Straight Razors

Cpt_Kirk

Cpt_Kirk

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Ted Striker
Does anyone here shave with a straight razor? I can't stand how the electric razor tears up my face. I'll use it for maintenance on trips but that's about it. I'm more concerned about that initial shave after a few days off.

If the move is anything like that of a ball point to fountain pen, I'm really looking forward to it.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
Does anyone here shave with a straight razor? I can't stand how the electric razor tears up my face. I'll use it for maintenance on trips but that's about it. I'm more concerned about that initial shave after a few days off.

If the move is anything like that of a ball point to fountain pen, I'm really looking forward to it.
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Dunno why anyone would use anything but a blade for shaving albeit straight, traditional, or disposable. Prep properly and it is a non event.

Electric razors are some sort of evil konspiracy...
 
Clark1961 said:
Dunno why anyone would use anything but a blade for shaving albeit straight, traditional, or disposable. Prep properly and it is a non event.

Electric razors are some sort of evil konspiracy...
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Laziness. But, I think it's time to change.
 
Electric's are for last minute in the car on the way to work I got to shave moments only imo.

Anything but disposable's and you'll be sharpening, honing, fiddling with it. Who has time to fiddle?

And in case no one will say it, you can cut the **** out of yourself with a straight razor. :yikes:
 
I find that the good multi-blade disposables that give a nice, comfortable, close shave under everyday circumstances will pull hair and irritate your skin if you are cleaning up after a few days of not shaving.

For that, I prefer my old-fashioned mid-1950's Gillette Safe-T-Razor (it is about 10 years older than I am.)

The other option that works with only a bit of irritation is to use the same clippers that my wife uses to clean up the back of my neck. After that, I can follow up with the multi-blade disposable and not have the pulling and irritation problems.
 
Stevel said:
I find that the good multi-blade disposables that give a nice, comfortable, close shave under everyday circumstances will pull hair and irritate your skin if you are cleaning up after a few days of not shaving.

For that, I prefer my old-fashioned mid-1950's Gillette Safe-T-Razor (it is about 10 years older than I am.)
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I considered Safe-T razors as an option, but I think I'd like to try the whole 9-yards, if I'm going to take the plunge. Why not?

garyb said:
I was just thinking about this, but I was wondering if anyone uses the Dollar Shave Club, and if so, do they like it?
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If I was dependent on disposable razors, I'd give that a try. I've seen it advertised around.

I don't know anyone who uses it personally.
 
Here is an entire thread on the subject. It even has links to web sites devoted to straight razors.

Btw, I've given my razor to my wife and am trying harrys.com
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
Does anyone here shave with a straight razor? I can't stand how the electric razor tears up my face. I'll use it for maintenance on trips but that's about it. I'm more concerned about that initial shave after a few days off.

If the move is anything like that of a ball point to fountain pen, I'm really looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

I never could get used to an electric.

Gillette Fusion works great or me, the electric handle one. I shave once or twice a week, and it handles it fine (it's easy to clear) even if it's a month or two. They also make a model where the handle is a trimmer. If I shave most every day, the cartage lasts a month, on my normal schedule 2-3 months.

Good straight razors are bloody expensive!:eek:
 
Stevel said:
I find that the good multi-blade disposables that give a nice, comfortable, close shave under everyday circumstances will pull hair and irritate your skin if you are cleaning up after a few days of not shaving.

For that, I prefer my old-fashioned mid-1950's Gillette Safe-T-Razor (it is about 10 years older than I am.)

The other option that works with only a bit of irritation is to use the same clippers that my wife uses to clean up the back of my neck. After that, I can follow up with the multi-blade disposable and not have the pulling and irritation problems.
Click to expand...

I shave in the shower, put on Edge gel after a few minutes of hot shower, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and everything is soft enough there isn't any tugging and pulling of hair. You basically have to do the same to get a decent shave out of a straight razor, that's why barbers give you the hot towel treatment. Straight razors are a PITA to use IMO.
 
I'll be honest. My dad had a straight razor that I kept for years. Never grew balls enough to shave with it. I could mentally picture myself slicing open my carotid artery and watching myself bleed in front of the mirror. :lol:
 
txflyer said:
Electric's are for last minute in the car on the way to work I got to shave moments only imo.

Anything but disposable's and you'll be sharpening, honing, fiddling with it. Who has time to fiddle?

And in case no one will say it, you can cut the **** out of yourself with a straight razor. :yikes:
Click to expand...

There is definitely a reason people would stop at the barber for a shave.:eek:

The trick to not cutting yourself is always keep the blade perpendicular to its motion, and takes a nifty bit contortion to achieve shaving yourself.
 
Safety razor and shaving soap. Decent shave and probably the cheapest way to go short of doing a ZZ Top imitation. They still alive?
 
garyb said:
I was just thinking about this, but I was wondering if anyone uses the Dollar Shave Club, and if so, do they like it?
Click to expand...

I did them for a while but I had to cancel. While the blades are marginally cheaper than the brand names and they shave well, I had many of them FALL APART. Nothing like finding little metal shards stuck to your face or in the sink.
Their customer support sucked when I reported this.

I get the adds for Harry's all the time but I just get my gillette blades at Costco and not worry about it.

I tried a traditional single bladed safety razor for a while but it takes a little more care than I can manage in the morning to do a good job. My Gilllete Fusion coupled with the GL Shave Oil (long ago I learned that traditional shave creams are kind of counter productive with these multibladed things....get a non foaming cream or oil).
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
Does anyone here shave with a straight razor? I can't stand how the electric razor tears up my face. I'll use it for maintenance on trips but that's about it. I'm more concerned about that initial shave after a few days off.

If the move is anything like that of a ball point to fountain pen, I'm really looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

Best thing I ever did was to dump the electric razors....

My dad taught me to use a blade razor (safety) then I went whizbang in my twenties to an electric razor and my skin was always raw until I got smart and switched back to blades. I have thick straight hair and it grows a shadow at the end of every day so I am always grinding away the next day or a long weekend camping.

I actually prefer a dull razor to a sharp one (get about 6 months out of a Mach3) . I go with the grain first pass then against the grain for the next two or so using good ole Barbasol. Never any cuts, skin stays smooth.

Did have a nostalgic stint for about 2 months where I used an old single blade pearl handled razor with a Russian leather razor strop to sharpen it......Never do that again, took twice as long and that thing had to stay sharp or I would end up wrapping my face with bandages.
 
I've had Dollar Shave Club for a couple of months now and went w/ the executive razor w/ 6 blades. I think the blades are too close to each other because it doesn't seem to do as good a job as Gillette's 5-bladed razor. I do like DSC's Shave Butter though.
 
Henning said:
I never could get used to an electric.

Gillette Fusion works great or me, the electric handle one. I shave once or twice a week, and it handles it fine (it's easy to clear) even if it's a month or two. They also make a model where the handle is a trimmer. If I shave most every day, the cartage lasts a month, on my normal schedule 2-3 months.

Good straight razors are bloody expensive!:eek:
Click to expand...

Yup, I use the non-electric version but I shave 2-3X's per week and get about a month out of a cartridge. I use Edge shave gel as well, no problems. I don't get the claim that shaving with a safety razor or straight blade will give you a better shave, smooth is smooth. If you aren't shaving every day, I doubt the cost of fusion cartridges is that much more than the safety razors when amortized out (not a meaningful amount anyway).
 
I've gone back and forth between electric and straight blade, I'm currently back to electric as no matter what I did with the straight blade for prep my skin got extremely irritated.
 
I use an electric for daily shaving, and once a week I'll use a Mach III to clean things up after a weekend.

One thing I quit doing was buying shaving cream. Bar soap works just as good, if not better. I also don't wash my face with scalding hot water. Beard is a little rougher, but less infections that way.
 
I just started shaving with a straight razor the past few months. I like it so far. You will hack your face at the beginning. Check out www.straightrazorplace.com. Lots of info. I picked up a couple of old razors at some antique shops. I then sent then off to get professionally honed by someone who knows how. Not every knife sharpener out there can do it right. Having a proper edge is important.

Don't buy the cheap "shave ready" razors on ebay. Most are junk, but if you know what brands to look for, you can find some decent ones. They may say Solingen on them, which is an area of Germany known for quality blades. But a lot of cheap places cheat and make their blades in Pakistan or other cheap labor places, then send them to Solingen to put them together, so legally they can put Solingen on the blade.

You are also going to need a good strop to keep the blade sharp. The best ones have leather on one side and fabric on the other. Don't go cheap on this, too. Like razors, quality matters, and you want a sharp blade. Some people also think you need a good soap and lather brush. I've used both soap and regualr shaving cream. I haven't noticed a big difference yet in the quality of shaves. You will need an alum block or septic pencil to put on your cuts. I usually follow that up with regular after shave lotion.

Be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars to get started. And expect to spend more time preparing to shave and shaving. But so far, it's been worth the expense and time for me.
 
I haven't been clean shaven for 35 years. My beard is trimmed short but that's no different than the hair on my head. Why guys comb their hair and scrape their faces never made sense to me. What a bizarre ritual.
 
Stewartb said:
I haven't been clean shaven for 35 years. My beard is trimmed short but that's no different than the hair on my head. Why guys comb their hair and scrape their faces never made sense to me. What a bizarre ritual.
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Some women don't like the irritation or tickle on their inner thighs.
 
Those women need to deal with their own female companion preferences. :wink2:
 
JB1842 said:
I just started shaving with a straight razor the past few months. I like it so far. You will hack your face at the beginning. Check out www.straightrazorplace.com. Lots of info. I picked up a couple of old razors at some antique shops. I then sent then off to get professionally honed by someone who knows how. Not every knife sharpener out there can do it right. Having a proper edge is important.

Don't buy the cheap "shave ready" razors on ebay. Most are junk, but if you know what brands to look for, you can find some decent ones. They may say Solingen on them, which is an area of Germany known for quality blades. But a lot of cheap places cheat and make their blades in Pakistan or other cheap labor places, then send them to Solingen to put them together, so legally they can put Solingen on the blade.

You are also going to need a good strop to keep the blade sharp. The best ones have leather on one side and fabric on the other. Don't go cheap on this, too. Like razors, quality matters, and you want a sharp blade. Some people also think you need a good soap and lather brush. I've used both soap and regualr shaving cream. I haven't noticed a big difference yet in the quality of shaves. You will need an alum block or septic pencil to put on your cuts. I usually follow that up with regular after shave lotion.

Be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars to get started. And expect to spend more time preparing to shave and shaving. But so far, it's been worth the expense and time for me.
Click to expand...


See, you lose me as a user right there, I mean WTF? We have to accept and prepare for bunching ourselves because we want to use outdated technology? Why? What sense does it make?:dunno: I can use a nice modern rig that gives me a shave as close as the best barber shave with a straight razor I ever got, and I never cut myself. For the price of a good straight razor, I can shave with the Fusion for a decade. Try shaving your balls with a straight razor some time, I dare you... :rofl:
 
Henning said:
See, you lose me as a user right there, I mean WTF? We have to accept and prepare for bunching ourselves because we want to use outdated technology? Why? What sense does it make?:dunno: I can use a nice modern rig that gives me a shave as close as the best barber shave with a straight razor I ever got, and I never cut myself. For the price of a good straight razor, I can shave with the Fusion for a decade. Try shaving your balls with a straight razor some time, I dare you... :rofl:
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Sounds like you already tried that. :wonderwoman:
 
Henning said:
See, you lose me as a user right there, I mean WTF? We have to accept and prepare for bunching ourselves because we want to use outdated technology? Why? What sense does it make?:dunno: I can use a nice modern rig that gives me a shave as close as the best barber shave with a straight razor I ever got, and I never cut myself. For the price of a good straight razor, I can shave with the Fusion for a decade. Try shaving your balls with a straight razor some time, I dare you... :rofl:
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Not everything makes sense or even has to. The learning curve is huge though. Most of us wouldn't be pilots if we tried to make sense of it. I won't take that dare. I still have my Mach 3 for that.
 
I use a straight razor at home and love it. When Im at school I use the dollarshaveclubs cheapest option and it does alright.

If you go straight razor, learn to sharpen a blade, strop it often, and just take your time. The first few times I used a straight razor it took me twenty minutes to shave my whole face. Now though it takes me about five.
 
I use an electric razor on most days. I spent a good bit of money on it and it works well. I do use a nice safety razor for days I'll be in dress uniform or a formal function. Or any other time I want an awesome shave.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
Does anyone here shave with a straight razor?
Click to expand...
straight razor, or do you mean safety razor?

I shave with a Gillette multi blade safety razor, wet, in the shower, about 30 seconds to get it done with a simple bar of soap, and a brush. They last about a month. can be bought at Costco cheap.
 
JB1842 said:
I just started shaving with a straight razor the past few months. I like it so far. You will hack your face at the beginning. Check out www.straightrazorplace.com. Lots of info. I picked up a couple of old razors at some antique shops. I then sent then off to get professionally honed by someone who knows how. Not every knife sharpener out there can do it right. Having a proper edge is important.

Don't buy the cheap "shave ready" razors on ebay. Most are junk, but if you know what brands to look for, you can find some decent ones. They may say Solingen on them, which is an area of Germany known for quality blades. But a lot of cheap places cheat and make their blades in Pakistan or other cheap labor places, then send them to Solingen to put them together, so legally they can put Solingen on the blade.

You are also going to need a good strop to keep the blade sharp. The best ones have leather on one side and fabric on the other. Don't go cheap on this, too. Like razors, quality matters, and you want a sharp blade. Some people also think you need a good soap and lather brush. I've used both soap and regualr shaving cream. I haven't noticed a big difference yet in the quality of shaves. You will need an alum block or septic pencil to put on your cuts. I usually follow that up with regular after shave lotion.

Be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars to get started. And expect to spend more time preparing to shave and shaving. But so far, it's been worth the expense and time for me.
Click to expand...


I bet the fugitives appreciate your close shave ! :D
 
Only a wimp would use a straight razor!

knife-shave1_zps1f4997f6.jpg
 
Henning said:
For those of you that use a straight razor, "Why?":dunno:
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Its kinda therapeutic. Calming. You have to be or else you're gonna cut yourself (haven't yet). For me its another one of those cool old fashioned things that seems classy. When Im done its very rewarding and makes me feel sharper after focusing on not dying.
 
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