I’m just wondering if it’s worth getting a straight (AKA cut-throat) razor. Good ones are somewhat expensive and you need to get a fair amount of paraphernalia too. Then you have to sharpen and strop the thing.
Do the benefits outweight the negatives?
I have a straight razor with disposable blades (so I don’t need all the gear) and it’s significantly cheaper than buying regular razors (or disposable ones). I think 100 blades are something like $5.
It takes a long bit to get used to it though - I had to learn to be ‘light’ with the blade.
The shave itself is decent.
I did this. I found that there is a significant learning curve before you can get anything near the shave you get with conventional razors. (Part of this is overcoming the trepidation of slicing yourself to ribbons.)
I’m glad I did it for the learning experience, but I’ve since settled on traditional double-edge wet shaving (using the old-fashioned razors and shaving brush), which I’m very pleased with.
I use the Focus razor that takes disposable blades.
One of the things that a straight razor is extremely good at is shaving more than 3-4 days worth of whiskers, as it doesn’t get blocked up. When I take a full growth of beard off from time to time, I’d still prefer to use the trimmers first, but they aren’t strictly necessary - I’ve taken a full ‘beaver tail’ off my face with no ill effects.
I have a pair of older fashioned straight razors that I rarely use as it’s such a chore to sharpen them.
Friends who do hair professionally talk about learning to use their razors by shaving an orange, then graduating to a balloon, then going to the human face.
There’s a big learning curve; it’ll probably take you two months to get a decent shave out of one. Stropping it isn’t a big deal at all. It’s significantly cheaper than buying disposables.
I can barely brush my teeth most mornings, a straight edge would not end well.
I’ve thought about learning how to do it but it just seems like too much hassle (sharpening, stropping) plus the initial set-up cost to make it offset the fifteen cents per blade I’m currently spending for my 1965 Gillette Slim Adjustable.
That’s the EXACT setup I ended up with.
Moved MPSIMS --> IMHO.
I got mine as a hand-me-down from my uncle. I thought it was older until I learned about the Gillette date-code thingy,
I usually use a regular disposable, but I have a few straight razors and use them occasionally.
I started when I was in college when I found some of my grandfather’s after my grandmother died (he passed away years before). As long as they’re honed properly all they need to stay sharp are a few swipes on the strop, pretty easy. Shaving my sideburns and cheeks is pretty easy, but I still struggle with my chin. For me it’s a worthwhile skill to have just for the novelty and badassness of it.
It’s been my experience that women love to watch men shave with straight razors, and will invariably ask if they can try. Don’t let them.
I even shave with my pocket knives. It’s just fun, that’s all.
I’ve been tempted to give it a go. Straight Razor Place has a Wiki with plenty of advice.
If you are going to trim around a beard, they can’t be beat. I had a modern expensive one when I was younger but now what I do is keep my eyes open for good condition antique ones; I can get them at say $5 per. Strop them good and see how they work and save the best for next time I drop one and the blade shatters.
