Straight vs. DE Slant

[snakyjake]

I've been shaving with a slant, and it gives me good shaves after about 5 passes. One of the nice features about the DE is that I can drag the razor across the hair, and slowly reduce the beard with each pass. Eventually I get a close shave.

Dragging (there's a lot of drag) the slant over over my beard is simple. I just keep dragging the blade over the hair (applying shaving cream each time) until I finally reach skin, and soon the blade is no longer contacting hair.

...But I'm also considering a straight, and I'm concern with drag. With a DE razor, pulling a razor is easy. With a straight, I imagine I'd have to push the razor, and I imagine this to make shaving more difficult.

I think the effort of a straight would be worth it if a straight provided:

Better hair cutting per pass.
Less passes to achieve similar results.

There's other obvious advantages/disadvantages, but the above are my top concerns.

Between the straight or the slant, what is your choice?

Thanks,
Jake

[Luc]

I think this comes more to a matter of preferences than which one is better.

I tried both, both are great. Both have a learning curve. Right now I'm using straights so I will pick straights.

[ouch]

Apples.
Oranges.

[talibeard]

Apples.
Oranges.


I like lychees myself.

[TheSweep]

5 passes? Holy heck!

[DunEdinRanger]

5 passes? Holy heck!

My sentiments exactly. I can get BBS from a slant in 3 and a wee bit of touchup.

[snakyjake]

I don't care if they are apples, oranges, lychees, or leeches. Don't care if one is more fun, more art, more nostalgic. For me, it is all about the ends to the mean.

Unless what you are saying is that the difference is all about what I just described above: more about the process than the results?

[drifwood]

Well, on the one hand, you must be heeding the good advice to not use too much pressure when you shave. On the other hand, 5 passes has got to murder on your face.

The DE v straight question is not really the issue, I think. I don't think your assumption that you have more drag with a str8 is necessarily correct. With either type of razor, if there's a lot of drag, then you probably need to check that your blade is sharp, or experiment with different cutting angles. (And if you assume that a new DE razor blade is always sharp, you're mistaken.)

The sharper my blade and the better my technique, the less drag I feel. I've only been using a straight for about 2 weeks now. Some minor improvements in sharpness have done less to improve my results than learning how to bring the edge to my whiskers. Since I learned how to prep my beard better, I'm removing more whiskers with a light gliding touch than I was before.

I would recommend sticking with your DE until things improve. If would say the same thing if you were using a str8.

Cheers,
Ian

[JPM]

Not even close, the straight wins.

[Walter Sobchak]

My sentiments exactly. I can get BBS from a slant in 3 and a wee bit of touchup.

Me too. Exactly three passes and a little buffing/touch up every time and I am BBS. The Slant has become my one of my top two shavers. I love it.

[Luc]

I don't care if they are apples, oranges, lychees, or leeches. Don't care if one is more fun, more art, more nostalgic. For me, it is all about the ends to the mean.

Unless what you are saying is that the difference is all about what I just described above: more about the process than the results?

I think you can achieve the same type of shaves with either one of them. Myself, I think I can get a closer shave with a straight.

YMMV :biggrin:

[Drubbing]

I don't understand why you feel the need to drag the DE. Is this how it shaves for you, or is it some technique you employ?

Either way, a well wielded DE shouldn't drag, it should just cut. 5 passes suggests your technique needs work, not a change of razor. Many people find they need 1 less pass with a slant to achieve the same result as a regular DE. For me that's 2.

And a straight will require a focus on process over results, in order to learn it well, if at all.

[snakyjake]

I do a lot of passes for these reasons:

I have hair like steel.
Less irritation/nicks when I use feather light pressure. The more passes, the lighter my touch.
Hair grows in multiple directions.
I keep shaving lightly until I no longer hear hair being hacked by the razor.

First pass is WTG
Second pass XTG
Third pass XTG
Fourth pass ATG
Fifth pass ATG
I sometimes polish with my superspeed.
I can probably get away with 4 passes, which is just one more pass than what you make. I don't think 4 or 5 passes is that big of deal.

I think the number of passes can be quite different among people. The goal is no blood, no irritation, no redness, close shave. For me this is accomplished by: beard reduction, light touch, and keep going until the sound of the razor tells me I'm done. When I'm shaving, I let the razor do most of the work.

What appeals to me about the straight is always having a sharp blade and different blade angles. Perhaps this combination can provide an easier shave than a slant? Provide better cutting than a slant? I want something that can cut my super strength beard easier than a slant, if that is possible.

Jake

[snakyjake]

I don't understand why you feel the need to drag the DE. Is this how it shaves for you, or is it some technique you employ?

I do super light passes. If I do any other way, I end up with redness. My hair is like a wire brush and can get irritated easily. Beard reduction has been my holy grail.

And yes, I have high quality cream, sharp blade, preshave oil, and a hot shower.

I'm the type that needs to shave twice a day to have the easiest shave (BBS and no irritation). My best and easiest morning shave is when I shave before bed.

Jake

[sanfranciscian]

Hey jake, you could try picking up a shave ready straight on BST pretty cheap, i have only started with them recently and if you just start on your cheek which is pretty much recommended any way you will know. It has been my experience that in only relatively few shaves i was doing my cheek perfectly and no amount of experience is going to make it any better because there just plain isn't any hair left to shave. now reproducing that on the rest of my face will take quite some time but you should be able to decide if you want to take that trip relatively quick.also let me add i was coming off a slant and i am staying with the straight

[bnndx2]

I've been shaving with a slant, and it gives me good shaves after about 5 passes. One of the nice features about the DE is that I can drag the razor across the hair, and slowly reduce the beard with each pass. Eventually I get a close shave.

Dragging (there's a lot of drag) the slant over over my beard is simple. I just keep dragging the blade over the hair (applying shaving cream each time) until I finally reach skin, and soon the blade is no longer contacting hair.

...But I'm also considering a straight, and I'm concern with drag. With a DE razor, pulling a razor is easy. With a straight, I imagine I'd have to push the razor, and I imagine this to make shaving more difficult.

I think the effort of a straight would be worth it if a straight provided:

Better hair cutting per pass.
Less passes to achieve similar results.

There's other obvious advantages/disadvantages, but the above are my top concerns.

Between the straight or the slant, what is your choice?

Thanks,
Jake

My straight razor never gave me as close a shave as with my Merkur 34c. In fact I got more pull with my straight than I did my HD. And that was after it had been honed professionally.

[bnndx2]

its also much more difficult to get a BBS shave with a straight than with a DE. This is due to the differences in design. To use an analogy, using a straight is like peeling a potato with a machete, while using a DE is like peeling a potato with a potato peeler, more natural and not as time consuming. Your skin will also likely experience much more irritation with a straight as well.

[dmachine]

I tried straight shaving for a couple of months and never could get as close of a shave as I could with my slant.

[funkadelyk]

I'm sure you already know this but its worth mentioning anyway if you do decide to get a str8 remember that you'll also need a strop. Eventually you'll aslo need/want to get some things to bring back the edge I would recommend some CRO OX, and either a barber hone or a finishing stone (Shapton 16K, Naniwa SS 12K are a couple of great ones IMHO). That being said each tool requires learning a new skill shaving/stropping/honing. I apologize if this sounds discouraging not my intention at all just trying to help you make an informed decision. Now that that's out of the way I love using a str8 and the feeling of accomplishment that I personally sharpened, stropped, and shaved with this razor is awesomely manly (hahaha). Oh and the shaves are great too of course. For comparison when I use a DE I do 4 passes WTG, XTG 2ATG = BBS. With a straight I do 2 passes WTG, ATG = BBS. Side note my beard is a monster also Feathers only last 3 shaves max in my DE. Hope this helps:thumbup1:

Cheers

[DE Shaver]

A straight razor might be fun to use but I prefer my slant razor.

[echelon3]

I'm sure you already know this but its worth mentioning anyway if you do decide to get a str8 remember that you'll also need a strop. Eventually you'll aslo need/want to get some things to bring back the edge I would recommend some CRO OX, and either a barber hone or a finishing stone (Shapton 16K, Naniwa SS 12K are a couple of great ones IMHO).

To put it another way, "here's your basket" either way.:thumbup:

[snakyjake]

I'm sure you already know this but its worth mentioning anyway if you do decide to get a str8 remember that you'll also need a strop. Eventually you'll aslo need/want to get some things to bring back the edge I would recommend some CRO OX, and either a barber hone or a finishing stone (Shapton 16K, Naniwa SS 12K are a couple of great ones IMHO). That being said each tool requires learning a new skill shaving/stropping/honing. I apologize if this sounds discouraging not my intention at all just trying to help you make an informed decision. Now that that's out of the way I love using a str8 and the feeling of accomplishment that I personally sharpened, stropped, and shaved with this razor is awesomely manly (hahaha). Oh and the shaves are great too of course. For comparison when I use a DE I do 4 passes WTG, XTG 2ATG = BBS. With a straight I do 2 passes WTG, ATG = BBS. Side note my beard is a monster also Feathers only last 3 shaves max in my DE. Hope this helps:thumbup1:

Cheers

Thanks. Your comments are helpful. It isn't discouraging to hear, and realistic. I've already considered the extra effort and the extra cost. If I can cut my passes down by half (like your example), I think it would be worth it.

My biggest concern is that a slant and straight might be near equal in results/passes. Or that a straight is too frustrating.

[planto]

5 passes? Holy heck!

Five passes with a slant, do you have any face left? lol.

[planto]

Well, on the one hand, you must be heeding the good advice to not use too much pressure when you shave. On the other hand, 5 passes has got to murder on your face.

The DE v straight question is not really the issue, I think. I don't think your assumption that you have more drag with a str8 is necessarily correct. With either type of razor, if there's a lot of drag, then you probably need to check that your blade is sharp, or experiment with different cutting angles. (And if you assume that a new DE razor blade is always sharp, you're mistaken.)

The sharper my blade and the better my technique, the less drag I feel. I've only been using a straight for about 2 weeks now. Some minor improvements in sharpness have done less to improve my results than learning how to bring the edge to my whiskers. Since I learned how to prep my beard better, I'm removing more whiskers with a light gliding touch than I was before.

I would recommend sticking with your DE until things improve. If would say the same thing if you were using a str8.

Cheers,
Ian

+1 agree with Ian stick at it and your patience will be rewarded, btw Ian love Nova Scotia was there a couple of years ago, stayed in Bedford and really loved it.

[bonusmarple]

I never found the Slant to be my best shaving DE so I would like to generalize a bit here.

My opinion of the DE vs. Straight is that a DE is 80% of the shave for 30% of the effort. No honing, stropping, and you have fixed angle blade in a more ergonomic handle. Straights are much harder but they give me a longer lasting shave with less irritation than I found with a DE.