There’s a rebel in every crowd, and sometimes what appeals to them the most are the things that were common a hundred years before. Shaving is something most of us deal with daily and never think about, but our grandfathers were aware of a better way. That’s available to us still, provided we are willing to learn the old skills of sharpening and maybe a few nicks as we practice.
The first time I checked out one of today’s straight razors I was very skeptical, but I learned very early in life that the mark of a sharp edge is the ability to shear the hair off your forearm smoothly, and I see no reason not to apply that knowledge to my face. Considering how many times I’ve cut myself with a safety razor that wouldn’t conform to my nooks and crannies and scars, maybe I’d do better with an edge I could actually see and control.
That’s what a straight razor offers. You can see the blade, adjust the angle, cut a straight line the full length of your sideburns instead of piece by piece, and it doesn’t wear out. If it gets dull, all you need to do is strop it a few times and the magical edge returns, sharp and new. Consider how much energy and material goes into a packet of razor cartridges and you’ll see that the old-fashioned straight razor takes a load off the environment. Or think about saving the money it cost to do all that unnecessary packaging and throwaway design.
Not sure you can maintain a straight razor’s edge? The DOVO Shavette takes full length disposable blades.
The DOVO Straight razor — no one told us a razor could look this good.
Thiers-Issard straight razors are so good that people kept them. Now they’re on Ebay as collectibles.
