Are you a straight purist - or do you DE on the side?

It's been 3 weeks of continuous straight razor shaving for me and my DE has been sitting lonely and unloved in the corner of the bathroom cabinet.

It got me wondering - are people here straight razor purists or do they mix it up?

Maybe DEs for quick workday shaves and straights for weekend pleasure?

I've noticed some people take DEs travelling if a straight is too much hassle on planes.


Sometimes I think I should use the DE when I'm in a hurry... but then the stubborn learner in me wants the challenge (and satisfaction) of the straight shave.

Interested to hear your thoughts,
All the best,
Michael.

When i started out i stuck entirely to straights. It seemed the best way to learn. Now i'll use a DE again occasionally. Probably once a month, or maybe six weeks. Sometimes it's just nice to have a change.
I went from the UK to South Africa recently & took the straight, strop etc. It was great to be out in the veldt & have a proper shave, but there's always the risk it'll go astray when in transit.

I'm a pediatrician trying to retire :( I presently work two days a week and on those days I use a DE. The day starts very early and even though using my straights are more relaxing, I always feel rushed on those mornings. When I travel I use my DE. It is just more convenient and I don't run the risk of loosing a razor in my checked bags.

Lewis

Not shaved with anything other than a straight for one and half years now.

I use a DE when I travel too. The reason for this was that it gave me an excuse to buy more razors.

Well, I started with a DE, and it was a massive imrpovement over anything else I'd previously tried. When I switched to straights, I used them exclusively for 6 months, just to get the technique more or less right.

I occasionally use a DE again now, mainly when I have to get up very early, or have to travel. It has nothing to do with purism, or the lack thereof, but with efficiency.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BeBerlin

It has nothing to do with purism, or the lack thereof, but with efficiency.

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I'm moving slightly off-topic, but:

Regarding efficiency and shaving - that's something I'm working on with my straight razor shave routine.


-technique
-time taken
-amount of soap / cream used
-amount of water used (-('m trying to reduce - we've got a drought here in rainy Melbourne!)
-lathering (time taken, stuff used)
-amount of shaving paraphenalia used (even if it's fun to have lots of stuff!)


It doesn't mean the ritual, the relaxation and meditative aspects aren't there - I think in some ways it is more so. Probably good to have routines for the workday and something different for the weekend.

So yes - sometimes the DE will do and that's ok. (Gets back on topic:))

All the best,
Michael

I've used a DE once at the one year point of the last year and a half due to time constraints and a curiosity to see how it felt after a year with straights exclusively. It was alright and I would use one if I were to travel but I vastly prefer the straight and that continues to be my daily driver.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BeBerlin

It has nothing to do with purism, or the lack thereof, but with efficiency.

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I agree, though I'd replace 'efficiency' with 'preference'.

I've learned (the hard way) that it is good to have a DE and some blades standing by, just in case. I love the straight razor but they tend to be - at least for me - a bit unpractical when traveling. If I had a box paddle strop, that would be different, namely when traveling by train or by car or even if you have to check your luggage when flying.
However the whole routine of shaving with a straight razor, even if you are proficient, takes longer than the one with a DE. So, for those rushed mornings I will choose to pick up my DE instead of any of my straights. The reason is the following: hurry + sleepyness = nasty cut on left hand's pointing finger...

I use my straights exclusively.*


* There was a brief period of 2-3 days a few months back when my razors weren't in shaving condition and I didn't have time to hone them, and then I used my DE. I did notice a huge difference: a year of using straights must have given me a lot better understanding of blade angle and pressure. Best shaves I'd ever gotten out of that DE razor, by far.

I haven't used a DE in years. Occasionally I use an injector, but that's about it. Other than that, it's straight razors full time.

I have been straight razor shaving off and on for quite a number of years, but I never really stuck with it for any long period until about 10 months ago. On one of my quarterly trips to Cosco I was shocked at the price disposable blades went to and decided that was it! Since that time I haven't picked up a safety razor, even when traveling. So I guess I am now considered a purist.

Ray

I use a de maybe once every 6 months it I have to shave and run for something but that's about it.

I use only straights & now & then my Focus blade razor,This usually goes in my wifes luggage when we travel ,Just in case my luggage gets lost.:)
Paul

Just a short history. I started WS last Oct. I starded str8 shaving last Dec. I use my Merkur Futur maybe one day per week. When I travel to my weekend trailer I use a Merkur DE. I love str8 shaving and all that goes with it. I have an 8 day rotation but honestly I use only the razors that are SR. I rotate the razors to the back of the pack when they need a little work. For example today I went over all my razors with a barber hone, 2 sided, 5 on ea side. All 8 are now SR. I will use them all rotationally until they hesitate they then go to the back of the rack till I work on them again.

Mark

I used a DE before I started with straights and liked it. I think DEs shave almost as well as straights. After going straight, I didn't use a DE for a long time. I've tried a to use a DE a few times over the past several years, but my technique is completely gone. :boohoo: It's like starting all over. So I just stick with straights. If I travel, I either ship one ahead or check a bag. Wapis are perfect for caching at my MIL's and other places I visit frequently. I do have an injector, but I've only tried it once.

Jordan

Straight and nothing but a straight I don't even own a DE and don't plan to. I love my razors and shaving with them. Even though some of the DEs do look pretty cool :hmmm:.


No still sticking with the straights.:rock:

Shave about 5 times a week, straight is usually 3 of them, DE 2. I simply enjoy both.

I have a '59 Fatboy

I have a lovely little lather catcher that is a dream to shave with, pictured below.

Once every week or two I shave with it. Otherwise it is my vintage Boker all the time.

http://paulsenonline.net/lc.jpg

I'm still getting used to straight razors, and shaving takes me quite a while- I'm still going for BBS every time, which I could probably stop doing.

The DE comes out every now and then when I'm in a hurry or really tired. Neither of those conditions mix well with a straight.

Also, I'm still learning how to shave my neck (where the hair grows sideways) and sometimes for that final pass, I'll pull out the DE.

Finally, the DE that I have belonged to my wife's father, whom I never met. It makes her feel good when she sees me using it.
J.

I was a wet shaver,using a Merkur Vision,before I took up straight razor shaving. Once I started I stayed with straight razors figuring I'd jump in at the deep end. The shaves kept getting better and eventually caught up to the shave quality of the DE and then surpassed it. It's been almost a year now and the Vision has not been used once since I started using straight razors.

Gentlemen,

For me, it is not a question of purism. Rather, it is one of liking straight and DE to varying degrees. Put another way, I "love" my straights and I "love" my DEs. The DE still gives me a cleaner shave than the straight, although I have used the straight for a while now.

What especially adds color to the straight razor world is the ritual that comes with it. Although the DE has its own ritual — the type of razor, the brand of blade, and so on — it lacks the color of that with the straight.

When traveling, I always carry a Feather AC and a Merkur travel DE. Available time to complete the task of shaving usually dictates which of the two I use. The one thing I refuse to do is to rush the straight shave. Doing so is not only dangerous, but it also loses the grace in straight razor shaving.

It's as bad as scarfing up your food and calling it dinner. I prefer "dining" to "eating," whether I have a Chicago-style hog dog in front of me or some fancy French doo-da and a glass of fine wine.

In two weeks, for instance, I'll be doing some stage work in California, where I know lack of time will restrict me to the DE. Still, I will take the Feather AC along just in case.

Someday I know my shave with the straight will finally surpass that of the double edge. Until then I will use both for the reasons I have mentioned. Someday also I might take a strop along and a real straight instead of the Feather.

Regards,

Obie

I have a DE a Merkur Futur, shaves very well, light and well built, but I NEVER use it (it's my wife's now). I started with a DE about 3 years ago, and loved it, was the best thing since sliced bread. Blew away all my notions about shaving once I got the brush and the good soaps/creams.

However, this is all pre straight razor shaving. About 8 months ago perhaps a full year now. I bought my first Straight, a wapi. ( I think this is a common choice for a lot of newbs)

Ever since I finally got a BBS with my straight, I never looked back, and I won't. I shave every single day, unless Im growing out a stache or a goatee, burns, etc... and I wont go back to DE's unless somebody steals all my straights, but then "hell's coming for them."

When I travel and I haven't been cash full enough lately to take anything more then a 3 or 4 day vac, and when I do, I strop up 3 or 4 straights and take them for the ride.

I know its unpractical, but honestly I would miss the closeness and shave experience if I didnt bring my boys with me.

Cheers
D:beer2:

I started on a plain Merkur DE after getting away from those miserable, :cen cartridges, then moved to str8s & never looked back. I now shave exclusively w/ a straight unless I simply need to be presentable in a hurry & I'm working a schedule where every minute of sleep counts. (I'm a pyrotechnician, so around the 4th is a good example--some nights, 4 hours is considered a decent amount of sleep).

Otherwise, I'm a straight purist.

Totally Straights. Before that I hated all kinds of shaving. I have only vague memories of using my dad's DE, but at that time shaving was physically painful as I had as many zits as hair.

Mike

I have a Superspeed that I got around the same time I got my first straight. I've used it maybe a handful of times. If I really need to shave in a hurry, I can pull it out for a quick water only WTG and be good to go in less than 5 mins. Other than that, it just sits around.

[QUOTE=Sirshavesalot;429230]
When I travel and I haven't been cash full enough lately to take anything more then a 3 or 4 day vac, and when I do, I strop up 3 or 4 straights and take them for the ride.
/QUOTE]

I'm going a bit off-post but:
When you travel you don't need your strop, because you
strop some straights before going and then when you return?
i.e. one pre-stropped straight per day away?

That's another way to do it - and justification for RAD :)

All the best,
Michael

Haven't used a DE since I was in high school.

I use both. When I am in a hurry I use my vintage DE. Most of the time, however, I use my straight. Both serve my needs well and both are a pleasure to shave with. Having said that, I am not much in a hurry very often so my straight gets much more use than my DE.

When I first started shaving straight, I used a double edge for backup. Now the straight is the only thing that touches my face. I find shaving with a Straight makes me take the time to enjoy the shave and not just rush through it as I did when I was using the de or even the mach3. One thing, and I've never seen anyone else mention this, is the fact that I always wonder who bought my razor new, and who else may have used it.

Straight only.

I suppose travel or a temporary loss of shaving time could drive me to a DE, but I would not be happy about it! :rant:

Having used disposables for most of my life, in February 2007 I started shaving with a straight and never once looked back. Not once. I get up early at 5, so I normally do a leisurely BBS shave the night before which lasts me 2 days. And when I travel I take everything I need with me.

I would probably enjoy trying a DE, but having gone from disposable to straight it doesn't seem so tempting to me.

I use a DE for airline travel. Other than that maybe once a month when I'm in a real rush. I've been using a DE since 1979 up until last year when I got hooked on straight razors.

purely straight. granted - I don;t need to shave everyday like some of the neanderthals I know who shave and an hour later have a shadow :)

andy

Quote:

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Originally Posted by freebird

When I first started shaving straight, I used a double edge for backup. Now the straight is the only thing that touches my face. I find shaving with a Straight makes me take the time to enjoy the shave and not just rush through it as I did when I was using the de or even the mach3. One thing, and I've never seen anyone else mention this, is the fact that I always wonder who bought my razor new, and who else may have used it.

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I have thought of this many times, it reminds me of that old hbo series but it was done with a gun, if only the razor could talk.

I use a straight unless I am going light on a trip where I have to fly and only taking a day bag. I would take my DE but take a march 3, since I never know who is going to be at the security counter. Do they let you take a DE on the flight, if so you may be able to get a duplex on? May need to start a thread on that... just a thought

Crom

I will never shave with anything other than a straight again.

Pretty much just using straights