Review - Close Shaves: The Complete Book Of Razor Fighting by Bradley Steiner

CLOSE SHAVES: The Complete Book Of Razor Fighting
Loompanic Press Pub. 1979

I already owned 'No Second Chance', and 'Subway Survival', so when the chance came to pick up Close Shaves second hand for less than $6.00, I went for it. I had hesitated for several years to pick this book up. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of straight razors as defensive weapons. It's not the 1930's anymore and there are more practical personal defense weapons out there.
But it was Bradley Steiner originally writing the Personal Security column at Guns & Ammo magazine that first got me started on the road to Combatives and practical self defense, as well as a few other people I know, so I figured it was time to take a look

In my opinion, CLOSE SHAVES did NOT convince me that razors are great self-defense weapons. However, having read the book I am convinced that it is a well written KNIFE "fighting" book along the lines of Pentecosts' "Put em' Down, Take em' Out".

Steiner's primary reasons for suggesting the razor for self-defense are, basically, razors are light, small, easy to carry, inexpensive, fast to deploy, and can be opened with one hand.
Has anybody noticed that I have just defined your average modern day one hand opening 'tactical' folder?

(NOTE: I have truly come to hate the use of the word tactical for one-hand opening folders as well as pretty much everything else. It has become nothing more than an excuse, in this particular case, to overcharge people for pocketknives with an extra feature)

Steiner does not attempt to say that razors are equal to or better than a full-sized fixed blade combat knife. He does not advocate getting into a "razor fight". His basic premise is that as long as you're paying attention to your surroundings, and see trouble coming down the road, you can quickly deploy your edged weapon and have it ready for when the defecation hits the oscillation.

His tactics with the razor are simple, direct, and to a large degree rely on deception, and a pre-emptive sneak attack. Precisely the sort of tactics needed when using a small edged weapon such as a 'tactical folder' with a 3" to 4" blade. As a matter of fact, the modern locking folder has become the natural successor to the razor simply because it meets all the criteria mentioned above, AND it has a lock and is therefore far less likely to come back and injure you, the user. Several of the grip methods he shows put the Razor, in my opinion, in an unstable postion in your hand. One of his tactics, a recurring theme even in his unarmed combat manuals, is throwing something into your assailants eyes prior to initiating your attack.

In conclusion, I think that CLOSE SHAVES is a viable book for someone looking for a few practical tactics and techniques to build a simple repertoire of knife handling/using skills that rely on surprise, deception, and gross motor skills.

Overall, a book worth adding to your library, as long as you don't overpay for it.

NOTE: This is a slightly edited version of a review that I originally wrote for James Sass's old Close Combat board, dated 2-14-02