May
26
2009
By
Hunter R. Slaton
for Valet.

Putting the Best Shaving Supplies
(At Any Budget) to the Test

 

Straight Razor

DOVO 6/8ths Classic Straight Razor
with Truefitt & Hill Shaving Cream

If safety razors conjure images of pre-war solidity and a time when men wore hats to work, then straight razors (aka "cut-throat" razors) conjure something else entirely: A time before automobiles and indoor plumbing, when modern medicine meant leeches and fashion meant having all your teeth. Straight razors today are not made for men who need to shave before work in the morning; rather they're for men who reject modern contrivances. But here's thing. Shaving with a straight razor is really scary, really difficult and time-consuming as hell. It's likely best left to the barbers who specialize in a proper hot lather shave. Which is a shame, as a straight razor is a severe yet beautiful thing—an all-business blade folding back out of its housing. But modern technology has trumped the chosen instrument of Bill the Butcher. Not so for Truefitt & Hill shave cream, an aromatic and rich substance that, with lathering from a real badger-hair shaving brush, will make a man feel like he's stepped back into a time of London drawing rooms and nobility. It's a fine addition to any daily shaving routine. Truefitt & Hill cream comes in a number of different scents (all with their matching aftershave balms), but the spicy, fragrant West Indian Limes variety is the hands-down best.

DOVO 6/8ths Classic Straight Razor, $106; Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes Shaving Cream, $30

  • Good shaving cream begs for a badger-hair brush; Baxter of California's new German-made Blue Best brush ($50) is a good starter.

Continue...

 

Best in Show...

For the
Efficient
Man
(Plus an ongoing cost of $3 per cartridge)
For the
Nostalgic
Man
(Plus an ongoing cost of $0.57 per razor blade)
 
 

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