Thread: What is it that you like best about shaving with a straight razor??

Great question, I like most of what you mentioned (although, now, as it's wet, cold and rainy in the mornings the prep time is getting a little sucky-ish) the thing I like BEST about straight razor shaving is simply the downright, undeniable COOLNESS of it. It is just so cool. It's like one should imagine James Dean sitting on a Harley in a white T shirt and black leather jacket, smoking an unfiltered Camel, with a Fender strapped to his back, shaving with a straight while sipping whisky...

I like the quality of the shave, the 'Green', less landfill aspect, and I believe it is a skill anyone who purports to be a man, should have in his repotoire of talents.


Mick

Shaving was a boring necessary chore that had to be done daily. The cost of the blades and canned shaving creme was getting out of hand. I could run through my shave in less than five minutes start to finish. No fun!
Now it's my daily ritual that I look forward to. Choosing which razor to use along with which soap starts on my way home from work. Stropping the blade till it's ready to perform and the execution of a three pass shave leaves me with a feeling of zen like bliss.
One half hour of me time and i'm good to go.

The fact that my razors will be mine for life is perfect.

I don't know about all the mystical stuff, but for me , I just love the results! Plus Carl is right about the cool factor...LOL. For years I could only shave every other day at most, or everyday with an electric which left me scruffy at 10 in the morning... So when I discovered this art, it evoked all the best things for I am an inveterate tinkerer! I like playing with all the brushes, sights, smells. Honing is an obvious bonus, it's just fun! Shave on Brothers!

I started shaving with a straight around 16 years ago because I have super-sensetive skin and disposable razors were tearing my face up. In the years since I started my journey with straights, the experiance has been painful at times, but the connection to the past and my love of shiny, sharp objects have been what keeps me coming back.

For me, it's all about the ritual: "Me" time in my shave den. Beard prep. Stropping. Building über lather in my Dirty Bird scuttle. A three-pass shave using a dangerous weapon that gives me the best results I've ever had in my life along with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment I've only felt when creating art. The follow up skin care. Care of my razors and other gear. Bringing back to life a long-neglected razor that may have been last used long before I was born using my own hones, skills and abilities. Shaving has become a most rewarding part of my life.

Thanks, Lynn, for SRP and thanks also to the rest of you.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

At first it was all about "being different". I mean, how often do you hear about someone shaving with a straight razor? I remember hearing stories about my grand-dad, but that's it...the art was lost.

During the "learning" phase, it was all about the challenge to myself. First it was getting a nick free shave, then honing, restoring, and then making razors. Man, there is surely a bucket-full of things to learn in this sport & I'm still learning...

Now, I believe it's all about the 15-20 minutes of "it's all about me". I mean it guys, how often is it all about us? We get to whip up a luxurious lather with a super soft brush, brush it on and feel the warmth of the thick lather, and then having a SINGLE blade to give us the smoothest shave we have had since we converted to a straight. Do any of you ever remember rubbing your fingers over your face and saying "that's a nice shave" when you were using disposable blades? In addition of all of these great findings, my face feels soooo much smoother. Could be my imagination, but I swear to you that the skin on my face is MUCH happier.

I enjoy the entire process associated with straight razor shaving from picking todays razor, cream and aftershave. Then the shower, lathering, shaving and stropping. Being retired gives me all the time in the world to enjoy it all.

Now that I've been doing it for a few years, the things I appreciate most have changed. It used to be about getting a perfect shave, but now it's about dialing in the edge to the right combination of sharp and smooth, and knowing that I made that edge.

To me it started with the challenge of the shave, as time has gone by it has grew to so much more.

Now it is a combination of it all: The "me time" in the den, the comfort and closeness in the shave, all the different soaps, creams and aftershaves, the hunt for the perfect edge, restoration.