Thread: Why did you switch?

To save Money???? hahahahahaha yeah right!!!!!
To save the planet??? nope
Cool factor??? Hmmmm warmer
Can't shave comfortably with anything else??? Yeah that's getting there..
More ME time???? Love that..
Because I want straight lines on my beard, and to get straight lines, you need a straight edge???? Yep thats the one main reason...

Personalization: short of going out and crafting your own gear from raw materials, this is as personal as your shave gear can get

It's on my list of "100 things to do before I die."

Besides, I like doing things the old fashioned way. I write with a fountain pen, I wind my wristwatch (a real showstopper in the middle of a meeting ), and shoot film on a camera older than I am, with no built in light meter.

Speaking of the latter, when I make a good photograph, I get a real sense of satisfaction, that I actually MADE the picture, as opposed to some computer chip in the camera making decisions for me (YMMV, of course). I guess the same thing applies to straight shaving, for me.

I was a DE shaver before - I had two main reasons for switching, in order of importance:

a) It just seemed really cool.

b) Not having to replace blades/cartridges (environmentalism and independence).

Since switching I've discovered I genuinely get better shaves, but the truth is I get very acceptable shaves much more easily with a DE. I'd actually be much better off going with a DE for convenience but convenience isn't my priority.

I would tend to agree with several of the other members who have posted already. I tried disposables before, the two and three bladed crap, which did nothing but tear up my face really bad. I then went to the electric lawnmowers for about 9 years, and the shave was horrible, and often led to ingrown hairs. Enter straight razors about a year ago and I have never turned back. I feel great using them, it makes my face feel wonderful, it is the closest smoothest shave without comparison, and the nostalgic feeling doesn't hurt either. Do I still use something else, sure, I will use the DE once in a great while, and that is when I am late for work and have to do the honest-to-goodness 1 minute shave. That happens about once a month, and I spend the rest of the day wanting to go home and re-shave. If it wasn't for the fact that I am afraid someone would break it, I would keep a razor at the office along with a mug and some soap. In my opinion, there is nothing better when it comes to shaving.

I guess that, what attracted me to the straight razor is that most people don't use them anymore, let alone know how to sharpen them. Straights do seem to be good for my skin too. I still use Injectors,DE's and Gem razors but the straight razor is in a class all it's own.
Ernest

+1 to everything above. My main reason wasn't so much price as I forgot to get new blades whenever I needed them, plus I love the ritual.

on a side note I've been trying to get the director of my theater group into it, so I gave him a demo tonight with the straight... the whole cast came up to watch.

All of the ladies were quite impressed... quite. I'll leave it at that.

When they sent me a free Fusion razor in the mail. This thing has 5 blades, for goodness sake. When will it all end? And the cost of refills?
Forget it. Right about then, on another forum, someone mentioned straight razor shaving, and linked to several sites and forums on the subject. I started reading, and thinking, and a few months later away I went.
Straight razor shaving appeals to me the same way reloading my own ammo, casting bullets from melted lead, making beer, etc...does.

I was tired of everything to do with gillette. The pulling the ingrowns the smell of shaving foam. I hate it all and now I have a real challenge that I can tackle every day.
It's an exercise in the mind too which is great. I prefer to think about everything I do carfully rather than avoid it.

shaving with a mach 3 I left blood in the sink... no matter what I did.
shaving was painful and expensive. I could get a better shave with my pocket knife, and often did when camping, but that was still far from satisfactory.
So I decided to try a straight. (Thank god for the members here, and all the great information.)
I threw away my Mach 3 over a year ago and haven't looked back. I also put the knife away, it pulled too much. Honing and custom handles has virtually paid for all (6) of my razors... (at one point I had over 50, but I thinned it down and just kept the ones I use all the time)

reasons for switching
1 $$$ when I started I had 1 razor I honed it on a barber hone till it shaved pretty well, and saved a lot on cartridges...

2 comfort I really want that BBS shave, no other method has gotten close without causing problems

3 cool factor/nostalgia most people don't believe you if you tell them you shave with a straight, once it's confirmed though, you gain some serious respect.

4 independence... I will never have to pay anyone to get a good shave. no disposables, no electricity involved, society could get knocked back to the stone age, and I'll still be clean shaven while everybody else fights over that last pink lady bic... and no more trying to get 40 shaves out of one mach 3 cartridge