DE vs Straight

BeatlesFan · Post by **BeatlesFan** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:04 am

Some months ago I posted in the Straight Razor section of SMF, asking what advantages those folks found in using a Straight instead of a DE. I got some interesting responses, which (summarized) seemed to say that those guys found straights both more comfortable and more "engaging" -- i.e., they liked the whole tradition, non-disposable aspect, etc.

I thought it would be interesting to ask the same question of DE shavers who have spent some time doing a DE vs Straight comparison, and ended up choosing the DE.

If you're in that group (i.e., you have some experience with both types of shaving, and have chosen the DE), what factors led you to pick DE instead of Straight? How did you like shaving with a Straight? Why do you prefer DE? Should DE shavers give the Straight a test-drive? What insights or recommendations do you have as a result of having used both types of razors?

I have no experience whatever of trying to shave with a Straight razor, so I'm sort of interested in how the "other half" lives!

Thanking you all in advance for your thoughts . . .

gsgo · Post by **gsgo** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:51 am

Having dabbled in the straight razor arena I am pretty much back to using the DE. The straight shave is a commitment, after a short time I was getting some pretty decent results but a couple of minor cuts took me back to the DE where my shaves are convenient and comfortable.

I like the idea of straight razor shaves and will pull out the gear again but for now my DE shaves are just really to good to continue the straight.

Starting out with a shave ready razor is one of the most important issues along with proper stropping.

stuff495 · Post by **stuff495** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 12:38 pm

BeatlesFan wrote: If you're in that group (i.e., you have some experience with both types of shaving, and have chosen the DE), what factors led you to pick DE instead of Straight?

Time. I still use a straight occasionally, but it takes a lot longer for me to shave with one, and there's the extra maintenance too…. So >90% of the time, I use a DE.

BeatlesFan wrote: How did you like shaving with a Straight?

I like it; it's more fun, and has a different feel. But honestly … it won't shave me as close as a DE. It works a bit better on the lower quadrant of my neck; but everywhere else, a safety razor is more effective.

BeatlesFan wrote: Why do you prefer DE?

Faster! (And a bit closer.)

BeatlesFan wrote: Should DE shavers give the Straight a test-drive?

In my opinion: no. If you don't want to use a straight, you won't like it, because it's too involved. I absolutely think they are worth trying if you are interested in trying one though

.

BeatlesFan wrote: What insights or recommendations do you have as a result of having used both types of razors?

Sorry, I can't think of any. I will say that they are pretty different. I learned the hard way that knowing what you are doing with a straight razor does not mean you are an expert with DE razors

.

Cheers,

--Vincent

joe mcclaine · Post by **joe mcclaine** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:02 pm

My feelings echo those of Vincent (above).

An occasional weekend straight shave is OK for me but the DE is just much less faffing about in the morning.

marsos52 · Post by **marsos52** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:34 pm

i used a straight for a couple years on a daily basis. the first year was learning to use it and get a quialty shave. i had nobody to help, teach or guide me, so it took a full year before i was able to shave my entire face.

the commitment is huge. learning to use the razor may be easier than stropping and honing, each day stropping gets old and takes time.

no such thing as a quick shave. the results are very rewarding

but,,,, so is de shaving, de shaving gives enjoyment and great results
and saves time a lot of time. blades changing is faster and easier the blade stropping and honing

i many times think of getting back to straights until i think about it twice

marc

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:53 pm

Well, my answer is pretty straight forward. After decades of using a DE, I simply could not get used to the 'pull and tug' feeling that goes with a straight...even one that has been expertly honed. I'm quite sure that eventually I might have gotten used to it, but it would have taken a long time I suspect. This ( to me ) unpleasantness, coupled with the time consumming and often rather costly maintainace that others mentioned was enough to send me back to the DE. I can understand and relate to the allure and mystique of the open razors, and I respect shavers who use them well, but they're not for me. FWIW, I also suspect that's it's very difficult indeed to get quite as close a shave with a straight as one can get with a well handled DE and a top notch blade.
Regards,
Gordon

marsos52 · Post by **marsos52** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:40 pm

gordon

i remember very well my experiences with the straight. in the beginning my shaves were just ok. as i grew comfortable and my stroping and honing get better and better so did my shaves

i actually got to the point that my shaves were as good as i ever had.
there were days (a couple of them) that i did actually shaved every other day. and that was when i had no gray whiskers, i could even now, shave twice a day

its hard and takes a lot of time to get a shave that close and wasnt worth the time and effort

but its possible to get the a shave that you never will forget

now these days i am happy not to feel stubble or see a shadow for 10 hours. when i go 10 to 12 hours clean i am a happy camper

i get this time frame quite often. 3 or 4 times a week at least with a de
generally its when my blade is a merkur or swede and its on its first and second day of use.

with si's, yellows and a couple other blades 8 hours is tops

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:06 pm

Marc, I've no doubt that it's possible, but my guess is that most open razor users never get to quite that point.....the closeness that an experianced hand with a DE gets. On the other hand, I also believe what some say, that if properly honed and stropped, and if used with skill, the straight is the least likely razor to cause skin irritation. The reasons for both are basically the same, I think; the open razor blade is simply not as sharp as a commercial DE blade.
Regards,
Gordon

marsos52 · Post by **marsos52** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 4:31 am

i have to agree with you

i never remember any irration from a straight when i used them
i do remember it taking me 40 minutes to shave and i never was able to get under 30 minutes

and i most certainly remember getting cuts

Kyle76 · Post by **Kyle76** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:11 am

I used a straight daily for about two years, building up a pretty good collection and doing restoration work and making scales. It was a fun hobby, and I was eventually able to get some pretty good shaves. I eventually wandered back to the DE, however, because of the time factor, along with the fact that I could never get as close a shave as a multi-pass DE shave. There were just some areas of my face that I never could safely go ATG as I can with a DE and a good blade.

Araner · Post by **Araner** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:21 am

Kyle76 wrote:I used a straight daily for about two years, building up a pretty good collection and doing restoration work and making scales. It was a fun hobby, and I was eventually able to get some pretty good shaves. I eventually wandered back to the DE, however, because of the time factor, along with the fact that I could never get as close a shave as a multi-pass DE shave. There were just some areas of my face that I never could safely go ATG as I can with a DE and a good blade.

Bravo, great story, ATG is a bitc$

Araner · Post by **Araner** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:24 am

bernards66 wrote:Marc, I think; the open razor blade is simply not as sharp as a commercial DE blade.
Regards,
Gordon

Could not have said it better!

a-cut-above · Post by **a-cut-above** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:53 pm

Today I got a BBS smooth shave with a straight. It took almost 40 minutes for three passes. It also took me year of learning/praticing two skills: honing and shaving. I may have reached this point sooner had I used the straight exclusively, but I split time with a DE. With newer stones it is possible to get sharpness that seems equivalent to DE's, but the coatings aren't there for the straights so smoothness isn't equal. To get shaves equivalent to DE's, I have to admit it's a hobby and an enjoyable ritual, with nothing to throw out. But it is time consuming and finnicky. Not for the impatient.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:35 pm

Dave, Yes, good point. As well as the basic sharpness of the blade, there is the coatings issue, which probably accounts for a fair amount of the extra 'pull and tug' I got from the straights. Uncoated carbon steel DE blades have that effect for me to a degree also. Then too, with a straight, more edge length is in contact with the skin than is the case with a DE. This fact may explain why I got a bit of the 'pull' effect even with the Feather straight, although it was certainly less.
Regards,
Gordon

stuff495 · Post by **stuff495** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:55 pm

bernards66 wrote:…the open razor blade is simply not as sharp as a commercial DE blade.

+1

And judging by my experience shaving with a Feather DE blade in a straight-razor holder, I don't think you want the same level of sharpness.

Since straight razors are made with more expensive steel, it seems like they should be able to take a keener edge … but there's the matter of the coatings. Honestly I'm not aware of a straight ever being sharper then a DE.

I saw an old (1950s?) video of a British razor blade factor. The quality-controll check on the blades was to put 7 slices in one strand of woman's head hair. A magnifying glass was used to verify the "filets". Seeing that is what made me realize I wasn't going to match the sharpness of an industrial blade making factory! (And who knows how much coatings or other advances have improved things in the decades since then…) I'll try and track down the video again, it was from http://www.britishpathe.com/

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 9:29 pm

1976 and I'm stationed at TRASUPCEN Alameda, USCG. I get assigned to a two man room and walk in to smell stale urine and see every wall covered with really nasty Hustler centerfolds. My new shipmate stumbles in- a grizzled E 2 after 6 years service. It seems he was a falling down alcoholic who had been the officer's mess steward ever since bootcamp and was paying off damages incured driving a staff car into a City of Oakland traffic signal.
I tore down two walls of centerfolds, spent a day of liberty scrubbing everything and put a extra heavy duty lock on my locker.
I was slowly learning to use a Solingen straight razor gifted by my grandfather when I finally came home on leave. So I left it on my nightstand to use in the common shower room the next morning ( a sunday.) I went to San Francisco to visit a city matron I met under funny circumstances the day I graduated from that very base bootcamp.
I walked baack in sunday morning. There was the senior E2 of the Coast Guard sitting in his BVDs- cutting toe callouses with my razor.
In a second I had him hanging by the ankles outside our second deck window screaming as I chewed him out. The base chaplain walks out ( chapel was right below us) and orders me to 'LET THAT POOR SOUL GO!'
For the first time in my military service I questioned a direct order and just pulled the moron back inside.
I soon had the OOD, Chaplain and two SPs in the room. The OOD decides my razor is a dangerous weapon and confiscates it under the UCMJ.
I was assigned another barracks room. I was subject to spot inspections by an overzealous base security officer for the next 6 months. I wound up using disposables.
When I returned to wet shaving, the pain of that loss was too much. Subjective I know. but that's my reason for using a safety DE.

Kyle76 · Post by **Kyle76** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:37 am

bernards66 wrote:the open razor blade is simply not as sharp as a commercial DE blade.
Regards,
Gordon

Without question, DE blades are sharper. Straights are surprisingly forgiving of light mistouches. DE blades will cut instantly. Think how much thinner DE blades are than even a thinly ground straight. I get more nicks with my DE, particularly trying to get that challenging spot under my nostrils, than I ever did with a straight. DE's also slice right through small facial blemishes more often than straights.

KAV, that's quite a story, but I think you should give straights another try.

Ecosse · Post by **Ecosse** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:43 am

bernards66 wrote:Well, my answer is pretty straight forward. After decades of using a DE, I simply could not get used to the 'pull and tug' feeling that goes with a straight...even one that has been expertly honed. I'm quite sure that eventually I might have gotten used to it, but it would have taken a long time I suspect. This ( to me ) unpleasantness, coupled with the time consumming and often rather costly maintainace that others mentioned was enough to send me back to the DE. I can understand and relate to the allure and mystique of the open razors, and I respect shavers who use them well, but they're not for me. FWIW, I also suspect that's it's very difficult indeed to get quite as close a shave with a straight as one can get with a well handled DE and a top notch blade.
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon, you summed up my feelings and experiences exactly.

Pauldog · Post by **Pauldog** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:22 pm

Since I found the Rolls razor better than bearable, and with ideal honing I suppose it would be even better, I think that means I would be all right with a regular straight razor.

The big "however" is the work involved. If I were Amish, I think I would go for it.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:23 pm

BF I prefer the open razor as a shaving tool but no longer use them due to arthritis. Just the stropping causes wrist pain so it isn't worth the trouble. They are maintenance heavy but that's part of the fun. Few of us (Moss perhaps) can hone one as keen as the average DE blade so there's no contest there. Probably the cheapest way to shave though. All you need is a razor, hone, strop, cake of soap and a brush.

DE vs Straight

DE vs Straight

Re: DE vs Straight