The cut-throat razor is an appealing throwback to traditional shaving. Itâs heroically old school, both an objet dâart and a challenge. âItâs the apex of wet shaving,â says Robert Burton, ecommerce manager at The Executive Shaving Company, which sells a range of cut-throats. âYouâre going back to a traditional type of shaving that was used for centuries before King Gillette came along with the safety razor in 1901. Ultimately itâs an open blade â thereâs no protection, itâs you and your technique and the blade â thereâs a challenge to that.â
And itâs not one easily mastered. The first time I tried shaving with a cut-throat, my face looked as if Iâd had an accident with a lawnmower. I would have given up but for a subsequent cut-throat lesson with a traditional barber in Mayfair.
âDonât shave with a cut-throat when youâre late for work,â says Barry Klein, managing director of Taylor of Old Bond Street, whose Jermyn Street store offers lessons. âGive yourself time.â
âWhen you look back at pictures of the Victorian era, most gents had a moustache for a good reason,â adds Burton. âShaving under your nose is not easy with a cut-throat.â But, with persistence, both say a degree of proficiency is attainable.
Yes, this is certainly a skill that takes some time and patience to master. Certainly something for the bucket list of challenges. Once mastered, though, it makes traditional wet shaving even more economical and better for the environment!
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Because real men shave with a naked blade