Thread: Why did Str8 shaving go out?

There is no one reason for the demise of the straight razor. As with all things, it is not that simple and is a combination of multiple factors. The marketing genius of King Gillette with the US military during WWI, the convenience and time-savings of the DE vs the Straight, the marketing prowess of Gillette and Schick, our love affair as a society with the altest and greatest technology. As with the zippo and non-propane grills, straights are considered not only old-fashioned but downright obsolete. I am discovering many things that I have grown-up thinking were better merely because they were newer technology are only as good as the old technology, at best.

I firmly beleive that if a mass-producer of straights were to launch an effective marketing campaign that there would be a resurgence in thier usage. This community proof-positive that there are lots of guys looking for a better way. How many in here actually started-out shaving with a straight? I am not someone that has ever truly enjoyed shaving, but I do like a good, close, comfortable shave. That is what brought me around to straights. Now, I do enjoy shaving, but I believe that is more a side-effect of the end result, and learning what is really necessary to make that happen.

Just my $0.02 worth.

- Mike

Originally Posted by mspeel63

There is no one reason for the demise of the straight razor. As with all things, it is not that simple and is a combination of multiple factors. The marketing genius of King Gillette with the US military during WWI...

It wasn't just marketing genius. If you're in unsanitary conditions, under bombardment with the rubble bouncing all around you, and nothing to see by but the flares, and you've gotta stay clean-shaven 24 hrs a day so your gas mask will fit tightly and you won't die from your lungs dissolving, the safety razor was a godsend.

Convincing the men to pony up for the blades once they came home and it was no longer on Uncle Sam's nickel, now *that* was marketing genius.

You can compare the straight razor with the horse and cart. They went out when cars came in. Cars are faster, require less space and less time to groom etc.
I have been told that a century ago about one third of the U.S. prairies and arable land was needed to feed horses (grass, oats etc.).
Now we can use the land to feed the ever expanding human population.

don't know... shaving is only about 5 minutes slower for me with the shave right now, I had to do a 3-pass with the M3 as well to get a good shave. So it's not about the time (though the preparations are somewhat elaborate and that's not for everyone I agree )

I still believe it's about the marketing: you don't see anything but the disposables in stores (not counting those ultra-rare specialty stores you didn't even knew exist before you came to these forums ) and M3 surely isn't better than a DE if you say that you could shave with it in the dark even without nicking. So phasing out a good product for not necessarily a better one always is about 1 thing: $$$