there's a few random shaving threads, but none specifically about straight razor shaving

Anyone on TWW use a real cutthroat straight razor to shave with?

I got one for Christmas, and I'm just learning now how to use it

1/9/2007 12:26:49 PM

A guy I went to high school with used one, and apparently one time something startled him or something while he was shaving, and he cut about an 8-inch piece of skin off his face.

1/9/2007 12:28:14 PM

i shave with a spoon.

1/9/2007 12:30:30 PM

my barber(who is about 70 years old) shaves the back of my neck with one

it scares the living fuck out of me

1/9/2007 12:32:00 PM

it is really intimidating the first time bring a big 3" wide blade to your face, but it was surprisingly easy

I need to hone mine some more to get it sharp enough for a more comfortable shave though

1/9/2007 12:34:50 PM

Do you use it at 90 degrees?

1/9/2007 12:40:45 PM

Gillette fusion ftw

best ever.

1/9/2007 12:55:30 PM

^^ do you mean is the razor open at 90 degrees? yes, sort of, I open mine 270 degrees, shave with about a 30 degree angle to your face

^ my gillette fusion is fucking awesome, no question about that, but they say you cant beat a straight razor shave

1/9/2007 1:23:17 PM

"they" also say that vinyl records are better than SA-CD

so... i mean, yea.

1/9/2007 1:25:39 PM

I love going to barbers that shave you with those. But I don't have the ball to try it myself yet

1/9/2007 1:29:27 PM

Is the straight razor shave better than a Mach 3 or Fusion?

1/9/2007 2:00:43 PM

barber straight razor shave... best shave ever...

second to that is my gillette fusion at home because I can't steady a huge blade that well when I am half-awake in the morning

1/9/2007 2:07:02 PM

Razors with two blades get the job done for me, though I use one with three. I guess Gillette has to make money somehow, so they'll keep coming up with new stuff. It isn't cancer they're curing here, though.

1/9/2007 2:11:36 PM

Quote :

"Is the straight razor shave better than a Mach 3 or Fusion?"

I use Mach 3 Turbo and I think the straight razor is far superior

1/9/2007 2:13:47 PM

electric shavers ftw

1/9/2007 2:24:20 PM

Merkur razors are the way to go. I hope with the straight razor you aren't using shaving cream, but shaving soaps.

A good glycerine soap will allow the blade to work much better than shaving cream.

1/9/2007 2:57:51 PM

Quote :

"electric shavers ftw "

no

1/9/2007 4:21:08 PM

Do you have a strop?

1/9/2007 4:50:35 PM

electric razors suck huge balls, but if Gillete continues to slowly raise the prices on its razors, I am going to look into a nice electric razor and hope I can get my skin to adjust to it. My dad has been using electrics for years and he says your skin just has to get used to them. I tried one five years ago but the neck area was too much trouble. Hopefully they've improved. Fuck paying $3/blade.

1/9/2007 4:52:14 PM

^ same here. I've tried 3 different electric razors and always end up with real bad razor burn on my neck. Not to mention they never seem to get as close as the blades I use now.

1/9/2007 4:58:30 PM

I have a Hen and Rooster and a Dovo, although I just got the Dovo and haven't tried it out yet. I need to hone the Hen and Rooster to refinish the blade.

I highly recommend shaving with a straight razor, there's just something special about it. You'll get the hang of the shaving technique, although everyone has their own particular style. Remember the motion is more in the wrist in a scything swipe. The purpose of shaving foam or soap is simply to hold water, because hair is cut better when it is fully wet. It's not as complex as it is made out to be.

The foam is to help hold more water and allow the hair to stand up on end. It takes some time to learn how to shave properly, and you should be careful because they are sharp, although you have more to fear from a pretty sharp razor than a really sharp razor because of the way it cuts and the imperfections.

Stropping the razor lines up the microscopic edges, but you will need a fine grit hone, about 2000/4000, to refinish the edge every few months. Also, the blade needs to rest for 48 hours in between shaves, so you shouldn't use the same razor daily.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

1/9/2007 5:01:30 PM

I've got a full beard now, but prior to that I played with going with a straight razor. There's nothing like getting a straight razor shave at the barber, especially when they're 90 years old with shaky hands. It helps to have a couple of beers first to get your mind right.

1/9/2007 7:10:54 PM

no feeling on face + straight razor would lead to bad things
i'll stick with the mach3

1/9/2007 7:25:14 PM

I've got a brand new 5/8 Dovo, Vulfix badger brush, cake soap and mug, leather/linen strop, norton 4k/8k stone, norton flattening stone, and some wet/dry sandpaper

I have lapped the norton stone, and further sharpened my razor, but its not perfect just yet

I think honing will take a fair amount of practice, and I need another razor thats worth practicing on instead of my nice new one

1/9/2007 10:32:48 PM

i get less skin irritation with a straight razor. less bumps and all that.

1/9/2007 11:57:24 PM

I used to get the back of my neck shaved with a straight razor, too. Until I realized that barber shops don't usually autoclave those razors--they just put 'em in that green shit-bacteria-virus-blood soup. I don't get the razor anymore.

1/10/2007 12:12:02 AM

i have a shitty pakistani razor that i practice my honing on so as not to fuck up my two good ones.

1/10/2007 12:19:10 AM

5 blades = less pressure than less than 5 blades

1/10/2007 12:52:40 AM

why does the blade need to sit for 2 days between uses? does the metal edge have to anneal or something?

1/10/2007 2:34:43 AM

I've been thinking about getting one for some time, but haven't seen 'em around. Where do you get a straight-razor kit?

1/10/2007 1:36:48 PM

^^ a properly cared for and sharp razor should be able to be used as a daily shaver, but for someone like me I dont have to shave daily since my facial hair doesnt grow back that fast

^ I bought my stuff from http://www.classicshaving.com, and I've learned a lot more from http://www.straightrazorplace.com forums, last but not least http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/ is a good resource to purchase straight razor stuff and accessories

In fact, I just bought a razor today from someone on the straightrazorplace forums

[Edited on January 10, 2007 at 1:38 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 10, 2007 at 1:39 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 10, 2007 at 1:39 PM. Reason : linky]

1/10/2007 1:37:09 PM

HOLY COW that's expensive

1/10/2007 1:43:44 PM

those are also for BRAND NEW razors, there are many many used razors to be found out there, search ebay for "straight razor" and you'll get hundreds of hits

with a inexpensive razor, you can purchase a brush, and strop for cheap, and have the razor sent to someone like Lynn Abrams from straightrazorplace.com to be honed for shaving with

1/10/2007 1:53:12 PM

http://tinyurl.com/uwtru



^ebay

[Edited on January 10, 2007 at 1:56 PM. Reason : c]

1/10/2007 1:55:34 PM

i've never really had much irratation and such involved with shaving.... a nick here or there but nothing lasting more than a minute

1/12/2007 10:08:02 AM

^ what do you shave with though?

1/12/2007 12:00:11 PM

Just reading this thread scares the shit out of me.

Seriously.

1/12/2007 12:03:45 PM

boo, haha

1/12/2007 12:41:55 PM

... is one of the most gangster things one can do

1/12/2007 1:29:44 PM

My parents collect straight razors, and keep them in the bathroom. The look on new boyfriends faces the first time they come out of the room filled with 400 blades (all kept perfectly sharp) and 10 or so leather strops hanging on the wall is really priceless.

1/12/2007 1:36:13 PM

i would love to learn to do this...i have fairly sensitive skin that's prone to razor burn, and so using a multi-blade razor is a nuisance...i have a mach 3 that i like for it's ability to trim close to my goatee, but the schick quattro is more comfortable overall

1/12/2007 1:55:08 PM

I have that exact Dovo in the picture.^^^^

1/12/2007 4:01:21 PM

Pretty cool... Are there any stores in the Raleigh area that have any of this stuff in stock? I'll probably order some things online anyways, but just curious if anybody around here carries this kind of stuff.

1/12/2007 7:24:52 PM

you aren't really baller until you have a badger hair shaving brush
http://www.theenglishshavingcompany.com/cgi-bin/psProdSrch.cgi/@cEdwin%20Jagger%20%3CB%3ESilver%20Tip%20Badger%3C/B%3E@b



[Edited on January 12, 2007 at 7:50 PM. Reason : ]

1/12/2007 7:48:15 PM

Who the fuck wouldn't have badger hair?

1/12/2007 8:18:32 PM

i'm about to go shave, lets hope I dont cut my throat

1/12/2007 11:12:32 PM

gillette catorce ftw!

1/13/2007 12:59:48 PM

I've wanted to start doing this for a while, but I've never felt like dumping the $ to start doing it. However, with Mach 3 blades getting silly expensive and the fact that I pretty much have to shave daily now I'm seriously considering it. I've always heard that if you know what you're doing with a straight razor there is no closer shave.

1/13/2007 1:55:08 PM

Quote :

""they" also say that vinyl records are better than SA-CD so... i mean, yea."

if you are talking about perfectly clean vinyl then yes it is better than a CD because it is a copy of the true waveform rather than an approximated version

1/13/2007 3:00:25 PM

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1/13/2007 3:03:50 PM