Can you go both ways? Safety vs. Straight

Just curious as I have only been DE shaving for a month and already I am drawn to the allure of the straight razor.

I really feel and am surprised that my foray into wet shaving has gone as well as I could hope. Honestly I have only nicked myself once. I have been getting BBS with my EJDE89 and have no major issues with my biggest problem has been working on lathering techniques with hard water and soaps but the shaving part has really been nothing but an enjoyable endeavor.

Do you guys use both a straight and a DE? is there a place for both? ( I would assume so). I look at the shavette systems and immediately think that this style would be best for me (I know nothing about sharpening a blade) however I read that it can be the toughest and least forgiving.

Where to start? Any suggestions.

Thanks!

I go both ways, though there is a learning curve with straights. Most suggest sticking with straights exclusively for a while until you learn technique.

I personally use straights on weekends, when I have time to make it a perfect shave.

Honing and stropping aren't a big deal! I started on a Shavette but found straights are much easier to learn on. Either way, it is a good learning experience.

If you aren't afraid of hurting yourself then a shavette is a fine way to go. Bucca and Whipped Dog sell good starter straights.

I am a switch-hitter, too. Mostly DE, but trying to learn straights, which I also do on weekends. I need to take the plunge and go all straight, but I am stil really struggling around my chin and moustache areas. My right side (dominant hand) is pretty good, but my left side is not so good, either.

I'll keep at it.

I started on straight razors, then got seduced into DE shaving i do both and love them both. I prefer straights but but barley

I use both

I alternate between SEs and str8s - both seem a lot more fun than DEs these days...

Shave with what you enjoy the most. I love straights, but every now & then I just don't have time for a proper straight shave. I break out the Feather RG or the Feather ASD1 DE. Always get a great shave.

I only shave with straights.

I use DE, SE and straights. It depends on my mood. I'm general it goes in spurts. I went for quite awhile only using straights, then went to de for awhile. Now onto SE. 3 times the RAD....

Absolutely....sometimes changing things up is just what is required

Once in awhile I use the Slant DE or a vintage Gillette and it's great, you got the idea, the whole thing is about enjoying yourself, and change is good.

I began shaving with a straight razor because that was what my father used.

I used DE razors after...then SE,s and the early carts.

Now, I use them all in a rotation. In fact, the Artist Club Feather SS Shavette is one of my all time favorite razors.

I'm with Eaaqas, straights when I have the time-I'm really slow with them after only about 30 shaves. They do make the DE seem much easier, as I've learned a lot more about beard grain, skin stretching, and lather. I enjoy the variety, and get sxceptional shaves both ways.

will often use both types.
straight for first pass.
DE for cleanup.
Best of both worlds.

Sure, why not?

I used my DE this morning since I had to meet w a customer for the first time and didn't want to explain a cut. Tomorrow I'll use a straight - if I cut myself it'll be a conversation starter.

I use safety when I am in a rush, straight for when I have more time. Probably about 50/50 these days.

Straights most of the time. DE when in a time crunch or less than 12 between shaves.
Started straight shaving with a Shavette to see if I would like it and now use it for travel. The shavette will bite you if you move wrong, but nothing to be too concerned about.

Primarily straights, using a DE as the occasional (e.g. travel) back-up.

Straight shaving not only takes about twice as long as DE shaving, there is also a steeper learning curve to consider.

Quite steep in fact, and in the first two months you may have to resist the temptation to give up and go back to your safety razor.
Eventually, somewhere between 60-100 shaves, you will find that your straight shaves become equal (I previously used a Mühle open comb DE razor which set the bar quite high) and may ultimately even surpass your DE shave.

But it is a long, arduous road to get there, which explains why the less demanding safety razor became so popular for a while.

As the transition is not easy, I recommend not to alternate between straights and safety razors on a daily basis, but exclusively use the straight razor for the first few months even if you will need to allow initially for up to 20 mins more time in the morning. After all, there is no use to rush a straight shave.

The only exception to that might be the last (XTG) pass in the first month (note the singular), where you might want to consider a final pass with the safety razor to get better initial results.
After a few weeks this should no longer be necessary and I suggest to use only the straight razor.

As a long-time DE shaver this transition worked for me and after about 60 shaves my wife was unable to tell the difference between the results of a straight shave and the occasional (control) DE shave.



Good luck....



B.

I am still new to straights myself, but still find myself using both SR & DE for now.....

I only use SRs, but as you can see there is a place for both in you den.

Now for disposable SRs, I started with one, to "test the waters"; many will tell yo that they are not the same and have very strong opinions, but here are my 2 cents.

Most of the skills are transferable to traditional SRs, yes they are less forgiven, but in my case I learned to be careful and consider myself a better shaver for it. You can go very cheap, less than 10 USD (what I did) or very expensive, more than 100 USD (for which I would prefer a traditional one), so it's up to you. BTW now that I got my traditional SRs, I wont consider going back to disposables, OK maybe for traveling.

If you do decide to try the disposable ones, you can try corking (dulling the blade on a cork) and muting the points on glass. You can do "dry runs" without the blade -just lather up and go at it- it may look silly (thou in this forum that word usually doesn't apply) but it will show you hold to hold the razor and serves as practice, specially for your less dominant hand.

Now don't let the stroping and honing pull you out of traditional straights, many of us really like working on blades, there are even those who collect hones and strops, furthermore you can get very cheap starter kits with most of what you need to love the Straight world.

So see you on the dark side

DE & SE during the work week, Straights and/or Shavette's on my weekends off and a vintage Trac II handle & carts when traveling.