Straight Razor Vs. DE Razor Shaving

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:53 am

The Feather AC is a remarkable razor, with only a superficial similarity to a traditional straight. It is a worthwhile purchase in it's own right if you are interested in learning a different way of shaving, but it doesn't really teach you how to use a straight razor; it's more like using a small silent light sabre. To use a straight, you have to accept that you are going to learn about stropping and honing too - and that's a good thing!

Chris

Bowcephalus · Post by **Bowcephalus** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:30 am

Being a history buff I prefer a history with my razor.....With the DE a major part of the "history" gets thrown into the trash on a regular basis...I have a Friodur with handles made from a conch shell I picked up on the beach in Mexico....Who knew shaving could be so much fun....Once you get to know a good straight well;honing, stroping, using it and wiping it clean, anything else seems a bit of a letdown.....

yomuppet · Post by **yomuppet** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 12:55 pm

mparker762 wrote:The only disposable-bladed open razor that I've used that really mimics the feel of a straight razor is the Monsieur Charles razor. It's weighted roughly like a 6/8 razor, and takes an ordinary injector blade which approximates the sharpness of a well-honed straight. The main problem with it is the short injector blade means you only shave with the toe of the razor. With a traditional straight the barber manuals say to shave the chin with the heel of the razor, so this is something you'll have to unlearn when you transition to real straights.

Just to add, I've found that the Feather A/C will take injector blades as well, if you're afraid of the Feather blade sharpness at the beginning. Best of luck.

J

mparker762 · Post by **mparker762** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 2:41 pm

Yes, I've tried that as well. It doesn't work as well as the injector in the Monsieur Charles though. The Monsieur Charles, while not as well made (or expensive) as a feather, feels almost exactly like a straight when shaving, something that cannot be said for the feather. If one is looking to use a disposable-blade razor as a stepping stone to a straight the Monsieur Charles is a much better training ground.

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 5:18 am

jaradus wrote:I know that they're loved by some and looked down upon by others, but is there any real point to trying the Feather AC razors as a first-swing straight?

It's what I did about 400 shaves ago, and haven't looked back.

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 5:56 am

Something I have noticed using a straight for the last couple weeks is that when the stubble grows back it isn't as sharp (or rough) as when whiskers cut with a DE or Feather AC grow out. I think this phenomena has been discussed in the past.

FiReSTaRT · Post by **FiReSTaRT** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 5:58 am

Using a straight is a completely different ritual. It gives you two doses of satisfaction....
1) For your shaving technique
2) For how you maintain your blade
It's more challenging, but more than worth the effort.

MOSES · Post by **MOSES** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:17 am

I'm just starting to get into straights. Definitely can't say I get a better shave with one, at this point. But there is just something about the whole thing I love. It is partly the history. I mean, I like the old Gillettes, But I have a 6/8 G. Johnson Sheffield tortoise handle that I am told dates from before the war. The Civil War, that is. To shave with the same blade someone born before for turn of the century before last might have used is just, well.... I like the feeling.

-Mo

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:57 am

Mo, I thought the same thing about not getting a better shave with a straight. That was before I took my Satinwedge to the hone and touched up the edge, now I can go against the grain with very little resistance. Cuts almost as nice as a feather and is much friendlier on the skin.

However, there are some razors I have that I cannot get sharp no matter how I hone them.

MOSES · Post by **MOSES** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:04 am

rustyblade wrote:Mo, I thought the same thing about not getting a better shave with a straight. That was before I took my Satinwedge to the hone and touched up the edge, now I can go against the grain with very little resistance. Cuts almost as nice as a feather and is much friendlier on the skin.

However, there are some razors I have that I cannot get sharp no matter how I hone them.

Richard,
Oh, I don't doubt it is technique that is stopping. Although in large part shaving technique, not just honing. I can't even get as good a shave from a Feather AC at the moment. Oh, and speaking of Feathers, I get a fair amount of resistance going WITH the grain with a FEATHER. (That is not just technique, true even with a DE).
-Mo

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:35 am

FiReSTaRT wrote:Using a straight is a completely different ritual. It gives you two doses of satisfaction....
1) For your shaving technique
2) For how you maintain your blade
It's more challenging, but more than worth the effort.

It very well might be worth the effort to a certain type of person, but not to another.

Take fly fishing.

Some buy flies, others tie them. For those who tie them, there might be a subset who tie flies with materials from game that they've shot or trapped, or some who tie only on hooks that they've made themselves. The sport is subtly different for each type of sportsmen, yet they're all enjoying the sport at the level that they've chosen.

mparker762 · Post by **mparker762** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:35 am

MOSES wrote: But I have a 6/8 G. Johnson Sheffield tortoise handle that I am told dates from before the war.

That is one of the fun things about straights. I was describing some of my straights to a friend and he was asking when various razors were made, and I was saying "Oh this Waterville was probably made in the 90's, and that WB looks like it was made in the 30's", and then he mentioned that he was surprised they were still making them that recently and I realized I had forgotten to mention that I was talking 19th century and these were already antiques when his grandfather was born...

Hawkeye5 · Post by **Hawkeye5** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:04 am

So far I have found that using a straight razor is more satisfying to me than a DE.
Now I do admit to being a bit quirky, and I do enjoy the honing, stropping and general fiddling with the razor to achieve the edge you want for your comfort. That is all part of the experience, for me.
If you don't want the fiddling, then the DE is for you. No muss, no fuss, just change the blade.
My personal experience is that I receive the same shave with two passes (with and across) from a straight as three passes (with, across, against) from a DE and good blade (slant bar is an exception).