Anyone use a straight razor?

[Dooling37]

Anyone here shave with a straight razor?

I shave only once a week, and facial hair is long enough at that point to clog a safety razor every two or three swipes. Cleaning out the hair tends to misalign the blades, leading to lousy shaves. I don't like electric razors. So, I'm gonna try a straight razor. Three questions for anyone who uses / has used one:
- where'd you buy it? (there seem to be two options: very cheap & possibly dirty razors at local secondhand stores, or pricey razors online (ebay, etc.))
- any severe cuts while learning?
- does it require much time to frequently clean/sharpen/etc.?


cheers

 

[Born2bwire]

I've got one, but I need to hone it. Still haven't gotten around to lapping my barbar hones so I can't put an edge on it.

EDIT: Got it from a member at straight razor forums. If you want one new, take a look at Classic Shaving.com.

 

[eplebnista]

I have never used a straight razor either. I use Bic Metal disposable shavers because they only have a single blade which helps prevent clogging because it has a pretty wide space between the guard and the blade.

 

[summit]

My razor is gay.

 

[theMan]

i am going to start using one, also would like some info.

 

[mageslayer]

Originally posted by: Summit
My razor is gay.

Tell the truth, its you right?

 

[Jawo]

I've heard that there's a great barber on Fleet street that is quite adept with a straight razor

 

[theknight571]

Originally posted by: Jawo
I've heard that there's a great barber on Fleet street that is quite adept with a straight razor

LOL

Wait... my barber still uses one on the back of my neck.

He probably uses it for shaves too, although I don't think he does to many of those anymore.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Dooling37
Anyone here shave with a straight razor?

I shave only once a week, and facial hair is long enough at that point to clog a safety razor every two or three swipes. Cleaning out the hair tends to misalign the blades, leading to lousy shaves. I don't like electric razors. So, I'm gonna try a straight razor. Three questions for anyone who uses / has used one:
- where'd you buy it? (there seem to be two options: very cheap & possibly dirty razors at local secondhand stores, or pricey razors online (ebay, etc.))
- any severe cuts while learning?
- does it require much time to frequently clean/sharpen/etc.?


cheers

http://www.motherearthnews.com...-a-Straight-Razor.aspx

buy one at an antique store. Those things will last a long time. Don't waste your money on a stainless steel one.

 

[sonambulo]

A straight edge won't solve your problem and a proper safety razor makes for a much more convenient shave with really no detractions IMO.

What you really want to be spending your time and effort on here is a badger hair shaving brush, a good shaving cream and a good safety razor. It's still a single straight edge and it seemed to work just about as well for me.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

get a safety razor that uses double edge razor blades. a straight razor is very expensive, very hard to use, and can be quite dangerous.

 

[Dooling37]

Thanks for all the responses. I'd consider a safety razor with a single blade if the straight razor doesn't pan out. (current razor has two blades)

So Born2bwire, does the honing, lapping, etc. take a considerable amount of time? does it have to be done frequently?

Iron Woode -- thanks for the article. Informative..

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: Dooling37
Thanks for all the responses. I'd consider a safety razor with a single blade if the straight razor doesn't pan out. (current razor has two blades)

So Born2bwire, does the honing, lapping, etc. take a considerable amount of time? does it have to be done frequently?

Iron Woode -- thanks for the article. Informative..

Honing is supposed to be done maybe every 3-6 months. The lapping only really needs to be done once. I bought new old-stock barber hones (they were made way back when but never used) and so the surface on the hone is not perfectly flat. So this means that only part of the edge of the razor is in contact as opposed to the entire edge. I need to lap the hones so that I can actually sharpen the edge properly. Until I get around to doing that I really cannot say how difficult it is to learn it and what not. I've been happy with my DE so I really have not gotten around to trying out the straight razor. Maybe I'll make that a project this spring.

There are products out there that can take the place of hones for most purposes. You'll always need a strop, but you can get a paddle strop (wooden) and coat the edges with varying degrees of pastes. The pastes will sharpen the edge of the razor, so you do not have to hone it most of the time (but I believe eventually it will need to be done on a real stone). You can also send the razor out for someone to hone it for you, like $20.

I would expect to pay around $30-$50 for an introductory razor (used, I believe you can get the cheapest Dovo brand new for $60-$70 but most new razors start around $100) and $20 for a strop. So I would say that if you start out with a modest set of equipment, you'll end up paying about the same you would for the DE safety razor + 1 year of blades.

There is a forum dedicated to straight razors, Straight Razor Place I think. I would lurk there for your answers. Personally I don't trust the ATOT crowd on advice when dealing with sharp objects.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: Dooling37
Thanks for all the responses. I'd consider a safety razor with a single blade if the straight razor doesn't pan out. (current razor has two blades)

So Born2bwire, does the honing, lapping, etc. take a considerable amount of time? does it have to be done frequently?

Iron Woode -- thanks for the article. Informative..

I'm talking about this safety razor

not a disposable Gillette.

 

[Tiamat]

Id first go to a barber to get a shave to see if you like the straight razor. If the barber cuts you up, you will most definitely cut yourself up a new face

Otherwise, rinse your blades more often lol! Don't wait until they are all clogged up hah.

 

[NetWareHead]

I started off with using this: http://www.classicshaving.com/...item/846013/719624.htm and purchased all ofv the necessary hardware to go along with it such as sharpening stones, leather strops etc...

Then I found this: http://www.classicshaving.com/...item/522940/190343.htm which takes these disposable blades: http://www.classicshaving.com/...item/522941/249408.htm

While I like the whole idea behind the straight razor, it is a big time investment to shave and keep the blade sharp and rust free. I have to sharpen mine on a stone every 2 months or so with stropping on the leather before and sometimes during a shave. The razor I shave with now has these disposable razors which slide in and give a comparable shave. I dont think I can go back to a cartridge razor just because the shave quality is so much better than anything out there. yeah it wont clog no matter how long your beard is but there is a severe learning curve and you will cut yourself, seriously if you are trying to rush it. Be careful or you'll need stitches, you're shaving with the equivalent of a surgical scalpel. Always remember to have patience even if if shaving this way becomes second nature to you.

Sometimes I break out the real straight razor for special ocassions when I need my face to be extra smooth, it still shaves closer than the disposable straight razor but I dont have the time to use it for everyday shaving.

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I've got one, but I need to hone it. Still haven't gotten around to lapping my barbar hones so I can't put an edge on it.

EDIT: Got it from a member at straight razor forums. If you want one new, take a look at Classic Shaving.com.

God, how pathetic does your life have to be where shaving is your hobby?

 

[xboxist]

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I've got one, but I need to hone it. Still haven't gotten around to lapping my barbar hones so I can't put an edge on it.

EDIT: Got it from a member at straight razor forums. If you want one new, take a look at Classic Shaving.com.

God, how pathetic does your life have to be where shaving is your hobby?

What a dumb comment. How in the hell do you get HOBBY out of that? It's something you LEARN to do, like anything else. If someone started a thread about how to change a car battery and someone linked a how-to website, would you accuse them of having a shitty life because their hobby is car battery-changing?

 

[sonambulo]

Originally posted by: NetWareHead
Sometimes I break out the real straight razor for special ocassions when I need my face to be extra smooth, it still shaves closer than the disposable straight razor but I dont have the time to use it for everyday shaving.

Egg Zachary. I loved shaving with the straight edge but I just don't have the time or the patience to fuck around with it in the morning before I have to get to work. A real safety razor is the best of both worlds IMO.

 

[poopygood]

Just started myself.

Read everything you can here first: badgerandblade.com
and especially this:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=28547

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: xboxist

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
I've got one, but I need to hone it. Still haven't gotten around to lapping my barbar hones so I can't put an edge on it.

EDIT: Got it from a member at straight razor forums. If you want one new, take a look at Classic Shaving.com.

God, how pathetic does your life have to be where shaving is your hobby?

What a dumb comment. How in the hell do you get HOBBY out of that? It's something you LEARN to do, like anything else. If someone started a thread about how to change a car battery and someone linked a how-to website, would you accuse them of having a shitty life because their hobby is car battery-changing?

I'm referring to people at a straight-razor forum. If they go to a forum to sit around and discuss shaving then it sounds like a hobby to me.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I love using a straight razor. Never on myself of course... but it makes such a nice clean cut, that it really doesn't look like anything is wrong at all until that sliver of red starts to appear. It's just so beautiful...

 

[dr150]

The temptation would be too great to slit my throat.

 

[Dooling37]

good god, what have I gotten myself into. this is a lot of info to pore over... thanks for the responses.
considering I got tired of straight razors just by having to *read* about them, I'm going to reconsider. Might check out DE instead.

thanks again for all the info/links/suggestions...

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: dr150
The temptation would be too great to slit my throat.

:laugh: