For this gentleman, the motivation behind using a straight razor apparently came to 3 things:
- its sustainable, so he doesn't have to throw out disposables
- he doesn't like electric shavers because of batteries, cords and cleaning
- "but mostly because I can't do anything the easy way"
I will comment on each of those and give my own opinion.
Regarding the sustainability of straight razor shaving, I can't really disagree with it, but I can say that the other methods aren't as bad as he thinks. For instance, electric shavers are just as sustainable. You can use one forever and pass it on to your kids if you like. (I thought his comment regarding passing his razor onto his son was funny. What was he planning on using afterwards ?) I happen to prefer cordless, so yes, mine uses batteries but yours doesn't have to.
Disposable razors aren't that bad either. He seems to think that you can only use a razor once and then you have to throw it out. Who told him this ? Perhaps its worse, perhaps you can only take a single stroke with a disposable razor and then you must throw it out ? The truth is, if you use a disposable the right way, it will last days, possibly weeks. The razor on my counter hasn't been replaced in 6 months (but I'm cheating. See below.)
On the minus side, you have to buy shaving cream of some sort. I guess the rage is using a brush and soap but I prefer simple spray cans. You will also have to buy strops (oops, I guess those are sustainable, but they certainly don't make you self-sufficient.) Lastly, until someone starts manufacturing ceramic straight razors, you will have to send the razor to someone each year to be sharpened (or buy hundreds of dollars in sharpening stones and do it yourself.)
Regarding electric shavers, I think he's nuts. Electric shavers are awesome. They're fast, they don't require any sort of prep before or after, contrary to what he says they don't require cleaning ever, and they don't require sharpening. I still use the same shaver that I bought 20 years ago. They don't give you as close a shave but its plenty good enough and, given how fast it is, gets the nod for me.
Regarding his last reason for using a straight razor, "because I can't do anything the easy way", in fact I completely agree with him on this one. Straight razor shaving is a pain in the ass. You have to prep your skin. (Most people do it after a shower to avoid this.) You have to lather. You have to shave, which takes much longer than with say an electric shaver. You have to shave again (you didn't think those 3 blades on the disposable were decorative, did you ?) If you nicked yourself, you have to dab it somehow. You have to clean up. You have to strop the razor.
You will spend at least 15 minutes, possibly 30, shaving with a straight razor. Do you have that much time ? The only reason I consider it is because it shaves so close that I can skip a day.
If you're really going to spend that much time and need a close shave, consider shaving with a disposable the right way. What's the right way ? Using shaving cream for one. You must use shaving cream and water with a straight razor. Its the only way the blade will glide over your skin instead of grabbing and hopping. You realize you need to do the same with a disposable too, right ? He gave away that he didn't do this when he said that disposables made his face burn. Well, ya, scraping your face with any sharp object will do that.
Above, I mentioned that I had a secret for making a disposable last 6 months. What I do, mostly due to the shortcomings of the straight razor, is to first shave with the straight razor and then finish with a disposable. The first reason I do this is because I can't seem to shave under my nose with the straight razor. I can't stroke down because the nose is in the way. I can't go sideways or it hops and I can't go up because, if it hops, it cuts my nose.
The other reason I finish with the disposable is because the straight razor misses spots. It misses lots of spots. This is why you see the guys in the YouTube videos do it 3 times, and repeatedly scrape the same spot.
To anyone who hasn't bought a straight razor yet, why not just use a disposable ??? It has 3 blades so you get a good shave the first time. The blades are angled perfectly and the head tilts to follow your face. Remember how he said that it takes time to learn to hold the razor at the correct angle ? Know that it will take several months to get that right. One person even says that it takes 100 shaves before you do it right. But with a disposable, you're doing it right, on every spot of your face, the first and every time, whether you rush or not.
To summarize, I'm not saying the straight razor is bad. Just realize that it has huge trade-offs. If sustainability means that much to you and you want a blade-close shave, ok, go for it, but be aware of the work you're getting yourself into.
