First I was interested in doing this to save money. It turns out I've spent about the same as using cartridges, but I still think it's money well spent. I have lots of cool razors. Shaving is pleasant now. I'm happy to spend the money that I spend on shaving now, instead of being pissed off. I think it's because I'm buying something that is personal, unique, works perfectly, was made by someone who cares about what they're doing. I'm not spending lots of money on something that was specifically designed to be thrown in the garbage. I feel like when you shave with cartridges, which are meant to become garbage, you are actually shaving with garbage.

And the bonus that I wasn't counting on when I started this: I used to get several ingrown hairs every week; but since I started using straights a year ago I haven't had one ingrown hair. Some might complain that using a straight takes longer, but that time is made up for by the time you save NOT having to dig infected hairs out of your face. And you're spared the red, infected marks on your face.

Using a straight doesn't have to be expensive, but it's so great that even when you let it become expensive, it's still worth every penny.