Thread: What made you guys want to shave with a straight.

Well, several things all coming together at once. I guess for me the thing that gave me the nudge was finally getting fed up with flaking that strip of gooey crap off of the twin-blade cartridges I'd been using, coupled with the fact that twin-blade cartridges were getting harder and harder to find, and not liking the idea of the major razor-makers dictating to me what I was going to shave with--they're all making the same crap. If one decides that they're going to make a 4-blade cartridge, they ALL start making 4-blade cartridges . . . but I digress . . . the other major things were my growing antiquarian tendencies--I really enjoy activities that give me a sense of tangible connection with the past--and, just as those frustrations mentioned above were all sort of coalescing, happening upon an article at The Art of Manliness about shaving with a straight, which had a link to SRP. Once I realized that there were a good number of folks who shaved with straights, I was hooked and took the plunge. And like Obie, I look forward to my daily trip back to the 19th century.

hey in reguards to hating the shave....as soon as I started straight shaving, I startes enjoying it. I dreaded shaving before I started straight shaving, like would go weeks. Now sometimes every day, most of the time its every two days. I am with you

For me, the prospect of relief from razor burn was a big incentive, but the chance to learn a new skill, arcane though it may be, was an attraction as well. So about seven months ago I purchased a Dovo razor, strop and brush and gave it a try. The razor burn vanished and once I got the hang of it, I cut myself less (paradoxically, as long as the razor was sharp).

I now use the straight every day and can get my face done in about 20 minutes or so. I think this is about as fast I care to go, because rushing leads to cuts. So I'm planning to try a double-edge (DE) for weekday shaves to save time, and reserve the straight for leisurely shaves on the weekend.

I started shaving with a straight purely as an experiment. I'd seen so many conflicting views about how easy/difficult, safe/dangerous, expensive/cheap it can be, so I wanted to find out for myself what the hell all the kerfuffle was about.

That, and I always reckoned shaving with a freaking KNIFE is just awesome. So I had to try it out. I always admired straight-razors. So I took the dive.

So far, I have discovered that straight shaving is easy/difficult, safe/dangerous, expensive/cheap, so I'm happy.

For me a lot of reasons. Initially I was just curious about it, but then as I read more and eventually took the plunge the "real" reasons became apparent.

Pride in Ability. Shaving with a straight seemed so much more elegant. It was something you became good at and thus is a skill. Shaving with disposable razors was a chore nothing to develop and therefore nothing to take pride in... as I get better I feel more involved with the "art" of shaving with a straight.

Tools of the trade. Similar to the above when you shave with a straight you end up with tools you can be proud of, develop attachments/preferences for, and even pass on to others whom will also be served well. Disposable is only worth anything while it is doing its crappy simple job and then actually creates more mess/screws up the environment as you pitch it in the trash. I am unsure if the little bastards are even recyclable.

Camaraderie. Being part of a small group of people who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable creates a sense of belonging. Sure it is pretty minor and isn't my reason for existence, but it's kind of nice to know that there are others out there who share the same (hobby?) as myself and I can go learn from. It's also an experience that binds everyone of all walks of life: women, men, young and old.

The Shave. Last, and certainly not the least is the shave itself. Disposables would tear me up no matter how I shaved or what I used. As one friend once quipped I "looked like I was lynched" due to the severe razor burn. I hated shaving it hurt, was a chore, and made me look ridiculous. I am still no expert by any means with a straight but even my first shave with one went better than my best disposable shave ever did. I was sold immediately.

Well written. Excellent. You hit all of the points!!!

It was a deed of necessity for me really.
I was so sick and tired of running out of usable cartridges, and more so to find that out half way thru shaving my head.
Walking out with half the head shaven is generally frowned upon around these parts.

So, I went out searching for alternatives.
I first started out with a Feather DX, and bought about 200 blades for that thing.
It worked, but it gave me a bit of a challenge at first, especially doing the back of my head.
After just a few weeks with that system, I continued my search and stumbled upon SRP.
The rest is history
I still use the DX for my head shaves every now and then, but a straight and a DE gets just as much time up there.

Spend a few hundred on tools and some time on technique and you can shave for the rest of your life....and then some. That was enough for me to take it up. Plus I collect antiques.

Originally Posted by runlevelfour

For me a lot of reasons. Initially I was just curious about it, but then as I read more and eventually took the plunge the "real" reasons became apparent.

Pride in Ability. Shaving with a straight seemed so much more elegant. It was something you became good at and thus is a skill. Shaving with disposable razors was a chore nothing to develop and therefore nothing to take pride in... as I get better I feel more involved with the "art" of shaving with a straight.

Tools of the trade. Similar to the above when you shave with a straight you end up with tools you can be proud of, develop attachments/preferences for, and even pass on to others whom will also be served well. Disposable is only worth anything while it is doing its crappy simple job and then actually creates more mess/screws up the environment as you pitch it in the trash. I am unsure if the little bastards are even recyclable.

Camaraderie. Being part of a small group of people who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable creates a sense of belonging. Sure it is pretty minor and isn't my reason for existence, but it's kind of nice to know that there are others out there who share the same (hobby?) as myself and I can go learn from. It's also an experience that binds everyone of all walks of life: women, men, young and old.

The Shave. Last, and certainly not the least is the shave itself. Disposables would tear me up no matter how I shaved or what I used. As one friend once quipped I "looked like I was lynched" due to the severe razor burn. I hated shaving it hurt, was a chore, and made me look ridiculous. I am still no expert by any means with a straight but even my first shave with one went better than my best disposable shave ever did. I was sold immediately.

"A more elegant weapon for a more civilised age.." It's getting very Jedi in here. and i agree totally

Originally Posted by runlevelfour

For me a lot of reasons. Initially I was just curious about it, but then as I read more and eventually took the plunge the "real" reasons became apparent.

Pride in Ability. Shaving with a straight seemed so much more elegant. It was something you became good at and thus is a skill. Shaving with disposable razors was a chore nothing to develop and therefore nothing to take pride in... as I get better I feel more involved with the "art" of shaving with a straight.

Tools of the trade. Similar to the above when you shave with a straight you end up with tools you can be proud of, develop attachments/preferences for, and even pass on to others whom will also be served well. Disposable is only worth anything while it is doing its crappy simple job and then actually creates more mess/screws up the environment as you pitch it in the trash. I am unsure if the little bastards are even recyclable.

Camaraderie. Being part of a small group of people who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable creates a sense of belonging. Sure it is pretty minor and isn't my reason for existence, but it's kind of nice to know that there are others out there who share the same (hobby?) as myself and I can go learn from. It's also an experience that binds everyone of all walks of life: women, men, young and old.

The Shave. Last, and certainly not the least is the shave itself. Disposables would tear me up no matter how I shaved or what I used. As one friend once quipped I "looked like I was lynched" due to the severe razor burn. I hated shaving it hurt, was a chore, and made me look ridiculous. I am still no expert by any means with a straight but even my first shave with one went better than my best disposable shave ever did. I was sold immediately.

Yes, yes, yes. Very well put.