I did acquire my first shaving brush and puck of shaving soap from the local drug store, which I used with my double-bladed cartridge disposable razor. I used brush and mug until a friend mentioned this wasn't necessary, and I could just use bath soap. He was quite right and those early old-school shaving implements were lost in time; the two-blade cartridge razors could give an adequate, safe, one-pass shave just using bath soap as shaving soap.
I have never lost the hankering to shave with a straight, however. Yet knowing what I know now, I will not acquire and use a straight razor.
The reasons I started DE shaving with mug and brush were those that follow:
- Economical
- Ecologically more friendly
- Very close shaves
- Enjoyable process
- And the two initial reasons: economy and ecological friendliness
Shaving with a straight razor is a small step forward in terms of ecological friendliness because there is not even the disposable DE blade to routinely discard. However, in terms of economy, it's not even close: the investment in a straight razor, strop, and honing gear makes the entire enterprise a loser from the perspective of cost.
Also, I have about a five-year inventory of DE blades.
The final and biggest nail in my straight-razor inclination is that I know for certain that I won't be able to match the quality of the DE shave with a straight -- both in terms of consistent closeness and, most importantly, safe, relatively-woundless shaves.
Case closed.
Happy shaving!
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