MyCleanRed creado por nentab de SoporteMyBB.

I've been getting on with straight razors for a while now. Well over a month, and maybe as much as two? I haven't used any other razor for a shave except a straight razor in at least 3 weeks, if not a little more.

One thing I've noticed is that with the straight, I seem to get a better one pass shave than I do with the DE. Also, I'm able to take that one-pass shave and go with a more North-South direction instead of true WTG, so it's more like 1/2 way between WTG and XTG. Also I find that I get less irritation around my Adam's apple area when going at angles that used to be no-no angles with the DE (which I don't do very often, just experimenting).

Just some observations....

Matt, i don't think you're off by any means. Is the strait 'that much closer', not really. Does it take a LOT more effort, yes it does. Is it a great hobby, yes it is.

JMHO

God bless you guys for having a one pass shave as an option..hehe...I have been using my straights for 6 months now..about 95% of the time I would get a buck or cut with almost any of my DE razors..except the Dorko Platinum and Gillette Bleue Extra blades...but still..str8 razors get closer where anything else wouldnt

I find that I can more easily get a BBS (or close to it) shave with a DE than I can with a straight, but it is highly de[pendent on the straight that I am using. I have the best luck with my New York steel (Geneva Cutlery, Genco, Kinfolk) which seem to give me the best shaves of most of my straights. Obviously, it is also dependent on how well the blade was honed (and subsequently whether or not I screwed it up on the strop ). I am still working on my honing skills and seem to have done pretty well on a couple of blades, not so well on a few others. I have some blades honed by very experienced "honemeisters" and they are all excellent shavers. I had a wedge blade that did not shave me at all despite having been honed and re-honed by one of those guys and ended up returning the blade from whence it came. (The vendor was very accommodating and ended up re-scaling a Henckels I bought off the Bay for me.) But I digress...

I still have difficulty going ATG on my neck (I have trouble with my left hand on the left side of my neck and can't get the right angle using my right hand in that spot), but a couple of upward passes seems to do the trick.

It is a great hobby and I am always very pleased when I manage a great shave with my straights. Keep it up Matt!

I shaved with a straight about 90% of the time for about 40-years. I had to give it up a few years back as the old hands are not as steady as they use to be. You want steady hands if using a straight, trust me.

I always got my best shaves with the straight, but after 10+ years of steady DE shaving, I think I've got the hang of it.

If you can use a straight, keep at it as long as you can.

My shaves have improved with the straight razor, but that's not to say that DE's are less effective.
I think it's well documented that new DE blades are a wee bit sharper than we can get a straight, but not by much. The DE blade, however is pretty well shrouded by the apparatus of the DE razor, and here is the rub for me. I can cut at angles with the straight that I cannot effectively perform with the DE razor. The hair on my neck grows sideways in some areas.. E-W if you wish, and since there is also a curvature to my neck in that area, the ends of the DE razor tend to keep the middle from making an effective cut... Kind of riding the outside rails. Since I can get away with using the third of the toe end of a straight, I can pretty effectively cut clean with the straight.

I've been at it now nearly two years steady. I'm a bit surprised to say that I took to it like a duck to water, although stropping was a bit problematic at the beginning.

Also, since I hone my own, I can tailor my blade to the feel and crispness I like, and works best for me, and that means everything to me. I no longer have to worry about if this manufacturer or that has changed something or stopped producing. The quality of my shaves, good or bad, is in my own hands, and I love the feeling of self sufficiency in all aspects of my life!

So, for me at least, I'm more than satisfied with the switch..

(01-10-2012 02:10 AM)jrcrow Wrote:  God bless you guys for having a one pass shave as an option..hehe...I have been using my straights for 6 months now..about 95% of the time I would get a buck or cut with almost any of my DE razors..except the Dorko Platinum and Gillette Bleue Extra blades...but still..str8 razors get closer where anything else wouldnt

DE shaving, a one pass shave is not an option. But with my straight, I find that I really don't need to do more than one pass. I shave differently (as I'm sure most everyone does) with the DE than I do with the straight. I'm also sure that stretching with the straight has a lot to do with it. I don't stretch at all with the DE, except to crane my neck in certain spots.

I've stopped going ATG a long time ago. My skin just can't take it, no matter how much prep, lather, negative pressure, etc... Now I haven't tried ATG with the straight yet, and I may give it a shot here in a little while once I feel a little more comfortable.

I gotta agree with Matt...the straight delivers a smoother shave with less passes. For me, the BBS is longer lasting than any other shave tool I've tried to date. With my arm injury I wasn't able to use the straights, and anything else wa a lil risky too. I'm happy to be back to using my straights again!