There are a few things that are a must-have for any man if he at least wants to look.. ummm.. Human? The most important one of them is a razor. But we are here to talk about straight razors vs safety razors. Well, we are not suggesting that a man should be shaving all the time. But it is necessary for self-grooming and one of our major tools that makes that differentiates us from less evolved, less intelligent apes. The disposable ones are quite inconsistent and you never know the type of blade quality they possess, so we dial it down to two of the best and safest options. The straight razor and the safety razor. Here we will differentiate between the two so you could finally end up deciding what you want or need to tame those wild hair of yours. Let’s start with the beginning of the ritual:
Page Contents
Straight Razors vs Safety Razors: Pre-Shave
For both of these razors, there is a pre-shave ritual for a smooth shave without itching, cuts, and nicks. First of all clean your face, pat it with a warm towel. After you are done with that it is optional but better if you apply some pre-shave oil but necessary to apply shaving cream before using any of these razors.
Straight Razors vs Safety Razors: What Do They Look Like
Safety Razor
A safety razor can either be single-edged or double-edged but we prefer if you have a double-edged razor as the shave becomes smoother if you can interchange each side during a shave. It has a strong metal handle and a blade holder at the top. They look like disposable razors but they are far more efficient than those. The top opens up so you can place a blade in between it.
Straight Razor
Straight razors are the ones you usually see with your barber. They are shaped like a knife but they can cut much harder with the blade attached to them. It has a metal part that opens up where you can place your blade and a handle that pivots to fold the razor completely when you are done using it.
How to Use Them
The safety razor and the straight razor both give you impeccable close shaves but you need to learn how to use them to have a smooth and safe shaving experience.
Safety Razor
Don’t let the name fool you into thinking that these razors are completely safe.Follow us nicanwe provides best guide to you for how to use Razor. You will need to be extra patient when using these razors or you will cut yourself and that would be a worse sight than before you started shaving. We don’t groom ourselves for that, do we?
The trick is to adjust the blade to a right angle and give it short strokes in the direction of the growth. You can even go against it but for beginners, it is not recommended.
Straight Razors
Compared to a safety razor the straight razor is a little more dangerous because unlike the safety razor’s enclosed blade top, the straight razor’s blade is much more exposed and needs a lot of practice to have a perfect shave.
What you have to do is keep three fingers on top of the bar and the thumb below it and go very gently over your skin. The trick here is to not apply too much pressure, simple as that, well, not really simple but you get the point.
Maintenance
Now we come to the part that concerns the people on a budget
Safety Razors
The best thing about safety razors the blade does not need to be sharpened now and then, you can easily just replace the blade whenever you feel like your blade has dulled or gone blunt. That is the only maintenance cost of a safety razor.
Straight Razors
Unlike safety razors, you cannot replace the blades of a straight razor but instead, you have to sharpen it around every month or depending upon the use. Some new types come with a holder to replace blades but that just defeats the purpose of a straight razor which is giving the closest shave possible. The main perk of a straight razor is not having to change the blade now and then but it does give you an extra cost with the maintenance because after each shave you have to clean it with luke-warm water and then wipe it with olive oil or other mineral oil to keep a sharp blade and avoid rusting. As compared to safety razors, straight razors cost a little more initially.
Resilience
Safety Razor
A safety razor needs a constant replacement of blades unlike the straight razor and the replacement blades dull down fairly quickly.
Straight Razors
If you use the straight razors correctly and maintain them as one should then they can last you forever. You don’t need to replace any blades, just sharpen it with a wet stone whenever you feel like the blade is dulling down a bit.
Precision in Shaving
Safety Razors
Although safety razors are much safer to use than the straight razors, sadly they are less precise and have a lower shave quality. It does give you a nice close shave but not the straight razors.
Straight Razors
Straight razors are a barber’s ultimate choice when it comes to shaving. The reason is that it can give you the closest shave any razor can give you. It is harder to use and will need a little practice. But you trade that for higher precision and quality shaving.
Conclusion
Well, it is simple, we are not the ones to decide what’s best for you. We are just here to tell you the differences between both. You can see for yourself and choose what is best for you. Just keep in mind that if you are a beginner, don’t go for a straight razor even though it is much precise. It needs a little time and practice to use or you will end up with a bloody face. Both of these razors have their pros and cons. It just depends on which one you can handle better. But if we are honest, there might only be a few options in the market that can compare with these but we are not sure about it.
Happy shaving folks. All the best!!!!