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Vent: Kids today don't know how to work a straight razor properly
Had a young barber come through my shop last Thursday asking to rent a chair. He showed me his portfolio and every single fade was done with clippers. Not once did he pull out a straight razor for a clean neckline. I told him straight up that's not barbering, that's just trimming. Took me 20 minutes to show him basic blade work on a mannequin head. He said his school didn't teach it cause instructors thought it was outdated. Any of you older guys seeing the same thing with new barbers coming in?
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emma_flores1mo ago
TWENTY minutes to show a school-taught barber how to handle a straight razor? That's insane to me. I mean, how do these schools even call themselves barber schools if they skip the basics of a straight razor? That's like teaching someone to drive but NOT teaching them how to steer. I bet that kid probably never even heard of stropping a blade properly either. Honestly, it makes me worry about what else they're leaving out in these programs.
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sandra_bennett591mo ago
Oh man, the "steer without driving" comparison is spot on. A buddy of mine went to barber school back in 2018 and told me they spent one WHOLE afternoon on clippers and then rushed through straight razors in like forty minutes. He ended up cutting a customer's ear lobe on his second week because he had NO clue about blade angle or pressure. The shop owner had to teach him from scratch, and even then he was nervous for months. Really makes you wonder what else these programs gloss over to push people through faster.
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