I have a beard: Straight Razor or DE Safety Razor

I have a beard and I was about to pull the trigger on a straight razor. Then I started thinking that a straight razor might be overkill when all I shave is my neck and a little bit of the cheek area. I'm wondering if I should just use a safety razor since I don't shave my whole face. What do you guys think?

I used a straight when I grow a beard but that is only because I was used to it before. If you have not used either I would recommend a DE.

A straight is great for maintaining beard lines! You get to see EXACTLY where you are shaving, no safety bar obscuring the cutting edge.

A straight is nice for edging a beard, because you can actually see the edge. But do it like you feel it. If you dont feel called, dont answer.

You should use a DE. If you use a straight, you will want to shave more and more. Bye bye beard!

Get both!

I have a beard and a straight. I have straight shaved with and without the beard and enjoy both. I find the straight is the perfect tool for keeping lines straight as desired on my cheeks and neck. I wouldn't have it any other way!

What advice did you expect to get, asking in the straight forum??


Basically, you want to get a straight, don't you?

Go right ahead! We all support you in that decision!!!

Thing is straight razor shaving isn't exactly plug and play, so to speak. If you want to touch up your beard and haven't used a straight razor before, using one will be very difficult, and probably give unsatisfying results. A DE is very straightforward to use on the other hand, though it may lack some of the advantages other gentlemen above have stated. For the experienced straight shaver I've come to understand that a straight is perfect for trimming beards, that it isn't at all "overkill" but in fact very sensible.

I'd like to recommend a straight razor, because it's fun as h*ll and gives the best results when properly handled, but considering your inexperience and that you want to just trim your beard I can't really do it.

Replaceable blade straights such as Feathers are also a good option.

lmarkow said:

You should use a DE. If you use a straight, you will want to shave more and more. Bye bye beard!

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Ha! This is the truth! I wear a Van Dyke and when I started using a straight my wife complained that the goatee was getting smaller each day. It's so much fun trimming the lines.

I'd say grab a straight, they're easier to edge with. Plus, you know you want one!

I have a beard and love shaving with a straight. Don't fight it, just do it.

I find edging my sideburns with my DE razor easy enough.

I think Slash said it best though. Unless you commit yourself: you'll risk giving up on it with unfavorable results.

There is a learning curve with straights. And for a small amount of shaving real estate involved here, it may not be worth the trouble. Best of both worlds would be to pick up a Parker SR1 shavette (~$20) that takes a DE blade snapped in half to see if it works for you. If it does, then start thinking about a straight. In any case, handling both a shavette like this and a straight are very similar, so the transition will be easier if and when the time comes. (The shavette then makes a nice travel razor.) If the shavette doesn't work out, then you can still use the DE blades with a DE razor.

One advantage I find with a straight is when it comes time to shave off the beard, or 2+ days of growth. Back in my cartridge days (followed by a brief period with a DE), there would always be a bit of pulling. With a straight, it comes off cleanly.

Alum of Potash said:

There is a learning curve with straights. And for a small amount of real estate involved here, it may not be worth the trouble. Best of both worlds would be to pick up a cheap DE (I think Stirling Soap has some right now) and a Parker SR1 shavette that takes a DE blade snapped in half to see if the latter works for you. If it does, then you might think about picking up a straight. In any case, handling both a shavette like this and a straight are very similar, so the transition will be easier. Parkers go for around $20.

That said, one advantage I find with a straight is when it comes time to shave off the beard, or 2+ days of growth. Back in my cartridge days (followed by a brief period with a DE), there would always be a bit of pulling. With a straight, it comes off cleanly.

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Everything ya need to know.

I use a DE for edging the beard. That's more or less due to time constraints in the morning. Straights are certainly easier to see where you're cutting.

History still can be rewritten in fifteen minutes... ;-)