My old barber's straight razor habit got me thinking about clippers

I was at a swap meet outside Austin last month and watched a guy in his 70s do a full shave with a straight razor, zero clippers in sight. He told me he's never owned an electric trimmer in 45 years, just hones and strops, and his jawlines look way cleaner than anything I've done with my Andis. I mean, is there something about hand tools that just hits different, or is the tech actually better now and I'm just romanticizing the old way?

2 comments

2 Comments

patriciap5219d ago

Ever tried practicing 20 mins a day till it clicks? Changed everything for me.

phoenix_carter20d ago

So you're saying this old timer never touched a clipper in his life and still gets a better shave than you with your Andis? That's not about the tools, man, that's about the hours of practice. I've seen guys ruin their faces with a straight razor because they watched one YouTube video and thought they were masters. The real question is are you actually comparing the same thing? A clipper gives you a buzz, a straight razor gives you a shave. Those are two different jobs, not two versions of the same job. I bet if you asked him to do a fade with that razor he'd tell you to get lost. So what's the actual problem here, your technique or your expectations?