Straight Razor Shavers

[kingfisher]

Interesting read, Kingfisher. Why did you decide to try a straight razor? Why did you persist for 160 shaves before you decided that it was a viable shaving method? This curious mind wants to know.

I decided to try a straight razor because one time I broke down and bought one at an antique store (why I did that I'm not sure). Once I glt it home, I started thinking 'I could do this, I might actually be able to do this.' I was smart enough to send it off to an expert before even trying, who told me that the razor I had purchased was of poor quality and wouldn't hold an edge. By that point I had decided to try, regardless, so I purchased a functional razor and the cheapest paddle strop I could find.

As for why/how I persisted, I think it was mostly because I can be quite stubborn. I had been able to learn many other complex motor tasks, like playing musical instruments and riding unicycles, and I wasn't willing to imagine that this particular task was beyond my grasp. Also, the rewards of getting a even a little bit better at something slowly over time are generally underestimated.

 

[kingfisher]

I get that. But safety razors won out, and quickly, over straight razors because shavers recognized that it was a safer, more convenient way to shave.
So, one might ask, why did carts become so popular? Several reasons. Gillette, Schick, etc woke up to the fact that selling consumers $2, $3 or $4 cartridges was more profitable than 3 cent blades. Plastics technology improved to allow mass production of cheap handles. And marketing invented novel (and bogus) arguments to lead consumers to replace their DE’s. New shavers were given no real alternatives to carts when DE and SE production stopped.
Were carts better? No.

The reasons that carts beat out DE shaving were not solely driven by profit to the razor companies. Many people liked them better because they provided for a quicker and more convenient shave. One could also argue that they were safer, too, since the user no longer had to handle blades.

As for the argument about whether DEs are safer than open blade razors, the jury is out, in my opinion. The open blade has always been easier on my skin. The shaver has complete control over every aspect of the shave and is able to change the pressure and the angle continuously at all times, something that cannot be done with a DE.

There has been some discussion about whether modern helmets or the old leather ones would be safer for American football players. Modern helmets obviously provide more protection, but at the same time, because of that protection, players use their heads more, and tackle much more recklessly. With only the small leather helmet, the argument goes, the players would be more wary of protecting their heads, and thus would change the way they tackle, which might end up being safer.

With open blade versus DE shaving, the same could be said. The DE provides a feeling of safety so significant that the user might fall into bad shaving habits that actually cause skin injury despite the safety that is built in to the razor. With the open blade, the user is aware at all times that his safety depends solely on himself and how he handles the razor; thus, he is more likely to employ safe shaving habits.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Yes, but not seriously. One cannot argue that a safety razor is not safer than a straight razor

I will agree that in terms of general handling, a straight is probably more dangerous. But I disagree in terms of actually shaving. It's actually pretty difficult to seriously (your word) injure oneself while shaving with one. The amount of force and the cutting angle needed to produce an actually deep cut don't happen in the course of normal shaving.

 

[Quaznoid]

Gentlemen, as an old lawyer, I admire your advocacy for your straight razors but one cannot argue seriously that a straight razor is safer than a safety razor. There’s an old euphemism in literature that when a character had a “shaving accident” he committed suicide. Straight razors were carried as weapons. I recall several movies where a character used a straight razor in a fight. There’s a famous Sondheim musical about a barber who kills people with a straight razor. Can you imagine any of these scenarios with a safety razor ?

 

[OkieStubble]

For what it's worth I shave with SRs, Shavettes,SEs,DEs and Carts' (in particular the WilkinsonSword/Schick Protector 3 which I consider to be the 'doyen' of all modern carts since its appearance/invention in the early 1980s, and IMO yet to be equaled). However I've learnt more from SR/Shavette shaving than from any other discipline in terms of technique. It makes you evaluate every aspects of wet shaving from good prep,' lather making skin stretching, grain direction, blade angle etc... And without doubt my skin appreciates it -post shave. At times shaving is a compromise and a trade-off with how your feeling, ie if you feeling unwell a quick whizz with a cart' is ideal. All types of razors have their place, and knowing your razors turns a daily chore into an enjoyable hobby

Great post! This describes me to a Tee!

I have been on this forum since 2010. In 2011, another member and awesome gentleman who reached out to me out of the clear blue sky and offered me, not only a shave ready straight razor, but all the advice I could get in learning to shave with a straight. He was always encouraging, never tired of answering even the stupid questions thru continuous PM’s, along with offerings to keep my straights sharp and sending them back to me, while teaching me the art on honing a straight razor myself.

Well, he was right that I would pick up shaving totally independently by 100 shaves in; and sure enough, I was good to go by 100 shaves. However, learning the art of honing on stones? Not so much….

I tried all manner of different stones, slurry stones, you name it, I just didn’t seem to have the time, skill, patience or testicular fortitude for it. Until… I found Lapping Film!

Changed my world! However like you, the more I used my Dovo Bismarck, the more I started to appreciate and love not just the convenient maintenance of a Shavette, but also the awesome articulate, freedom of movement and closeness of shave I feel like I get from the thinner edge of a razor blade in a Shavette. I know, many say they can get just as close with a solingen steel straight as a Shavette; and while I can get a close and perceivable smoother and more comfortable shave with a Straight, I just feel like the shave is closer and cleaner with a Shavette.

It’s definitely a ymmv thing. I keep my solitary Dovo shave ready and use it on Father’s Day and other times I feel like doing a special shave since it was a Father’s Day gift from the kids, but 99% of my straight shaves are done with a Shavette. And I don’t mind the easy and cheap convenience of sticking half DE blades in them.

But I will never argue against the intimacy and oneness with the razor that one can get by learning to hone the straight they shave with on a stone.

 

[OkieStubble]

Gentlemen, as an old lawyer, I admire your advocacy for your straight razors but one cannot argue seriously that a straight razor is safer than a safety razor. There’s an old euphemism in literature that when a character had a “shaving accident” he committed suicide. Straight razors were carried as weapons. I recall several movies where a character used a straight razor in a fight. There’s a famous Sondheim musical about a barber who kills people with a straight razor. Can you imagine any in these scenarios with a safety razor ?

Just before you said “as an old lawyer “ I was thinking this guy would make a hell of an Attorney.

 

[kingfisher]

Gentlemen, as an old lawyer, I admire your advocacy for your straight razors but one cannot argue seriously that a straight razor is safer than a safety razor. There’s an old euphemism in literature that when a character had a “shaving accident” he committed suicide. Straight razors were carried as weapons. I recall several movies where a character used a straight razor in a fight. There’s a famous Sondheim musical about a barber who kills people with a straight razor. Can you imagine any in these scenarios with a safety razor ?

Move to strike, your honor. Not germane to the current discussion.

The question is not whether you could use a straight versus a safety razor as a weapon. The question ls whether a DE is safer than a straight or shavette for SHAVING.

And the answer is perhaps. My worst shaving injury was caused by a cart. I have never had a signs icant injury with an open blade, and generally I get more irritation from DEs. My belief is that open-blade shaving is gentler on the skin than safety razor shaving. So I guess I am making the argument that open blades are safer, kind of. If you replace the word safer with gentler, I am 100% making that argument.

 

[Quaznoid]

Move to strike, your honor. Not germane to the current discussion.

The question is not whether you could use a straight versus a safety razor as a weapon. The question ls whether a DE is safer than a straight or shavette for SHAVING.

And the answer is perhaps. My worst shaving injury was caused by a cart. I have never had a signs icant injury with an open blade, and generally I get more irritation from DEs. My belief is that open-blade shaving is gentler on the skin than safety razor shaving. So I guess I am making the argument that open blades are safer, kind of. If you replace the word safer with gentler, I am 100% making that argument.

Very Clintonesqe. It depends on what the definition of “safer” is. Hmmmm

 

[OkieStubble]

Very Clintonesqe. It depends on what the definition of “safer” is. Hmmmm

Ouch….

 

[gpjoe]

...and using a cart is like riding a bike with autopilot where it does all the work.

...or riding in a self-driving automobile.

 

[gpjoe]

Yes, but not seriously. One cannot argue that a safety razor is not safer than a straight razor

I would argue that a SR is no more dangerous to shave with than a DE razor...and I say this from experience not conjecture.

 

[kingfisher]

Very Clintonesqe. It depends on what the definition of “safer” is. Hmmmm

Not really. One could cut oneself with a pair of scissors and could kill somebody with a butcher knife, but neither scissors nor butchers knives are dangerous when used the way they were intended and to do the job they were designed to do.

I'm not saying at all that it depends on what you mean by safe. I'm saying that they are safe when used for their intended purpose. A hammer is dangerous if used to pound somebody in the head.

 

[cajunrph]

But safety razors won out, and quickly, over straight razors because shavers recognized that it was a safer, more convenient way to shave.

This isn’t the case. Safety razors won out because it was the easiest way to shave. One doesn’t need to learn a the skill of shaving with a straight not to mention the honing. The Safety razor won because of convenience more than anything else. Also there was money to be made in selling the replaceable blades. Straights are a one time purchase. And the stones last a long time. To say it was due to it being a safer way is not correct. Convenience wins 9/10 over a superior product. Looked at the proliferation of K-cups. In no way can you say the coffee is better from a K-Cup vs a freshly ground freshly roasted manual drip coffee. But folks will go back to the convenience

There’s an argument against your contention straights are more dangerous than DE Safety Razors. Once you have developed the skills to use a straight, most here contend they get less cuts than when they used the DE Razors.

It comes down to the individual and if they are willing to put the time into learning a new skill. If you don’t want to learn the skill of shaving with a straight then don’t do it. Comparing those who do with Amish, insinuating they are less than your view of modern thinking, is what gets you the replies you are getting. Have a

 

[Quaznoid]

This isn’t the case. Safety razors won out because it was the easiest way to shave. One doesn’t need to learn a the skill of shaving with a straight not to mention the honing. The Safety razor won because of convenience more than anything else. Also there was money to be made in selling the replaceable blades. Straights are a one time purchase. And the stones last a long time. To say it was due to it being a safer way is not correct. Convenience wins 9/10 over a superior product. Looked at the proliferation of K-cups. In no way can you say the coffee is better from a K-Cup vs a freshly ground freshly roasted manual drip coffee. But folks will go back to the convenience

There’s an argument against your contention straights are more dangerous than DE Safety Razors. Once you have developed the skills to use a straight, most here contend they get less cuts than when they used the DE Razors.

It comes down to the individual and if they are willing to put the time into learning a new skill. If you don’t want to learn the skill of shaving with a straight then don’t do it. Comparing those who do with Amish, insinuating they are less than your view of modern thinking, is what gets you the replies you are getting. Have

OK. Thanks for your contribution

 

[cajunrph]

Straight razors were carried as weapons.

Only a fool would carry a straight as a weapon. The edge is very fragile, and would not stand up to many cuts. One wants a sturdy sharp blade for a weapon. Where did you find this information? Ohh wait....

I recall several movies where a character used a straight razor in a fight.

And we know everything in a movie is accurate to real life. Surely an old lawyer knows this. Real life is much different. Yep, I get my infromation from movies and plays. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Quaznoid]

Only a fool would carry a straight as a weapon. The edge is very fragile, and would not stand up to many cuts. One wants a sturdy sharp blade for a weapon. Where did you find this information? Ohh wait....


And we know everything in a movie is accurate to real life. Surely an old lawyer knows this. Real life is much different. Yep, I get my infromation from movies and plays. Makes perfect sense

It would be even more foolish to defend yourself with a SuperSpeed.

 

[cajunrph]

It would be even more foolish to defend yourself with a SuperSpeed.

Which is using both for a purpose they weren't designed for. But we are talking about shaving. Stay on the subject at hand, counsel.

 

[Quaznoid]

Which is using both for a purpose they weren't designed for. But we are talking about shaving. Stay on the subject at hand, counsel.

OK. Thank you for your contribution

 

[cajunrph]

OK. Thank you for your contribution

The pleasure was all yours.

 

[Rosseforp]

One cannot argue that a safety razor is not safer than a straight razor

You have obviously never met my brother.

~doug~