Shave like grandad did

[itsbruce]

I've been shaving with straight-edge (aka cutthroat) razors for years, now. No disposable parts and I find that you're actually less likely to cut yourself than with a safety razor as long as you're gripping the blade with confidence.

I work in IT and it's nice to have this old fashioned and very human scale ritual in part of my day as a contrast.

[Hombre]

I shave every other day, sometimes go three days if it's the weekend or I have no work. A blade will last at least a week, and is good for two, but when I change my blade after two weeks I really notice the difference between the old and the new. Amazon sells 3x10 for $15US. That's 50c each. The soap has been going for three months and is only about 20% gone.

man, actually looking at your avatar I wonder whether you have ever shaved at all

regarding the topic,
after reading the first post I wanted to try it.
I have been shaving with Gillete MachX products lots of years, then switched to Braun shaver and shaved with it for 2 years, then last summer returned to Gillete again.
Overall I think electric shaver is better but took more time for me then blades. But with blades the facial skin is more clearer.

[Sam277]

Just, watched someone on youtube lop down some branches with a machete and then shave his face with the same blade. Guy looked manly doing that. I must imitate him, however, i don't feel like using a kitchen blade yet.

So what's the idea behind this, is this just style thing, or do you genuninely get a closer chave with one? I'd like to get a cut-throat, and i'll be shaving at school when i do. In the common room.

[itsbruce]

I think it's difficult to get a closer shave with a cut-throat - you need to be very dexterous and practised. For me, it's a style thing - I like it. Same reason I have a clockwork (automatic) watch.

[Merovech]

What was an irksome chore is now a pleasurable daily ritual. I'll never go back to aerosols and disposables. In the last few months I've been downright evangelical about two things: strength training in general and stronglifts in particular, and old school shaving.

I switched to the older-style shaver October 2007 and haven't looked back. The shave handle cost a pretty penny, but I estimated that the blade savings would pay for the handle in the first year. I was right. Blade costs were 1/2 what they were before. The shave is much smoother. I also have fewer ingrown hairs because the shave isn't too close.

I recently grew in a slight beard (a month's growth) and shaved it off with just the razor. Co-workers were surprised that I did all that shaving without any nicks. It's because you can handle the closeness of the blade much better.