Straight razor's... Who else loves em'

[JOE1977]

I don't think I could ever go back to a standard razor. Been using them for a couple of years now and after you get it sown there is nothing better than a boar brush, a good soap and a straight. Best shave guaranteed! One with the ebony is a Dovo silver steel and the other is a custom scale with a french point John Jay stainless, the scales are made with real boa constrictor skin set in an epoxy, pics do not do it justice. I have a couple others that I have been meaning to restore but have not made the time.
life with three kids, a busy work and Parish life has been higher on the to do list lately. Oh, well no rest for the weary

 

[tryals15]

I made it halfway there. I use a double edge safety razor. You are absolutely right about the boar brush and lather! I'll never go back.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I went thru that phase too. I ended up keeping the DE razor though and putting away the straights. All that metro "treat yourself" pretty boy crap is for someone else, I just wanted a cheap solution to shave my head but the blade was to much maintenance. DE blades are cheap as hell and even sharper. I'm done.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I don't want that to come off as judging you though, you gotta spend the money somehow you can't take it with you!

 

[leverhead]

I'm not too particular. I shave at least once a week and get my hair cut every year.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I use a straight razor when I'm at home - but take a regular Gilette out when I'm away from home working.

The thing with a straight razor (we call them a cut-throat here in the UK) is that you've got to become an expert in honing the blade on a stone and strop them good and proper every day on both linen and leather ... otherwise you'll have nothing but blood on your face! A blunt tool in this case is next to useless ... and for a razor sharp means really sharp ... if you take a hair from your head and place it against a properly sharpened blade it should cut without any pressure!!!

Most of the new ones available to buy are blunt as hell ... and if you get one second-hand from a flea market or similar then it will not be sharp enough to shave with either. My favourite blade is made by Revisor in Solingen, Germany ... And my Thiers-Issard goat's horn handled blade is a beautiful thing even though it doesn't shave me as well as the Revisor. I've never had any success with the ones made by Dovo.

 

[JOE1977]

I use a straight razor when I'm at home - but take a regular Gilette out when I'm away from home working.

The thing with a straight razor (we call them a cut-throat here in the UK) is that you've got to become an expert in honing the blade on a stone and strop them good and proper every day on both linen and leather ... otherwise you'll have nothing but blood on your face! A blunt tool in this case is next to useless ... and for a razor sharp means really sharp ... if you take a hair from your head and place it against a properly sharpened blade it should cut without any pressure!!!

Most of the new ones available to buy are blunt as hell ... and if you get one second-hand from a flea market or similar then it will not be sharp enough to shave with either. My favourite blade is made by Revisor in Solingen, Germany ... And my Thiers-Issard goat's horn handled blade is a beautiful thing even though it doesn't shave me as well as the Revisor. I've never had any success with the ones made by Dovo.

Ooooh, I really have had my eye on the thiers rams horn and hope to someday get one. Would also like to get a Damascus blade as well. Everything you said is spot on. I started with a Parker Shavette that uses half a double edge to learn with. Once you get your angles down its easy. Just like rolling a stogie I imagine, muscle memory takes over.
i learned tons from another forum from "straight razor designs" they also have a great group of people and a marketplace.

 

[JOE1977]

This guy

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Wow, what a work of art that is. Very nice.

 

[squeezyjohn]

A few years back they had the abalone one too which was absolutely beautiful ... but expensive! My ramshorn one (you were right!) looks amazing ... but can't touch the rather plain looking Revisor with a basic red plastic handle ... it's all about the blade really if you're using it to shave.

I think I know the forum you're talking about. I use a natural coticule stone from Belgium exclusively to hone my razors for which there used to be a real no-nonsense forum exclusively about how to hone using this stone which I was a member of. For me there's a lot of BS going around about honing - but with a coticule you can get yourself a good smooth but sharp edge perfect for shaving with.

I don't think honing a razor needs you to know about angles (like you need for a knife etc.) because they were all manufactured so that just laying them flat to the stone gives you the perfect angle to sharpen them ... thankfully! However - there's so much you need to learn before you can get a good result consistently. This is the reason I love straight razors btw - it's exactly the same with tobacco growing and curing ... it's a skill and a craft which I am eager to learn to the best of my ability. Shaving yourself expertly with a straight razor is just the same kind of skill too ... perfecting the craft for me is completely exhilarating!

Edit: I see you were referring to shaving angles! Yeah - that takes some practice! I'm leaving it in because anyone wanting to have a go should know - razors are brilliantly designed to stop you needing to judge the honing angle by eye.

 

[Mad Oshea]

I use a 1904 Solegen safety. 1.95 for 10 blades. Three peice take apart.

 

[JOE1977]

Nothing wrong with a double edge safety razor. I will also use a Merkur safety some days when I am in a rush and do a single pass. As far as I am concerned none of the modern multi blades come close to performance and once you bought your razor body even the best Feather blades are fare cheaper than replacement cartridge's by a mile.

 

[Chicken]

i dont shave....

i drive a semi. and my employer, dont care what i look like, long as the license is clean. and im a safe driver,

i havent shaved in a couple weeks.... im starting to look like bigfoot,,,

 

[BarG]

I Recommend A good Solingen Germany blade.A good strope and a little experincce. You will have a great shave.

 

[BarG]

i dont shave....

i drive a semi. and my employer, dont care what i look like, long as the license is clean. and im a safe driver,

i havent shaved in a couple weeks.... im starting to look like bigfoot,,,

After a few more weeks I wont worry about it till next year. I bet you give the localx quite a scare chicken,
Bigfoot with scraggley feathers and hair sticken out everywhere.

 

[deluxestogie]

For razor aficionados, here is a wonderful science article on why soft hair dulls steel blades.

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-dulls-sharpest-razors.html

It has some stunning, short video captures as well.

Bob

 

[tullius]

The abstract is interesting, very nice vids and an incredible apparatus. Brings all kinds of questions to mind. Wonder how a discussion of concave/convex/straight edge geometry along with direction of honing and periodic polishing would figure in. Probably outside the scope of the report since the authors are metallurgists.

Would be interesting to read the full text.

 

[deluxestogie]

read the full text

For a mere $30, you can read it all you want--for one full day.

Bob

 

[tullius]

yeah, I was curious enough to see what they wanted. Turns out, I'm not as interested as they think I should be.

30 bones gets me another straight razor.

(would easily pay 30 to have them run some of my razors through that apparatus though)