Thread: What got you guys into straight razor shaving?

About ten years ago I started DE shaving, something I had done back in the 60s and 70s before cartridge razors took over. I really got into it and acquired a nice collection of vintage Gillette DEs. Then about 5 months ago, I inherited three vintage straights from a relative who had been a barber. I decided to try the straights, and I haven’t touched one of my DEs in five months. One way I can tell I’m getting closer shaves is that the Proraso aftershave I use stings much more than it used to. More people must be taking straights up because they don’t show up in consignment stores as much as they used to.

Originally Posted by Elnones

About ten years ago I started DE shaving, something I had done back in the 60s and 70s before cartridge razors took over. I really got into it and acquired a nice collection of vintage Gillette DEs. Then about 5 months ago, I inherited three vintage straights from a relative who had been a barber. I decided to try the straights, and I haven’t touched one of my DEs in five months. One way I can tell I’m getting closer shaves is that the Proraso aftershave I use stings much more than it used to. More people must be taking straights up because they don’t show up in consignment stores as much as they used to.

There really doesn’t seem to be as much out there as there used to be. Even the classifieds here were once full of great stuff with new ones coming onboard almost daily. eBay has a lot of razors. But the amount of garbage seems really high.

So then I'm not imagining that? It seemed to me that there were less on the market that were worth looking at. Especially fleabay seems to be more junk now than it was. I thought maybe I was just getting harder to please or maybe it is some of both.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

So then I'm not imagining that? It seemed to me that there were less on the market that were worth looking at. Especially fleabay seems to be more junk now than it was. I thought maybe I was just getting harder to please or maybe it is some of both.

I don’t think so. Even the one that would need work seem to be bottom of the barrel. I was looking at some this week and a lot of them had pitting so deep that Inwould never be able to judge if it could be cleaned up. And I’m seeing some that are already supposedly restored with pitting right down to the cutting edge. It makes it hard to evaluate what is a good price when there is nothing to compare things to.

Yeah, and the ones that are in decent shape sellers are putting 1849 gold rush prices on; things that aren't even rare.

Being the eternal optimist though, maybe it's time to send some to market that I restored to sell them couldn't let go of.

I always had facial hair until work said I had to fit test for a resperator. I had a couple of straights that I had collected along with a barber hone and decided that that should be the way to go. Recently I don't need to fit test for the resperator any longer and I am thinking about growing the beard back.

Unless I did it while 15 or 16 or so I have never shaved my mustache.

Me too with the mustache. I had never shaved it since I was able to grow one since I was about 15-16. My wife had never seen me without one and one day she talked me into shaving it off. She took one look and said, "okay, now grow it back."

I happened to come across the classic edge website and saw a Dovo beginners kit
I was all excited because it looked so bad ass.

i ordered it and had my first shave with an edge that had been honed before he sent it.

My goodness it was a terrifying and useless shave with blood and everything.
I started to look on the internet because she told me to stop being stupid and get a philishave like her old dad.

Any way i cam across this forum got sent a 4 more razors by outback, made a video of my attempt at shaving and got so much advice it was like a bathroom full of dad helping

I got good fast and now have at it with abandon.

I started honing and PaulFL send some blunt razors to practice on. Their all in my rotation now and one even has new scales.

I have been gifted other things too and all i can say is that if i hadn't found this forum and met some of the most helpful generous people i am pretty sure i wouldn't be shaving with a straight today and certainly not keeping a splendit edge on them.

Incidentally, when i first succeeded with my homes i was convinced that it was laser sharp and felt ok. Nope now its much sharper and I'm sure over the years it will get better and better - I'm coming for ya mike

I got started using a straight razor out of sheer curiosity and enjoyment of the hobby. I started shaving with a DE safety razor in the late 60's. No one told me how, so I nicked my face a lot. Because of necessity, I had to switch to disposable razors and I used them for many years. They gave me irritation and ingrown hairs from time to time. I changed the way I shaved and that made these things better, but not gone. Then, I thought of the old safety razor and how I never got those things with on of them. My old razors were missing from the many moves my job required, so I bought a new one. I was already using canned foam and various pucks of soap and a cheap brush. That solved my problem with ingrown hairs and mostly solved the irritation. This went on for a while...and then I discovered B&B. I had no idea there were others out there like me and no idea there was even a forum dedicated to this madness. That led to a lot of purchases of razors that were recommended (a couple I wish I could send back), and a growing brush and soap collection. I had been intrigued with the idea of a straight razor for years, but I had heard all of the horror stories (now I know they weren't true). I started reading what folks on this forum had to say and then I discovered I knew some guys who shaved with a straight razor. On the advice of one of them, I contacted a professional razor honer and repair guy and he had a Japanese straight razor for sale, thinning out his collection. I bought it and he tossed in a cheap strop good enough to start with. I watched a number of videos and when I saw what they were doing I thought, "That's easy! I can do that!" I did and the rest is history.

I was watching some you tube videos of a Straight Razor Shave at the Waldorf Hotel...and a light went off in my head. So back in 2009 at the age of 53.. I called up my Uncle and asked..” Do you have any of Grandpaps Straight Razors “. He said yes,,,and what are you going to do with it ? I said.... just keeping the tradition alive. My Grandpap was a Barber in the 1930’s until the 1980’s...he passed in 1994 @ 87. My uncle gave me all his fathers barbershop things....straights,hones, brushes, combs, soaps, barber coat, talcs, and his barber license from 1933. And that’s how I got the bug....been shaving with a straight ever since . I just use my Grandpaps razors on my Birthday and Christmas...and it’s a good feeling too.