Thread: So What's Your Story?

I was getting bad razor burn and ingrowns from the "Mach one million" that I was using so I started reading on the net to find a way or getting rid of them.

That turned me on to DE shaving (and SRP!) and I found I got much better results and much less irritation with my Merkur DE. So I umm-ed and ahh-ed about getting a straight razor and saw a whole bunch of different websites and razors and mentioned my growing interest to my girlfriend.

She got me a straight shave at Trumpers in London to celebrate the end of some exams and I bought my first straight from them right after! Joined SRP not long after that and I've been using straights pretty much exclusively since that fateful day..!

I've now got 3 razors (a DOVO Bismarck and a Black Star, plus a Boker Edelweisse) and a restored no namer, a brush, GFT soaps and creams and a DOVO strop. Plus a set of Shaptons, a DMT 325 and a denim flatbed hone with diamond spray. I've got a list as long as my arm of things I want to add to my collection! Just need more money..!

Nice topic.

About two and a half years ago I was surfing the net and for no explainable reason other than the fact that I'm a guy and sharp things are cool, I typed in "straight razor" in Wikipedia. I found it interesting. I found SRP probably that same night and found it even more interesting. I lurked for some time, bought a TI Super Gnome from Classic which was honed by Lynn. I think I bought Lynn's DVD from Classic at the same time. I was off to the races and never looked back.

I'd been shaving for about 18 years prior to straight razor shaving and in that time tried disposables, electrics and DEs. My problem area like a lot of guys was my neck area. Terrible ingrowns. I grew to live with it and considered the time spent freeing ingrown hairs with a pointed tweezers a necessary part of hygeine. When I was younger I would have a girlfriend who was not squeemish dig the ingrowns out for me. How romantic!

Since I've been shaving with straight razors, I can go weeks to months without an ingrown hair. I still have a patch on my neck that can be irritated if I'm not careful, but that amount of improvement over all other shaving methods is dramatic.

Chris L

Hello gentlemen. I have been lurking here for about three months, and John Crowley talked me into registering today while I talked about purchasing some Wackers. I figured I would say hi and say what got me into straight shaving.
I started buying straights to cut up and regrind into woodcarving knives. I did this to about ten razors until I had one that was just too nice to destroy.
I have always been fanatic about sharp knives so I gave sharpening a straight a shot. The first shave was not pretty so I searching the web for more info. Some new stones and strops later the shaves got better. I then purchased Lynn's video and am not turning back.
Shaving had always hurt pretty bad, and until I shaved with my straight I had not shaved for about three years. I am also in the process of converting some guys at work, and my wife is letting me shave her legs. This is now a lifestyle change to me.
Thanks for all the info
Christopher

Originally Posted by knifenutnky

Hello gentlemen. I have been lurking here for about three months, and John Crowley talked me into registering today while I talked about purchasing some Wackers. I figured I would say hi and say what got me into straight shaving.
I started buying straights to cut up and regrind into woodcarving knives. I did this to about ten razors until I had one that was just too nice to destroy.
I have always been fanatic about sharp knives so I gave sharpening a straight a shot. The first shave was not pretty so I searching the web for more info. Some new stones and strops later the shaves got better. I then purchased Lynn's video and am not turning back.
Shaving had always hurt pretty bad, and until I shaved with my straight I had not shaved for about three years. I am also in the process of converting some guys at work, and my wife is letting me shave her legs. This is now a lifestyle change to me.
Thanks for all the info
Christopher

Sweet! Welcome to SRP! I'm glad you got sucked in just as hard as everyone else

HAPPY SHAVING!
Brent

I'd used either Remington or Norelco electrics from the start. I switched to Braun electrics when I was living in Chile in the late 80s because they gave a better shave. Took the Braun synchro to Iraq and elsewhere and it did very well so I thought it was for life. Just over a year ago I went to the store to get a new cleaning cartridge and screen/head for the Braun and looked at the prices and thought, "**** on that. There's no way I'm going to keep paying that kind of money." So I thought I'd do wet shaves. Went down the aisle to buy a multi-blade and looked at the prices and thought the same thing. Got on the internet to look at DE shaving and realized I'd still be buying blades so the thought came to me to look into straight razors. (One blade, no replacement, right???? Little did I know.) Got on the internet, found SRP and that was that. I figure once I have my 7-day set, I'll be good on razors and from then on it will just be a strop or two more, and soap. And a brush every once in a while... Yeah, not cost effective yet. Luckily I already had all the stones and just had to make a paddle strop for the paste. I thoroughly love straight shaving, though, so it's worth it to me.