Put me straight

Messages
6,286
Location
New Forest, England.
It strikes me that if one really wants to understand the enthusiasm for each branch of wet shaving you really have to try them. I'm well used to the Mach 3 and Fusion branch. And I'm well into DE shaving. But what about straights? Would anyone care to talk me into or out of trying straight razors at some time in the near future? I've been DE shaving for nearly a year now and I'm sort of looking over the horizon. Let me hear from a few wise old hands. I like to understand the lessons others have learned.
 
I tried a straight for a few days and decided that it wasn't for me. I found myself at the bottom of a learning curve that I didn't really have time or energy to climb. Just the extra faffing about stropping the blade was enough to convince me that it really wasn't worth the effort.

Having said that, when you do get things right it is very satisfying, and just for the record, I didn't spill one drop of blood.

Ian
 
Hi Fido

I have been using a straight for the last 8 months or so and can honestly say that I really look forward to having a shave every night. Before this I have used contour plus as well as DE. I have only had one bad cut and that was because I shaved over a spot which the razor took clean off, if I had been using the DE it would have done the same so I’m not hold that against the straight. If you want to get into it send the straight you have off to Neil he will get it shave ready for you and sell you a very good quality strop to keep it nice and sharp. If after you have tried it a few times you find you don’t like you can always sell it on and not be out of pocket that much. The only down side to this is you might end up with rather a lot of straight in your house like I have in mine.

Exile
 
I found this thread:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/shaving/42094-why-do-you-shave-straight-razor-3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forum ... zor-3.html</a><!-- m -->

It was too much.

Neil has sorted me out. Delivery of straight and strop on Monday. And I'm sending the straight I was given to Neil for restoration. Won't be in any rush. New challenges beckon.
 
I want one now as well. Scared I might be running before I can walk, though I have to say since my "hello from my screaming red face" post and all the advice I've received, I've had some cracking DE shaves and no more screaming red faces.

You feel special having a DE shave, don't you? So you must feel even more special having a straight razor shave. I want one. I've already pointed the missus at Neil's www and told her how reasonably priced his vintage straights are...
 
I have shaved with a straight. Sometimes for a week at a time - when I've had the time.

There's a bit of 'faffing about' involved as Ian said - stropping, slower shaving, at least two passes, drying everything after - but if you have the time to spare then it is a most rewarding experience.

You don't need to worry about learning how to hone (unless you want to) as there are plenty of people who can put a nice edge on a blade.

Always keep the beard/face wet (don't shave where there's no lather!), pull the skin nice and tight and shave nice and steadily at a 30 degree angle and everything should be just fine.

I see myself as Flashman when I shave with a straight razor.
 
Joe

I retired 14 years ago in my very early 50s. I then spent several years getting more hassle in the world of voluntary organisations before deciding on taking a complete sabbatical from serious activity. That was nearly 10 years ago. So now my time is my own. My only stress is being at deuce in the final set of a table tennis league match.
So I have time in abundance when I need it. So I guess straight shaving might have been invented for types like me.
 
I am really looking forward to hearing of your experiences Fido as I have been looking over the horizon for a while now and plan on getting a second hand razor & a new strop early next year. Then tinker about with on the weekends.

Good luck.
 
Here's a first observation. To get started with straights you need two things. Razor and strop. How do you choose these things? What information do you need to decide? A google search and a look at the forums will soon give information overload. I read Neil's introductions to straight shaving on this forum. I read other people's feedback about Neil. So I contacted him and gave him carte blanche to select me a suitable razor and strop having regard to what I was prepared to pay and my lack of concern for cosmetic appearances. I wanted high quality but entirely practical products and recommended pastes/oils needed for maintenance. Neil made his suggestions, I accepted them and that was it. I might have spent days or weeks researching, pondering about choices etc. But why reinvent the wheel when there are people around with the knowledge already to speed things up for you. So that was how I got started.
Now I will tap sources of advice needed to ensure a painless introduction to the straight world.
 
Have you had a chance to look on SRP wiki?

Also , there is a clip on utube ( i cant get it for you now, work......) where a eastern european chap makes it look easy. You can hear the whiskers getting chopped - either blunt razor or beard of titanium, or unobtanium or some other stuff. Anyway, after two passes its over.
 
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuuuvuOzB7U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuuuvuOzB7U</a><!-- m -->
 
Willi Peter.

Well known on SRP.

He taught Chuck Norris how to shave like that. Chuck Norris cried like a girl and now wears a beard.
 
fozz77 said:
Have you had a chance to look on SRP wiki?

Also , there is a clip on utube ( i cant get it for you now, work......) where a eastern european chap makes it look easy. You can hear the whiskers getting chopped - either blunt razor or beard of titanium, or unobtanium or some other stuff. Anyway, after two passes its over.

Yup

I'm a member of the Straight Razor Place and again getting my daily reminder of the power of the internet. One of the pleasures of my retirement has been to identify a subject, set some parameters for study and then to go for it. That's where the internet has been so amazing. You can focus rapidly and get through a terrific amount in very little time. How the world of work has changed during the past decade! During my career I had to do most of my creative thinking alone. These days, an idea comes into your head which can be instantly developed with imaginative use of search engines.
Time for some table tennis practice.
 
Back
Top Bottom