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Straight razor

The open or straight razor is one of man's oldest and most important tools. The blades are hollow-ground, drop-forged, hardened with special care and available in widths from 4/8" to 7/8".

The more hollow ground the blade, the sharper and more expensive it is. A rivet holds the blade to the "tang" (handle) so it can fold.

In order to maintain this extreme sharpness, the blade must be honed by hand on a leather strop. Some razors come pre-sharpened, some need to be honed and stropped before they can be used.

Benefits of a straight razor

• slices off the beard without pulling at the skin and hairs.

• invigorates the skin.

• exfoliates dead cells, allowing skin to breathe.

• leaves a baby-smooth face.

• saves money as the blade can be sharpened and last for a lifetime - or longer.

• reduces your environmental footprint by eliminating anything to dispose.

• there's a very masculine feel to using a tool that could double as a weapon!

• using one is a skill that, once mastered, makes you part of an exclusive group.

Getting started

You'll need a high-quality blade, a strop and a honing stone for sharpening. If your blade does not come sharpened when you purchase it, you'll have to hone and strop it BEFORE you use it.

A good sharp edge is as important, or even more so, than your technique.

The procedure

• Sharpen the blade's edge with the honing stone. This is usually done every 3 months or so, yet this can vary with the quality of blade and honing stone and the coarseness of your beard.

Honing or stropping too often are counter productive.

• Strop the razor - i.e. glide it lightly along the strop to straighten and realign the edge. First strop it 10 or so times on the linen side to heat up the blade and make it more workable, then continue with half as many strokes along the leather side.

Do this with a very light touch - no pressure.

• After your whiskers are softened in a shower or with a hot towel, apply lather with a brush.

Angle the blade 30 away from the face, using very light pressure, be careful of your fingers, and slice through your beard with perhaps the most ease you've ever experienced. This is an art form!

• When you're finished, dry the blade with a few strokes on the leather side of the strop or on a towel.

Costs

A good-quality straight razor ranges from $70 to $100. A decent strop in is the ballpark of about $60. A honing stone costs about $40. A perfect shave? Priceless.

Once you learn to use a straight razor, then slow down and pay attention to details (a great life lesson in many areas!!), you will appreciate the art of shaving and be able to shave as fast as you did with a safety or disposable blade with a consistently super smooth, nick free face for your efforts.

You're likely to rate it the best razor for the best shave you've ever had.

If you teach a poor young man to shave himself,
and keep his razor in order,
you may contribute more to the happiness of his life
than in giving him a thousand guineas.

Ben Franklin

Creative Commons License credit: rpscott

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