Straight Razor from Spyderco

[Doc Dan]

The main attraction for me was actually exactly what you describe regarding being mindful and just focus on shaving.

That's what I'm looking for. Not every shave, but a way to enjoy a more involved shaving experience every once in a while when I can set aside some time for myself.

It could be my age and the phase of my life I'm entering into, or the very strange age we live in, but braking free from the rat race and algorithms and owning my own time and being deliberate about my actions and decisions is becoming more and more important to me. It's much the same reason I decided to get a turntable last year. There are absolutely no benefits to owning and listening to music from a turntable except that you're being deliberate and focused on the music every step of the way, from browsing through physical records in a actual store, to selecting a record from your record shelf, carefully putting it on, listening to the music and nothing else from start to stop, and jumping up from the coach to catch the tone arm before it starts skipping after the last song. So much hassle, so much to worry about and yet so fulfilling :)

This all sounds like great reasons to get into using a SR. I am the kind of person that kind of feels like I belong in an age past, and I like to do things the old fashioned way whenever possible. I would really love to try a SR but I just don't think I can make the investment at the moment, unless I can restore a SR at an affordable price. For now I might be better served looking into a safety razor, which should still be a drastic improvement over the electric thing I'm using right now. Using what I have now, I pretty much just go with a stubbled beard because it isn't very capable of cutting close anyway.

@Doc Dan I believe I remember you mentioned at some point that their are methods of restoring SRs using relatively inexpensive methods, such as using sandpaper to start fixing the edge. Although I'm not sure I can or have the skill to do it, I'm curious enough at this point to start doing some research even if I'm not ready to jump into it yet. Are there any rescources you could suggest for learning restoration on a budget?

I don't recall sandpaper, though I might have. That could damage a delicate edge if too course. I do recall talking about using lapping film, which is really inexpensive (like a few dollars), and working through the progressions of grits.

I have never restored a razor. I have restored a couple of knives. You can actually shop on ebay and find an inexpensive vintage razor in great shape. Any minor pits you remove as on a good knife. Sharpen with the lapping film. I posted the technique somewhere on this thread. It isn't hard if you follow directions and you will have a nice razor to use.

Having said that about vintage, another option is that Thiers Issard, Dovo, and Ralf Aust have plastic handled 5/8 razors that are pretty inexpensive and if you watch sales, even more so. You can pick them up and have a new one.

When Spyderco gets their razor to market it will be a good one. I have one by that maker and it is superb.

[sal]

Hey Doc,

You may have to do our testing?

sal

[Scandi Grind]

There's not much to it. (Western) straight razors are designed to be sharpened (razor guys say "honed") by the average joe. You just need abrasives that are relatively flat and some water. A sharpie won't hurt, but this isn't rocket science.

This is sort of what I was thinking to myself but wasn't sure what I might not know. Thanks for sharing your experiences doing restorations.

I do recall talking about using lapping film, which is really inexpensive (like a few dollars), and working through the progressions of grits.

Ah, lapping film, that was it, thanks! I'll have to look into that, I know I've seen being sold before but I never paid any attention to it.

[VashHash]

I'd prolly wind up in the dam E.R. lol

With all due respect to those of you who shave with a Straight Razor, the above is my viewpoint.

What benefits are there to using a straight razor that outweigh disposables and powered versions? Closer, smoother shave? Ignore any environmental issues in the answer.

Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Sure you save a bunch of money if you shave often. It's a really good shave and an experience. It's somewhat meditative as you can't really think about anything other than shaving. Almost like a ritual of sorts. Most people are just trying to shave as quickly as possible. With a straight razor you slow down a bit and enjoy the ride. You get to strop the razor right before the shave and there's the preparation of your face and skin. A nice hot shower before or a warm towel. Then the lather with a nice brush. Picks up all the hairs for the razor and exfoliates. If you sharpen your own razors you get to appreciate your work as you shave. You'll know if you did it right by the feel. If it tugs the hairs or just glides right through

I think it's the best way to shave. I have a beard so I don't get to enjoy it as much. They're also great for precision work if you want crisp beard lines or trim in odd areas. I prefer a square point for that reason. Round points are a little safer though.

[Doc Dan]

Here are a random sampling of some of my soaps. The red container is Cella Red, which has a classic Italian marzipan scent (it is an Italian soap, after all). It is been around since the 1800s. It is a Tallow and sweet almond soap, great for the skin. This is a great value in a soap and has top performance at a cheap price. It is one of the two I keep back ups of and is my daily driver.

The Stirling is a great performer and a good value, being not too expensive. It is a Tallow and Lanolin soap and great for the skin. Stirling must have 50 scents. This one is satsuma. Those of you from South Alabama, Japan, and China know this is the northern most growing citrus. It is like a cross between a tangerine and an orange. (I think many so called tangerines are satsumas. If they are loose inside the skin then you know). This soap smells mouthwateringly like a fresh squeezed satsuma and if you notice the "glacial" on the label, that means it has excess menthol. It is COLD! There is a satsuma without the menthol. Anyway, Stirling soaps are very slick. They like a bit more water (thirsty) than soaps like Cella red.

The other soap is from Barrister and Mann. The guy was in law school in Boston and started making shaving soaps for money. Well, he is at the top of the profession in shaving soaps, colognes, aftershaves, and more. Many judge other soaps by how they compare to BM. This is another Tallow and Lanolin soap, with lots of other goodies inside. This particular scent is Full Measure of a Man. It is like your favorite leather chair, tobacco, whisky, a hint of Sri Lankan cinnamon, old books, and etc. that a man would have in his study. Nice. A top notch performer and he has many scents.

There are too many soap makers to mention them all. Shannon's soaps, Martin de Candre, and many more come to mine. Some have no animal products (tallow and lanolin), such as Geo. F. Trumper, Taylors of Old Bond Street, and Saponificio Varesino

[Doc Dan]

Here are two creams. I don't have but a few and just grabbed these. George F Trumper is an old name and the creams go far. A little dab'll do ya. They aren't the cheapest, but nice. This is Almond, but there are rose, leather, and many other scents. No animal products.

The La Toja is a cream in stick form, perfect for travel. it is made on the isle of La Toja in Spain, which is a volcanic island resort with mineral springs. the stick has the salts in it. They used to have creams in tubes that were superior performers, but a new conglomerate bought them out and did away with them a couple of years ago.

Proraso is another popular cream in a tub. There are several scents, such as eucalyptus, sandalwood, and a couple of others. They lather fast and easy, as all creams do.

[TimButterfield]

I'm similar to Dan in liking the Geo. F. Trumper's shaving creams. I have a tub and a tube, both in the limes scent. I find the tube good for travel, while I use the tub at home. I also have the limes skin food for an after shave, a larger bottle for home use and a smaller for travel. I find these shaving creams easy to lather, even using a little on my fingers to hand lather my face, no brush and bowl required, which is also convenient when traveling.

[Doc Dan]

This shows the traditional way to hold a razor. I don't hold it that way as my hands are a bit larger. Still, this is good practice.

[Doc Dan]

Here is my shave for today. The soap is Stirling's take on Drakkar Noir, not exact, but in the same ballpark.
The razor is one of my Thiers Issard beauties (see video on making them above).
The brush is a custom Rudy Vey brush with a Mühle Silver Tip Fiber knot.

[Doc Dan]

1900 one pass straight razor shave:




This is a comedy sketch, BTW.

[Doc Dan]

Hey Doc,

You may have to do our testing?

sal

Hey Sal, I just saw this. Sure, whatever you need.

[Doc Dan]

Don't destroy your razor! Here are some good tips.

[Doc Dan]

[zypsyden]

Edit: Reading through old posts and ran across the discussion on Bainite. Informative, I've never run across the term before now and though there to be only Austenite, Pearlite, Ferrite and Martensite. My original post feels weirdly off target now. I'm not sure how the supersteels I mentioned perform as Bainite... maybe not great.

For me personally, the draw of novel steels was:
1. A fine-grained stainless that was easy to sharpen to a fine edge, performing closer to a carbon steel than my current stainless razors.
2. Stainless. I enjoy the patina on some of my vintage razors but there's no denying that there is some effort in keeping the red ferric oxide monster away.

For me edge retention and even toughness are a tiny bit less important. The tiny bit being key- they're still important.





Glad the discussion is stiil alive.

I'd likely buy at least two or three to add to my rotation, particularly if we were talking something like AEB-L, Magnacut, S30V, 20CV, etc. Not sure how other supersteels would do if honing media were limited to diamonds. Tough (for me at least) to get a smooth shave using only diamonds or CBN.

Edit: I do use diamond pasted balsa strops without issue. Bevel set and honing on diamond stones is specifically what I feel gives a less smooth shave. That very well could be due to the carbon steels being more brittle but I lean towards the sharp and very hard abrasive being the culprit. Perhaps a mix of both of those. I'd love to do more experimentation with a modern steel.

[Doc Dan]

@sal is this still in the works?

[Doc Dan]

One thing about a straight razor that is different from other razors. Sometimes there are spots that one feels they cannot shave closely. The truth is you can't really tell how close your shave is until nearly an hour or more. It takes a while for the face and whiskers to go back to normal. Then, you find your face is as smooth as a baby's bottom.

[sal]

Hi Doc,

Yes it is. We've had our share of problems to solve which slowed e v e r y t h i n g. I spoke with Eric about it yesterday and we're going to try to pick it up again. Alex will probably drive the project. We've got a vendor source, a model prototype, an instruction booklet (Thanx to doc), so we should be able to move it into process.

sal

[zhyla]

a model prototype

I think we’d all love to see the prototype.

[Doc Dan]

Hi Doc,

Yes it is. We've had our share of problems to solve which slowed e v e r y t h i n g. I spoke with Eric about it yesterday and we're going to try to pick it up again. Alex will probably drive the project. We've got a vendor source, a model prototype, an instruction booklet (Thanx to doc), so we should be able to move it into process.

sal

This is great news! Thanks!

[Doc Dan]

With the good news from Sal about the straight razor, I wonder if anyone has any questions my pea brain might hold an answer to regarding using and caring for a straight razor?