Anybody shave with a straight razor?

[CSG]

Oh man, I'm excited for you. You'll love it a lot. Shaving with a properly honed razor is something else. I love when I create a buttery smooth edge and don't even feel the burn from aftershave but have a baby smooth face

An easy way to get the same result is with a safety razor and Feather blade.

 

[Taz]

Not all faces are the same! I tried straight razors for a while. Kamisori, Japanese, German, US Made vintage, Ralf Aust brand new SR's, etc. Different soaps, different finishing stones, etc, but I have coarse facial hair and sensitive skin, so it was often very unpleasant to SR shave. Best I did was an Iwasaki smiling straight razor.

A local barber shop made their own shaving soap. That, a Merkuir 37c slant DE and Gillette Platinum Black razor blades gave an incredible shave I just couldn't match with a SR at that time.

 

[Hyesouljah]

I use one of those straight razors with the disposable razors but I’d really like to invest in an actual straight razor soon

 

[Ikhnaton]

I've been shaving with a razor-blade holder for a couple of years now, and in about 4 or 5 shaves I'll be out of disposable blades. So I need to decide if I wanna order more of them or get into real straight razor ahaving. Thinking it will be the latter, I love the feeling and aesthetics of a straight razor and with a real one, we'll have less waste and I get to hone (hehehe) my sharpening skills

 

[Taz]

Sharpening a straight is a LOT different than sharpening a knife! You use the spine of the razor as a honing guide to set the edge and work your way up through finer grits and then try different strops/polishing mediums to find a match that works well for your skin. It can be a super frustrating process!! You may look around for someone that can help you or somewhere to send the razor to so it can get professionally sharpened for the first time. Most razors are sharp, but not fully "shave ready" from the box!

 

[R2BFR2]

Sharpening a straight is a LOT different than sharpening a knife! You use the spine of the razor as a honing guide to set the edge and work your way up through finer grits and then try different strops/polishing mediums to find a match that works well for your skin. It can be a super frustrating process!! You may look around for someone that can help you or somewhere to send the razor to so it can get professionally sharpened for the first time. Most razors are sharp, but not fully "shave ready" from the box!

Well said Taz. I got into straight razors years ago and it took a lot of time and practice to get them "shave ready". Musts: 1) has to be wet sharpened (strategically, depending on the condition), 2) You will want a high quality blade that has plenty of steel left on it [German or English origin, from yesteryear], 3) Your startup costs might be a bit high as the equipment adds up very quickly, 4) You must have patience when working the edge, 5) Depending on the edge's current sharpness, you will have to work your way up to shave ready, 6) Absolutely no cracks or broken corners in the metal, if so, discard it! , 7) You will want to thoroughly understand stropping and follow the recommended procedures - not like knife stropping; must gain the "touch"

I would be more than glad to go into it further if anyone was interested. I do have some shave ready blades (very good named manufacturers too) some where if I can locate them. Might make a good trade item or two!

Hope that helps.