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

Everything !!! Especially that I don't have to buy another one... Tho I probably will

I love that the process takes long enough that it makes it special. I get to slow my day down, take it one small stroke at a time. Listening to the blade as it cuts the hair and the feel of the menthol on my skin. The world spins so fast, it seems like this is the one thing that slows it down.

I get a kick out of it when everything lines up just right, and the blade is smooth and sharp because my honing / stropping / prep worked, (or didn't NOT work), and a small thrill that I ran a wicked sharp hunk of steel across my neck and got a away with it unscathed.

Just a small tap on one of the nails in the coffin of metrosexual men everywhere.

I like the fact that it requires the utmost attention, so no matter what's going on in your life,it all just disappears for duration of the shave it's the ultimate escape . And I really like the fact that since straight shaving I have not had one in growing hair, and from my early days I have a few cool scars to invent stories about :-)

Anthony

What I love about straight razors and shaving with them is:

That it is a ritual in which all ingredients are fun to do and are even more fun when done right and result in a great shave.

Trying to do it right is going totally zen and being yourself for, what, half an hour. Total bliss!

The simplicity of a straight razor; a piece of fine steel with a pure and most of the time beautiful form. The scales can be basic or a work of art too. To think that the layout of a straight razor has been around already a couple of hundreds of years and today still gives thousands of modern day men a comfortable and bbs shave.

The artistry of the badger brushes and the comfort they render while using when building the lather and applying them on the skin.

The fact that we are keen on collecting razors that enables us the joy of admiring and a rotation of several blades. Ever do/did that with home appliances like a vacuum or a toaster or even with the hated multi blade cartridge razors?

Same goes for the soaps and aftershaves; trying a new one once in awhile gives new joy and builds up a choice of scents. The fun to know that the soap you use sometimes have been around for more than a century without having been changed.

The fact that no conglomerate company dictate us a brand of razor or allure us in a ‘lifestyle’ by using their product. The choices we make are mostly based on a nice find on flee market or a left over from granddad or a honest advice from fellow users on the forum.

This forum; never have I encountered such a fine motivated group of people who never roast newbies or others but are genuinely interested in helping in giving advice in the latest or even all the worn down topics.

The fun when you tell your friends that you shave straight; the men wonder “you do what?” and the women smile “Mmm, I like that!”

I Love that!

Regards,
Paul

It reminds me of something that I should have done with my father, were he still around. Discovering that kind of person that I am, I was drawn to somewhat dangerous looking things and of course, SR shaving came to me. As it's been said, it was no longer a chore, but a ritual to be enjoyed. Something that's just cool looking! honestly, the best shaves i've gotten are with a SR and i love it. I love the community the great help I get and the familial sense from the forum. Thanks everyone.

Great thread.

I have a problem beard (seen in my avatar). Though it isn't full or thick the hairs are thick and on some parts of my beard are steeply slanted. The worst part of course, after proper stretching technique was attained, was learning how to shave the part of my steeply slanted beard that was difficult to stretch in the appropriate direction (near chin/jaw stretching towards center of face). I'd struggled with getting close shaves in problem areas for a good long time with non-pivoting disposables (generics are as good as a quality DE shaver and blade IMO), and I dislike shaving with pivoting cartridge razors. No matter how well I shaved, technique-wise, I'd get a lackluster shave OR, if I was determined to get a close shave, usually have those annoying random deeper nicks that all safety razors give me. Pretty much because going 45 degrees off ATG, with the acute angle of the hairs makes it very difficult for a safety razor to cut cleanly, due to the difficulty in adjusting the angle of attack of the safety razor's edge.

What I like best about straight razor shaving is the inherently safer and closer shave I get from these non-safety razors. Due to 3 factors: 1) individual idiosyncrasy of steeply slanted hairs in difficult to optimally stretch areas 2) the gentleness of a re-used, stroppable and personally tailor-honed edge 3) the ultimate adjustable-angle razor that no other shaver can match.

Chicks dig it.

My mind is always racing on what I have to get done that day so even when I used to shave I was thinking about the workday etc. with Straight Razor shaving I slow down and I only think about shaving. So it's very relaxing for me.

I immensely like the fact that i have transformed what for years has been an utterly mundane, and mind numbingly boring daily drudgery, into bliss with a blade...