For you to land a strong, commanding first impression, you can’t hold back when taking care of your looks. Men who look dapper and well-groomed are perceived as more powerful and successful by their peers and women who interact with them in their daily lives.
In men, this ties strongly to their beards. It can either add up to the look or make it very unappealing to the eye. An unkempt beard makes others perceive them as not hardworking and even lazy, whereas a properly groomed beard will give the impression of a man who is wise, attractive, and ahead of the pack.
To get taking care of your beard to the next level and away from disposable blades or electric shavers, an excellent way to do so is to decide between straight vs safety razor. This post will show you the features and parts of each razor, how to handle them when shaving, and the benefits and disadvantages of each type for you to make your decision.
Straight razors
A straight razor has two main parts: the scales, which act as the handle and case for the blade, and the blade itself, which is retractable from within the scales.
When you get started with shaving with a straight razor, you pull the tang towards the scales. The tang is the small metal cable that sticks out of the scales when the blade is retracted. After you pull it out, it’s ready to be used or sharpened.
Some parts of the blade deserve a mention of their own. The shank is the thin part that connects the tang with the rest of the blade.
The stabilizer, shoulder, and heel, respectively, provide stability and resistance to the blade from breaking, separate the shank from the rest of the blade, and protect your fingers. They are all in the base of the blade’s edge, right after the shank.
Handling
To hold the razor properly, it needs to be done by gripping in the junction between the blade and the scales. There are two ways to do so, varying according to your preference.
It can be done either with three fingers touching the shank and the pinky touching the tang, or two fingers touching the shank (index and middle fingers), and the two others touching the tang. In either case, the thumb is held against the junction to provide support.
After getting the right grip, extra carefulness is recommended for maneuvering the razor. Because of the freedom of movement as well as how exposed the blade is, it’s best for you to pass it over your skin at an angle of around 30 degrees from your face to make sure it cuts your facial hair, not your skin.
After grabbing and adjusting the angle the right way, it’s time to use the blade to shave. Gentle, repeated strokes over the skin area that you are shaving are the way to go, preferably with the skin stretched to make sure the blade catches the hair. This also helps prevent it from cutting your skin.
Benefits and disadvantages
A straight razor is a tool of extremes. The possibilities of what you can do with it are vast, and so are the downsides.
For you to make good use of your straight razor in the long term, you need to sharpen it every couple of months to make sure the blade is not dull, which if it is the case, it won’t be as effective as it can be. For the sharpening, you will need a strop, which is another expense you will need to cover.
One positive attribute of using a straight razor for shaving is the level of finesse to which you can take your shaving. By virtue of the freedom of movement and how exposed the blade is, how accurately you shave is only limited by how skillful you are with the razor.
You can get clean, precise-looking beards, mustaches, sideburns, and goatees with a straight razor, taking it to the level of a craft.
This freedom has its downside, however. Getting there takes work and practice with the straight razor, and most men just don’t have the time or interest to invest themselves into it to take it to that level of skill.
A straight razor, as you can see, is more geared towards guys who really have an interest in shaving, especially if they want to develop this skill to have it as part of their lifestyle, not just a daily chore.
Pros of Using a Straight Razor
- Cleaner, Nicer Shave
- Straight razors are known for delivering a cleaner, nicer shave.
- Comfort – Many men report that straight razors are much more comfortable than any other kind of razor.
- Economical – A straight razor is cheaper than a cartridge razor, requiring less maintenance and upkeep.
If you are interested in picking up a straight razor, I recommend one made by Black Widow as they are very high quality and lightweight. For a review of the Black Widow and others, check out my post 3 Best Straight Edge Razors for Barbers.
Safety razors
Developed by King Camp Gillette as mentioned in Michael Ham’s “Leisureguy’s guide to gourmet shaving,” the safety razor has a detachable structure, unlike the straight razor. Since three-piece razors are the most common in the market nowadays, they will be the focus here.
There is the handle, whose bottom part you spin like a screwdriver to detach from the top part, which has the double-edged blade, a key component of the safety razor.
In the top part, you have two baseplates: the top one and the bottom one. The bottom plate’s bottom side has a hole in the middle which you attach to the top of the handle. Its right side has small metal protrusions that fit through the holes of the inserted blade.
The top baseplate acts as a lid, covering the blade. After the plates are assembled with the blade, they form a case for it, which is then attached to the handle.
Handling
Handling a safety razor is much more simple than a straight razor. As opposed to having to arrange your fingers in a specific way to get the most out of the maneuverability of the straight razor, here you just need to grip the handle halfway between the middle and the bottom. Be careful not to unscrew the top part if you grab the very bottom of the handle.
Although it is safer than the straight razor as its name implies, it’s better to handle it the right way when stroking it across the beard. An angle of around 30 degrees is also the best way to do it.
The strokes themselves are supposed to be longer than the strokes when using the straight razor. Because of the safety provided by the design of this type of razor, you don’t need to worry about cutting yourself as much as with the straight razor.
Benefits and disadvantages
With the safety razor, you can expect more practicality and lower maintenance than with the straight razor. This is very evident with the blade. Affordable and available to be bought in bulk, all you have to do after six or seven shaves is to open the top part, remove the old blade, and put in a new one.
This type of razor requires little skill from the user, as it is simpler to use because of the much smaller risk of cutting yourself. This, although very appealing to most people, has the downside of not allowing for the level of craftsmanship that can be reached with a straight razor. The possibilities for what your beard can look like are not as vast.
With all that was laid out, this is a razor dedicated to men who want to get something more refined for shaving but don’t want to reach the levels of commitment required by the straight razor. Thus, it is much more common overall in the market, as it appeals to most men who want to improve their shaving, since they don’t have that much time for or interest in it.
If you’re a safety razor guy like myself, I highly recommend the Plow 2.0 by MANSCAPED. You can check out my review of this awesome safety razor with images in my post: MANSCAPED Review – The Plow 2.0. Or check out some other safety razors I’ve reviewed like:
Too many razors? Never.
Your beard, your decision
By Volodymyr
Grooming has to do with what you like and favor in terms of your own aesthetics. If you want something that is more elaborate but want it bad enough to go for the straight razor, go for it. If you want to just improve your grooming experience but not commit too much, safety razor then.
In the straight vs safety razor dilemma, a lot of it comes down to reflecting upon your style, your time, and how important it all is for you.
Overall, it’s quite evident that there is a lot to shaving besides razors and blades. From shaving creams to tips on how to take care of the skin behind the beard, there is a lot to be discussed and shared among you and your peers.
Make sure to share this post to keep the conversation on the subject going. Remember, you could have a question you might have answered in a chat with your friends about all of this.
