Wheeler Shaving Leaf product reviews

Shaving with a straight razor (also known as a cut-throat razor) is coming back into fashion. I'm not sure whether it is the feeling of manliness of cold-steel around your tonsils; or perhaps it is since James Bond: Skyfall where every chap hopes to have a hot chick shave you with a straight.

Perhaps straight razors are coming back into fashion to impress your chums who can do a poor job with the hideously expensive disposable razors or perhaps the straight has come back into fashion for hideously mundane reasons - being a bit of a greenie and wishing to avoid these expensive disposables. Whatever your reason for wanting to try a straight razor - it is probably a combinations of all of the above - apart from wanting to have my wife shave me when there is so much life insurance on me!

When I received Steve's straight razor, I was impressed. The wooden handle was stunning and the overall effect of the blade was impressive and of the limited run of three razors Steve made, it was the one that drew me the most. To hold it in your hand, there is that nice weight in the hand to tell you this is a masterpiece of some substance.

Holding the razor as if to shave, it feels comfortable and very wieldy in the hand; In fact, it felt more natural in the hand to me than one of the traditional style of straight razors. I tried a dry run with the blade sheathed to get some practice in before I slice my face open - and it really did feel more comfortable and natural in my hand to shave with than the traditional styled straight.

The blade was sharp, although in my opinion, it wasn't shave ready and for this reason I sent it to be honed to a shave-ready condition (a local chap did it for me for a reasonable price) and a final strop with a leather strop and some diamond paste to put the final shaving edge on it before I lathered up ready for my first shave with it.

I am notoriously cack-handed (or whatever you call it in NZ) and whilst it feels comfortable to shave the right-side of face only; whilst I struggle with awkward hand positions trying to manoeuvre the razor into the correct position to shave the left side, top-lip or the throat. And for this reason alone, I never really persisted with a straight razor.

I am glad I tried a dry run to give me some confidence before I set out with a wet shave; I used my best badger hair brush and a favourite shaving cream whipped up into a soft, warm lather. Two passes later (with the grain and again against the grain) and my face was left as smooth as a baby's bum without a drop of claret spilt. This is a straight razor I can use with a degree of dexterity, comfort and with a great result. I don't need to worry about the scales of a traditional straight getting in the way.

Not only is the razor beautiful, and a fully functional work of beauty at that, it is something that can be passed down the generations because it is genuinely a work of art - there is a pedigree to this blade, provenance too - how many people can say they have shaved with a blade made by a swordsmith? How many can point to the artisan's work at the movies and know they have a piece made by the same chap?

The provenance, history and the art behind the blade is only part of the story. A blade made by a master swordsmith and designed with care and thought only adds to fact this is a blade that I can handle both deftly and with aplomb.