Hey! Stop trying to side-track the conversation! :rolleyes005 We're talking straight razors here! This is serious!
The stropping and all that tends to make people think using a straight is too much bother. I think I need more choc syrup on this...
MMMMmmmmm, ICE CREAM! :love029 Actually, JoAnna, you answered perfectly and your last paragraph is probably why I wouldn't take it up. It does seem like a big commitment; much bigger than using a DE. Thanks.
There is more maintenance involved and very little forgiveness for mistakes. I'm not sure if I am having more problems then others per say. I may be posting more about my difficulties then my success then others. I also have blade sensitive skin and have had more difficulties shaving then the average guy as well.
That's another thing. It can be hard for some folks to admit they're having difficulty. So, we as a group can be hard pressed to judge really how easy or difficult it is to learn to use a straight, without trying it ourselves. And even then, it's really only applicable to one's self. Sharing the adventure with everyone is helpful for you, Bram, and probably a few others we don't even know about.
Shaving itself is a bother. It's funny though; I've now acquired so much shaving junk, I could probably trade it all in for laser hair removal
I got the straights from the in-laws today. One is a folding straight and the other a non folding. The folding is a Wester-Stone Co Solingen-Germany. It is smaller then the 6/8 that I have but I don't know how to measure one. The non folding is marked R. Murphy Ayer, Mass. Neither really look like they need to be restored per say. Mainly just watermarking and such. The folding is sharp but not enough to cut a beard and the non folding is pretty dull. These were owned by my wife's Great grand father so I'm figuring that they were made around the turn of the 20th century, but that is just a wild guess. I'll have pic's soon.
Here are the pics Folding straight Non folding straight *EDIT* ( I am thinking that this is a knife instead of a razor.)
I sent an email to Ken about the razor and he gave me a nice estimate. He also said that the non folding one was a knife and he advise not to shave with it (after finding a knife looking like this one on the mfgr website I didn't plan on it). My wife and I have been trying to research the maker of the razor online but all we seem to find are things about just Wester Bros.