Straight Razors

Ready to go cut throat? Straight Razor shaving is the most traditional way to get your shave. Shop our Top 10 and Newest Straight Razors or browse our exclusive selection of traditional, vintage, and replaceable blade straights.

On Sale

WCS Black Straight Razor, 5/8 Carbon Steel

$134.98 $109.98

Dovo 6/8" Straight Razor with Black Handle

From $104.98

Dovo "Astrale" Ebony 5/8" Straight Razor

From $147.44

On Sale

WCS Black Straight Razor Set - Build Your Own

$269.98 $169.98

Parker SR1 Barber Straight Razor

$17.50

Dovo Shavette Straight Razor, Stainless Steel Handle

$35.96

Illinois Razor Strop #827

$39.95

Parker SRW Barber Straight Razor

$16.00

Norton Waterstone 4000/8000 3" Combo

$110.00

Parker SRB Barber Straight Razor, Black

$16.00

Parker PTB Straight Razor, Black

$17.00

STRAIGHT RAZOR EDUCATION

WHAT IS A STRAIGHT RAZOR FOR AND WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Great for your shave. How can you get the closest experience to a barbershop shave without actually going to barbershop? With a straight razor of course! The single, sharp edge of a straight razor allows for maximum contact with the skin, allowing you to get the closest, smoothest shave.

Great for your skin. Cartridge razors cut your hair under your skin, which is the main cause to ingrown hair and shave bumps. A straight razor cuts along the surface of your skin, eliminating the skin irritation that you might be experiencing.

Enjoy the process. Shaving with a straight razor is an enjoyable process. It takes some time to learn the technique, but once you do, it transforms shaving from a chore to a an enjoyable event.

Traditional. Men have been shaving with straight razors for hundred years. Straight razors last multiple lifetimes, and can become a family heirloom. Maintaining your straight razor isn't a chore, it’s part of the enjoyment of it all.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TYPES OF STRAIGHT RAZORS

Grind describes the shape of the cross section of a straight razor.
It takes much more work and skill to get a straight razor to the extra hollow state, and only the most skilled manufacturing shops in the world are able to do it well. The result is a straight razor that is lighter to hold and easier to maintain a sharp edge. The majority of straights that we carry are in the Half Hollow to Extra Hollow Range.

Blade Material
Most straight razors are generally made of two types of steel: carbon steel and stainless steel.

Carbon Steel is a softer metal. The softer steal helps the straight take its shape. They are easier to hone and require less stropping to get to a shave ready edge. It is important to make sure that the razor is dry when not being used, so that it does not rust. Carbon steel are what the majority of straight razors are made from. We recommended starting with a Carbon Steel straight razor.

Stainless steel is a harder metal. It takes a little longer to hone and may require extra laps on the strop. Stainless Steel razors tend to hold their edges longer than carbon steel. Rusting is less of a concern with Stainless Steel straight razors, so these are great for someone in a more humid area.

“It's the clothes that make the man.” -William Shakespeare Just how the clothes make the man, it’s the scales that make the straight razor. Whether you are just a modern man or an aficionado, the scales on the straight razor is more than just a place the razor resides, it's where the razors personality resides as well.

Vintage

Vintage blades are a perfect place to begin at if you are looking to straight shaving with a straight razor. We offer lightly restored and honed razors for a great value. Shaving with an vintage piece of Americana also goes hand in with the tradition of straight razor shaving.

Our restored vintage straight razors come with a 1 year edge guarantee.

Height

The height of the blade is the height from the bottom of the Edge to the spine. The two most common straight razor blade heights are 5/8th (most common) and 6/8th. The taller the blade height the heavier the razor can be.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR STRAIGHT RAZOR?

Honing. Honing is the process where a straight razor gets its fine cutting edge. This happens when a straight razor is sharpened with a series of stones with progressively higher grit. Most straight razors don’t come honed from the factory.

Stropping. Stropping is the process where a straight razor is rubbed up against a canvas (referred to as Laps) and leather strop. This helps to heat the metal slightly and mold the edge back to a smooth cutting form. Stropping should happen before and after a shave.

Oil. A very light coating of oil should be placed on the end of the cutting edge. This helps to keep the edge protected from any moisture which can lead to rust. Check out this video on how to maintain your straight razor.

HISTORY OF THE STRAIGHT RAZOR

The first style of straight razors was originally made in 1680 in Sheffield, England. Earliest models had handles that were silver coated and appeared similar to many other smaller knifes. In the late 1800s the modern day straight razor started to take its shape to include pins and scales. With the increase of manufacturing, straight razors were being made in America and Europe, with the superior straight razors being made in Solingen, Germany. To this day, the straight razors are still the preferred tools for barbers to give you the closest and irritation free shave as possible.

STRAIGHT RAZOR TERMINOLOGY:

What is a Pin on a straight razor?

The pin on the straight razor joins the actual blade and scales on the side of the joint, and on the other side the pi hold the two pieces of scales together. The pin also allows the blade to move on the straight razor, allowing you to find the right position for a great grip while you shave.

What is the Tang on the straight razor?

The tang is the longer and smaller portion of the razor that is between the scales and the the actual blade of the razor. The tang is the place where you will grip the straight razor with two or three fingers. The pointer and middle finger will rest on top and your thumb will grip the bottom of the tang.

What is the Tail on the straight razor?

The Tail is the smaller curved portion at the end of the blade. Depending on your preferred grip, your ring finger and pink is placed on the tail to finish the grip.

What are Jimps on a straight razor?

Jimps are thin, parallel notches (textured grip) underneath and above the tang that increase your grip. This will vary by straight razor manufacturers.

What is the Shoulder on a straight razor?

Traveling down and away from the underside of the tang is the shoulder. The shoulder is best described as the conjunction of the blade to the tang. With some custom razors, the shoulder is left out, and the underside of the tang smoothly melds into the heel.

Where is the Edge on a straight razor?:

The Edge is the part of the razor that actually does the cutting on the straight razor. It’s the part that is hidden when the straight is closed.

Where is the Point on a straight razor?

The point is located on the the top of the straight razor where it comes to an end. These can have different shapes depending on the point that the manufacturer wants leave. Some of the different points that are left are French Point and Barber’s notch.

What is the Spine of a straight razor?

The spine is directly opposite the edge, This is the portion of the razor that you will “lead” with when stropping, as the edge will undoubtedly gouge the leather if the opposite is done.

What is the face on a straight razor?

The face if the widest part in all of the straight razor. This portion is what normally is ground off to make the different shapes of a straight razor. Some manufacturers will place their logo or an ornate pattern.

What are Scales on straight Razor?

Scales on a straight razor is the protective sliver/sleeve where the edge of the straight razor resides when closed. The materials can vary in shape and material. Scales can be made of wood, bone, horn, acrylic, or a various other materials like resin.