Straight-Razor Rejection

Back in about 1976 I first got the idea to shave with a straight razor. Of course, there was no Internet then, so there were no on-line forums or vendors, and straight razors were difficult to find. Also, whenever I made inquiries about obtaining one, I was universally discouraged and treated like a a person of unsound mind.

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 

The reasons I continued DE shaving are these:

• 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!