Anyone here use a straight razor (cut throat).
Realy thinking of getting one, but scared i'll scar myself for life
I've got a couple. And yes, they are fucking scary. It's the closest shave you'll get, but that's mostly because when you use a cutthroat, you shave properly. Shower first or hot-towel your face; use pre-shave oil and top-quality shaving soap; and take EXTREME care while shaving. There are no nicks with a cutthroat: 1" is the smallest cut you'll get.
The problem is keeping them sharp. You need to get a cutthroat sharpened once or twice a year by someone who really know what they're doing (I can hardly sharpen a kitchen knife), and you have to strop the razor before each shave.
Thing is, it turns shaving more into a ritual than a chore. It's much more meditative, because you have to concentrate on what you're doing, rather than just getting it out of the way. There are a few good videos on YouTube showing you how to use a cutthroat. Most of them seem to alternate hands on each side of their face, and if you're a righty that might scare the shit out of you.
That said, on account of the sharpening issue (i.e. my cutthroats are currently too blunt), I usually use a Merkur like Dirty Harry posted above. All other things being equal, they don't shave as close as a brand new Fusion/Mach whatever, but again they have the advantage of your having to pay more attention because there's no swivel head (so you take more care), and the blades are cheap as chips, so you can afford to use a new blade more often. I use
Personna blades. They're MUCH smoother than Merkur's own or the Wilki Sword ones you get. And as Harry said, you can shave longer stubble without instantly clogging the gaps between multiple blades and rendering the expensive razor head useless.
You want to get some
Trumper's shaving cream and a decent brush, too. It may seem expensive, but a
tub of their shaving cream lasts a couple of years (you only need a tiny dab on your brush for a bowl full of foam).
