Quote Originally Posted by xman
And here, I suspect we have a crucial piece of evidence. I will only ever always strive for the sharpest blade and the closest shave. It sounds to me like you are willing to settle for less. (Upon rereading that sounds like a jab, but it's not intended to be.) On a few occasions I have shaved directly after honing without stropping and wondered why I'm not getting the shave of my dreams. I'd simply forgotten to strop. That is how I know already that I CAN shave without stropping, but don't want to. It's a small thing to figure out in order to get a great shave on the road.
X, you may be on to something very interesting. No offence taken.

One of the things that attracts me to the straight razor is its simplicity and its ability to "get the job done." While it is certainly possible to complicate the straight razor shave and to find luxury in it, complexity and luxury are not the main attractions of the straight razor, for me. I'm looking for the simplest of foundations, from which I will take occassional, enjoyable excursions into complexity and luxury.

All too often, those who seek comfort do not end up finding it. Rather, their standards of comfort gradually become higher and higher, untill finally only on the rare occasions when they have absolutely every element they desire are they able to achieve a temporary semblance of satisfaction.

Gandhi said "The real essence of civilization is not the multiplication of wants but their deliberate and voluntary renunciation." Although I part philosophical company with the Mahatma in many areas, in this one he and I are in agreement.

The paradox is that the epicure seeking comfort is likely to enjoy the experience he seeks much less than the acetic who is used to doing without the luxuries. For the ascetic, anything above the baseline is an enjoyable treat, while for the epicure, anything below his highest expectation is miserable.