Thanks for posting this. I have been in the hobby for more then ten years now. I am starting to get tired of all the push back I sometimes get. I was even called a bully by a moderator just for giving my opinion about something that was in my opinion clearly wrong.

"It's none of your business how a man takes his whiskers off". Well said! I may have to borrow that 🙏👍👍

Agree, why the pissing competition? Natural vs. synthetic, flat vs. convex.. if the guy in the mirror gets a good shave, what does it matter how he got there. I look to learn from all, to then make an educated decision what works for me. But what works for me doesn't necessarily have to work for the next guy.. //J

Bravo! I have been on the SR path for about 20 years, plus. Forums are a fantastic source of information. The more you learn about SR , the more you want to participate in the discussions... that's were things can get less fun and inviting. If people want SR to grow, they have to be more tolerant to the questions and experiences of new people sharing their experience's and discussions. I do this as a hobby because its of historical interest and as a good way to perfect a simple shave. My passion is with Wade & Butcher. The big smiley with the notch " for barbers use" on the blade. I started making my own due to the expense and rarity of the larger blades. I also made my own hones of natural and synthetic, all the way down into the void including the "Frictionite" with the spessartine garnets. Each has a place in the world of SR, a rabbit hole well worth the exploration and participation. Cheers.

Other than Reddit and Lemmy, I don't participate much in social groups or forums online, but there must be a variety of places centered around shaving and which include straight razor shaving and sharpening. From the outside looking in, it seems to me that if you want to discuss a topic that you are passionate about, you can find a group who will welcome you. The only reason I can think of to stay in a group that is contentious toward you, or your point of view, is that you like the drama. If every group you join treats you negatively, look inward.

These are my thoughts having been in the hobby for a year now. I hope you can respect that this is my opinion and I will respect yours. Treat others the way you want to be treated and if not then it was nice knowing you! Cheers

Well thought out discussion. Much respect for your honest take and opinion. Solid video.

Good video Sean. I’ve been at this for just about eight years now and there’s always been some drama somewhere. I learned to ignore it and move on. Like you said, at the end of the day we’re all just shaving whiskers off our face. Thank you for sharing your opinion. Have a great weekend.

Thats funny, my grandfather used to sharpen his straight razor on a concrete wall. At the end of the day we use whatever works easier and faster.

Trust me when I say this, forums have hostility in ANY communities. There is just something about forums that brings something out in certain people. But as you say there are and were a lot of great people I met through the years on forums. My knowledge of straight razors is very limited, I'm more of a knife, steel & sharpening guy.

Thanks for the heads up. I have been wet shaving with a safety razor for several years. Recently I have practice honed an old SR and am about to buy my first one. I will stay off the forums for now. Cheers.

I have no idea why the algorithm gave me this video, but it's great that problems like these exist and people get passionate about it!

Lol, there's a community to drive sales for literally everything.

I wouldn't say that SR shaving is failing but it definitely isn't being helped by some of the more vocal members on the larger wet shaving forums. I have been SR shaving daily now for about 5 years now. A couple of years ago I started running free hands-on SR shaving classes in my local community. So far I have had 19 "graduates", 15 of whom have continued on with this gentlemanly art. What I try to instill in my students is that there is no wrong way or right way to SR shave. They need to find what works best for them and their style of shaving. The beauty of teaching SR shaving is that I also learn a lot from my students.

The straight razor forums were more active about 20 years ago, Straight Razor Place, Badger and Blade, Razor and Stone. In my experience, razor and knife sharpening dicourse is prone to degrade into vitriolic disagreement. At that time, Lynn Abrams was the straight razor honing guru. Perhaps there being so many ways to sharpen an edge and so few objective means for evaluation of results is a cause. What type of honed edge feels best for you may not feel best for me. Fortunes can be spent on stones, especially natural stones. Different straight razors also feel different. After many trials, I finally settled on Henckels Friodurs. They are forgiving with reasonable care yet still take a nice edge, in my opinion. I do not have to keep worrying about rust.

Hi Sean very nice hone video! And much true speaking! I'm at the beginning with straight razors. I have behind me my first 30 +- shaves! I love watch Jacques from Depper Shaves in South Africa. And John June from England. John was also my mentor at the start.

Great video and thoughts my brother.

You made some really great points... I'm now sub'd 😊

How was the edge on that Beaver wedge? I don’t do forum stuff just for the reasons you mentioned. I stick to KZfaq and that’s about it. I think places like forums or other social networks lack true mediation and there’s always drama. Drama is definitely not what I like in any hobby. I think any method to making a shaving edge should be accepted whether convex, flat, or any other way out there. People should have respect for one another no matter what since we all share the same love for the wet shaving/honing hobby.

Bro the best way i sharpen a razor is a tiny glass bowl, you just put it in and twirl it around with your finger it's called a lillicraps hone, give it a try or let us know what you think if you have used one 👍

Nice stone and good technique!

You should come over to the folding knife community/ sharpening community. Probably the best people over there.

Great discussion.

i got a Straight Razor , but was not able to get it sharp enogf to shave well .. mayby was the cheap blade mayby the cheap stone or my teckinque , well at the end , i got a Straight Razor with disposable blades , work well for me , :)

lmao i just used a leather strop and the hairs popped, i didnt realize dudes get insane serious about it. if i had a stone id use it, but i had a strop so i used that.

Nice honing session and good commentary.

I have known Bill M. from the forums and am a subscriber to his channel. He is a decent guy. He is definitely passionate about convex honing, but doesn't care how anyone sharpens their razors, unlike some who consider flat honing the only and correct way.

I'll never throw shade at someone for their interests and hobbies. I have my own hobbies and I'm under no illusion that they're better, more worthy or more interesting than anyone else's hobbies. But I've tried this and it just does not appeal to me. I just cannot justify the time and expense involved when a 35¢ yellow plastic Bic razor, some barbasol and 5 minutes achieves the same result. Pamper yourself with lavender soaps and steamed face towels, life is short and you deserve it, I totally understand. It's just not for me.

People call me eccentric because I use the same type of safety razor my father used (I'm 75 now). I don't like electric or disposables but this is beyond...I'm curious.

Just get a Norelco and leave all this drama behind. Life's too short to argue about something people were doing in 1740.

why am i here lmao