friends who said "I told you so" just confirms the bad decision.

So the real question to ponder is what is it about "us" and folks like us that will stick with it and put up with the learning curve while most will just throw their hands up and say "this ain't for me".

Mainstream? No. Still a valid and enjoyed way to shave. Yes.

I had a conversation with a friend last evening about shaving among other topics. He said it took him nearly twenty years to figure out his current routine and while he enjoyed the occasional pampering of a barber shave, he was not willing to put the time in at this point of his life. My brother concurs, while interested, time just is not there.

My friends commute used to be 45 minutes each way, now 5 minutes, I mentioned there is your time. He and my brother are convinced shaving is a chore and should be endured for as little time as possible each day.

While men continue to cram as much information, entertainment, and work into every day it is little wonder why more are unwilling to ditch the can and cartridge for a nice relaxing shave. They find other ways to relax. Straight users, collectors and restorers took a chore and created a relaxing hobby.

100 years ago straight users were shavers or barbers or in the cutlery business. I doubt "the hobby" existed. Certainly men would not have had 50 or 100 razors, a drawer full of soaps and a shelf full of brushes. Maybe by creating _ADs we are at least keeping the demand for product up, the art alive and passing on knowledge to anyone who asks or shows interest

Point well-taken!

As we grow in straight razor shaving, most of us get to the point where we're asking the question: "I can get BBS just about everywhere, but those areas at the sides of my neck where the whiskers grow sideways drive me nuts. How do I manage to shave that area?"

I can imagine a cartridge shaver reading that and thinking to himself: "Why should I bother with a SR when I can get that area with two easy sideways swipes? Why should I work hard to do something when I can get it done easily?"

Some people are willing to put in the work and there are those who can't see the point. I can understand both points of view.

While I believe there will always be a place in the world for straights, today's trend seems less in favor of the traditional, and leans more towards the new and diverse. There are still, of course, the plain traditional, more conservative, single blades in production. But the seemingly more popular, and liberal application of many blades, a kind of multi-cutleral approach, although queer to those of us more accustomed to the straight approach, seems to be the razor-du-jour. So before you scoff at that "not-like-my-razor" multi ten blade "thing", just remember that it can shave too. And hey, you just might like it.

So in keeping with today's attitude of tolerance and acceptance, I believe there is absolutely a future for all razors, straights and non-straights alike.

Well one things for certain, if I, and a few other's have their way, they won't be shaving with any Wade and Butchers!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Phrank

Well one things for certain, if I, and a few other's have their way, they won't be shaving with any Wade and Butchers!!!!!!

I can see an International Rent A W & B Razor By The Shave conglomerate coming, His Royal Market Cornerer The (Dis)Honorable Phank, Pres.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

I can see an International Rent A W & B Razor By The Shave conglomerate coming, His Royal Market Cornerer The (Dis)Honorable Phank, Pres.

Never thought of that....good idea! Minimum 3-day rental and a fine if you don't clean, strop and rewind the razor!

A friend of mine used to be a brain surgeon (really) that was an avid hobbyist photographer with a bad case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), he had a ton of equipment. So he started lending stuff out, then it got to the point he started renting it out. Soon, his hobby became a business so he retired from medicine and started Lensrentals.com here in Memphis. I don't see why phrank couldn't do the same with W&B's.