The Straight Razor
Sometimes also known as: ‘open razors’ and ‘cut-throat razors’! The straight razor has been a mainstay of men’s shaving for a long time. Straight razors were the most common form of shaving before the 20th century and remained common in many countries until the 1950s. Barbers were specially trained to give customers a thorough and quick shave. Though a very limited number of companies produce them today, they are still manufactured in the same time-tested ways of hollow-grinding a solid piece of stainless steel. It is a process that takes a long while and requires a lot of patience and detail in its execution. We carry an assortment of sizes and handles from the German company Dovo.
Modern straight razor users are known to favour them for a variety of reasons. Some are attracted to the nostalgia of using old and traditional methods of shaving. It is a masculine ritual comparable to pipe smoking. Still others agree that straight razors provide a superior shave through a larger blade and greater control of the blade, including the blade angle. Straight razors cover a much greater area per shaving stroke because their cutting edge is much longer than any of the modern disposable razors. They also do not have to be rinsed as often, because their blade acts like a scoop and carries the lather on it during multiple shaving strokes. Straight razors are also much easier to clean and can handle tougher shaving tasks, such as longer facial hair, than modern multi-blade razors which tend to trap shaving debris between their tightly packed blades and are easily clogged, even with relatively short beard stubble.