You are very brave! When it comes to a razor on my throat, I'm not sure I would want a steep discount.

I believe the vast majority of barbers use a replaceable blade shaver. It's called a shavette and just makes more sense for professional use.

If you're not familiar with that, not sure how you could know the blade was old. How often and by what method do you shave/get a straight razor shave? Both of those could affect the quality of the shave more than the age of the blade.

http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/shavettes-the-truth-ab...

You're right, it was a shavette. This was the one and only time I've gotten a straight blade shave, but at the time, I was often shaving with a double edge razor at home. The blade in the shavette appeared very similar, and I can definitely tell the difference between new blade and old. To me it was a clear case of "penny wise, pound foolish". *I just noticed from your link that the type of blade used was the DE blade, about which the author says "I cannot, in good conscience, recommend any shavette style razor that uses DE blades."

Where did you even find a barber who does straight-blade shaves? Let alone a Groupon?

A couple years ago I visited a Mexican barber in Chicago who surprised me by doing a straight blade shave.

They're around. Try to find a barber who works "by appointment only."