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

1. Got tired of spending $2+ for cartridges
2. Love using old tools: planes, knives, measuring tapes

But I've stayed with straights and my DE razor because now I enjoy the time I spend shaving/grooming.

I remember my father would use a straight razor on Sunday morning before going into town to get donuts and the Sunday Times; he normally used a Rolls Razor and the daily flip-flop-flip will always be a familiar sound. My dad taught my first shave with that Rolls, and I still have it today; I’ve only used it on occasion now. He also taught me to hone knives and I too have a nice assortment of ‘insanely’ sharp knives.

I did some research on the various shaving sites, and I figured ‘the Rolls is just a section of a straight with a handle, why not try a straight?’ I bought a starter kit from Larry Andro and, as others stated… the rest was history, no need to look back.

Now it’s a great feeling being able to use a straight and get a close comfortable shave… go figure, men have been doing so for centuries. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” falls into play here and nostalgia helps carry on a tradition. What’s even better, IMHO, is developing the skills to maintain them.

In theory, yes this can save lots of money, but I have found that the expense is finding the right combination of blade and associated accouterments that I like the best.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.

Give a man a straight razor and you can sell more siptic sticks.. LOL

I think it's because...

When I was 18, I used to work in a butcher's store as an apprentice, and we played with lots of sharp things very fast on slippery floors. I have kept from those days a fondness for steel, meat, and a lack of talent at honing. Straight shaving is a way to capitalize on my interests while working on my weaknesses...

Scratch that, in fact, the real reason is that when I used to live in Mile-End, I got a few real straight razor shaves from Hollywood on Fairmount street, and it left me with the nicest feeling ever, plus I felt like I had my own manly spa...

No wait, the true reason I shave with a straight is that at 30, I decided I would become a man, and ordered from ClassicShaving my birthday present: a 6/8 DOVO with a strop and some TOBS creams. I spent the next six months slaving on technique, spent way too much time in the bathroom and roughed my skin a few more time than I should have, but now I pat my face in orgasmic delight daily...

Well, when I really think of it, it's mostly because I had been DE shaving for about 2 years, and that served as a gateway drug for harder stuff. Having the badger and the Proraso, the straight was the only part missing. But it was scary and complicated at first, so I did not bother until I discovered forums...

Hm, with some reflection, I would rather say that it's because my father told me that his father used to shave like that until he got a Rolls Razor, which may be lost today for all I know, and he had himself an old Gillette DE in his souvenir box, that made the connection between the two and so straight shaving ended up being the ur-man thing to do...

No, no, the real reason is that I now have disposable income after years of debt and student life, and my wallet can absorb my fondness for smelly soaps, slick creams, sharp things, fine leather, and animal brushes...

Oh well, I guess I don't really know why I shave with a straight after all!

The truth is I needed a reason to buy a really hard Japanese natural stone. I wanted to spend more time sharpening things.

Cartridges are a ridiculous price and sharpening blades is fascinating. Also it's a nice turn around that you can learn traditional skills from the internet.

I bought a spyderco sharpmaker for touching up my knives. On the video, they showed how to use it for honing a straight razor (I don't use it for that). After watching that and seeing a straight razor on there, curiosity kicked in and I started searching online. to see how much it was going to cost me. It was all down hill from there.

I like anything old, the new products of this day & age just don't work as well, don't look as good, and are of less quality. Simplicity is the best thing. I was born in the wrong era, as I have an appreciation for things of the past. I love the nostalgia of straight shaving, and I also love how the 1 simple blade does not give me razor burn while effectively removing ALL of my stubble, (something a Mach3 will never do). I actually only started because I wanted to shave like they did in the old times, I even thought my shaves might be worse. Then I realized that the shaves were far much better, so from then on, that's how I shave. Why fix something that isn't broken?

My father was staying at the Park Sheraton when Albert Anastasia turned up for his barbershop appointment. That has nothing to do with the topic, I just thought I'd tell you!

Hold on a moment, back to Page One to see what the question was...... oh yes, I shaved for years with electrics. If you have ever been bitten by a broken foil, you never forget it; Philishaves are better, but are prone to grabbing your neck (try explaining that away); rechargeables give up when least convenient; all electrics are useless when you travel to a humid climate: you can't shave with one and sweat at the same time; when the last electric broke I vowed never again.

I bought a Gillette Techmatic, which had a wind on tape blade which scratched me like an angry cat; the best cartridge razor I have found is the Gillette GII, but really, how many thousand would you eventually go through? So I moved on.

I keep a couple of old butterfly Gillette DE, and have a supply of Derby blades for them, bought really cheaply. I particularly like the way the heavy head retains the heat of the rinse water. Good when I am in a hurry.

An old barbershop was closing down a few years ago nearby and I bought his three straight razors, two nibbled old strops and little barber hone. (Until last year when I changed my old bondi blue iMac for this new one, I thought I was the only fellow left on the planet to be using them!) The reason was in around 1974 I had gone into a barbers in Jermyn Street, London SW1 called Ivan's for a haircut. It had been recommended to me by a racehorse bookmaker who went in there every morning for a haircut and shave, at God knows what expense.
The barber asked me how close I wanted the shave, and I settled on light. Close but not too close. If you said to me now, with a brand new Dovo Perlex 6/8 and an 1850ish mirrored Sheffield 13/16 both professionally honed to the 'n'th degree, that they would still never shave as close as a five-blade cartridge contraption, well perhaps I wouldn't argue, I wouldn't get into a fight over it. It's missing the point, as you know better than I. Those things are not good for you. They give you razor burn, bumps........ and surprise nick and cuts when it really isn't your fault.

In contrast to that, we have all of us found that there really is not anything to be frightened of with a straight razor as long as you are patient and don't rush. On the contrary, they are good for you, they give your face the kindest nicest shave of all.

To get into straight shaving, I was trying to save money as those cartridges are so expensive and last only about 2 or 3 shaves.

But this objective was not achieved to any extent. It is simply more expensive to invest into honing stones, multiple razors, strops, and various chemicals involved in wet shaving. I am still at the stage of NOT-cutting-my strop. I really hope that I could get the proficiency and feel those ultimate comforts, associated with straight razor shaving, at the end.