Straight razors

[kBob]

I was never sure if Bad Bad Leroy Brown had a straight razor in his shoe. Straight razors were the choice of some females when I was a ute. More than one guy however wedged a single edged razor like one might use in a paint scrapper between the heel and sole of his shoe.....just to have something.

I was at a high school foot ball game once when a player came out of a pile up badly cut and such a blade was found on the field. 15 yards for unsportsman like conduct seemed a might lenient to me.

I also knew someone that wore shirts with removable collar staves that used an injector razor single edge blade with a bit of scotch tape around the back as one stave.

"Bad" folks can be odd.

Just keeping it "weapony" for the Mods.

-kBob

 

[19-3Ben]

I am so sorry I missed this thread until right now. I love straight razor shaving, and have a couple that I love.

I usually recommend that people who are not yet familiar with straight razors, buy a new one to start with. SRs, like any cutting instrument, can only be sharpened so many times before so much metal has been removed that the angles of the edges get all screwy. Buying vintage ones, especially with the boxes, is lots of fun, but only when you know what to look for.

Word of advice if you're just getting into it... keep a styptic pencil nearby.

My most commonly used ones are a Theirs Issard, and a Dovo. Both are sharp enough to slice a sheet of paper without moving the sheet. It's amazing what those edges can do. I sharpen with a double-sided Norton Waterstone. 6000grit one one side, 8000grit on the other. Then I strop.

I use a Vulfix super badger brush, and some nice shave soap and a shave is really a luxury rather than a daily necessity. It also saves a ton of money over buying those stupid cartridge razors every time one craps out. Used to use a Mach 3 back in the day. Nice shave, but the price was nuts. SR shaving is kind of like reloading. You pay for the equipment up front, but after that the cost is minimal and you make up the equipment cost very quickly.

Now, this really is a shaving instrument. To keep things relevant to the NFW sub forum, we need to discuss it as a weapon. Frankly, if you sneak up on someone and slit his throat, it's one heck of a weapon. It's also better than bare hands. But ultimately, the edge is thin and would easily chip/roll/break if it strikes something hard. It could only be used for slashing, and would not offer any reach, nor protection for the hand. All in all, it's a marvelous shaving instrument that I have been using for about 10 years, and while I wouldn't want someone swinging one at me, there are better weapons.

Now if someone breaks into my house and demands a good shave, the straight razor may just save my life.

 

[OpticsPlanet]

I like Boker and StraightRazors.com

I picked one up a few years ago since my barber always used a straight razor and heated shaving cream to trim my neck/sideburns

i use it every couple months or when getting ready for special occasions

-Matt S.