Thread: Is this a good kit to start with?

Hello Everyone!!

I'm very excited to start my journey into the world of straight razor shaving.. but I had a few questions first.
It seems like there is a huge backlog in production at the moment with the various manufacturers, and most sites are reporting razors being out of stock. That being said, I'm still eager to get my feet wet with a beginners 6/8" set (I have a large face/head)

The funny thing is.. the dovo bismarck (red) was one of the first razors to catch my eye, and I thought.. oh boy, id like to own one of those some day.. and I moved on to find more entry level options. To my dismay, all of the lesser expensive 6/8" razors were out of stock, and the bismarck (black) turned out to be the least expensive option for full set! Unfortunately... the only red bismarck I could find was $340+

So I quoted a cheaper set with the black bismarck.. basic options for everything, including the strop ill probably ruin..

Totaling $237, it feels like a good starting point, but I have some concerns--

I read that razors containing gold are not good for newbies, and that they cannot get wet. Is that true? Your not supposed to get the razor wet when shaving?

Also, I have a history of overkilling my first purchases. Does any of the above look like its too much for a first timer? Keep in mind, I plan on finishing a ton of research before I put the knife to my face.. I know to take this a step at a time.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!!

If your budget allows for what you are spending, that's fine. As long as the razor is shave ready. I didn't see if it was. SRD is a great place to purchase as the blade will be 100% shave ready and you get a coupon for a second honing. The goldwash and etching doesn't require more than drying as with any other blade. I strop after shaving to make sure it is so. Good luck, looks like some nice things will be heading your way.

i just bought my first razor from Straight Razor Designs last week....

i bought the DOVO Bismarck with Black Ebony Wood scales....its in stock now for $153.00

best part is it comes professionally honed and shave ready by Lynn Abrams himself, the best in the business....i shaved with the Bismarck for the first time the other day and it was sweet! its also an absolutely gorgeous razor, between the gold and the mirror Polish i cant stop looking at it....if you get it wet just wipe it good and dry on a towel a few times during your shave that's all...

enjoy!

Originally Posted by trentrazor

Does any of the above look like its too much for a first timer?

Whatever your level of experience, you don't need a brush stand - they stand up and dry just fine on their base. And you don't really need a shaving mug - you can just lather on your face, or use any old domestic bowl.

Great info!! Thanks!

So I decided against the full set and will just opt for the blade and strop.
I also added a brush and soap.. and now I'm almost back at the original price, but I'm thinking the brush and soap are a significant upgrade to the ones that came in the set from the first post.



..will the quality of the brush and soap make a difference? Should I just go for the razor and strop and get some clubman products at walgreens?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Honestly I tried a 2" strop at the beginning myself and found it a little difficult because you have to constantly focus on keeping the blade flat on the strop while performing the X-pattern, this can be hard while you are still building your stropping technique.

When I bought my razor I went ahead and checked the option to upgrade to the Straight Razor Designs 3" latigo, it wasn't much more expensive than the 2 inch and has really made life much easier.

I was thinking that.. most were saying that the 2" strop forces you to learn good technique.. but I really did wonder how much more difficult it would be.. or if it would put me at risk for ruining the edge


btw- boarder that image made me eternally jealous.. i want to pull the trigger on this so bad..

not to mention.. the whole reason I started looking into this was the insane amount of time it was taking me to shave my face and head.. buzzers pull, cartridge razors clog, and the straight blades seem to just glide right through (with proper technique of course)..

I might just upgrade to the 3".. but for the brush and soap.. should I go for it or get something local. I'd love to save money, but I dont want to get off on the wrong foot..

Haha sorry for the feelings of jealousy lol if it's any consolation I felt exactly the same way the first time i saw someone post a pic of the Ebony Bismarck here on the forum, but at the time SRD was sold out! Haha

With the strop, for me, even after a few months practicing my stropping technique I still have a bit of trouble on my 2" strop but I can see why people say the 2"strop helps you to be more careful and build a better technique, there is definitely a lot of merit to that. I would say just go for the 2" then and like me, you can always order the 3 inch later on.

As for the brush, I have a cheap boars hair bush from a CVS special shaving kit I bought a few years ago, I also have a $50 Omega Pure badger hair brush I bought at SRD, You can certainly notice the difference in quality between the 2, but in all honestly, the expensive badger brush doesn't allow me to make more lather, and it feels about the same on my skin as a broken in boars hair brush. I'm a little bit disappointed that I spent the $50 on the badger hair brush honestly, but I will keep using it and maybe it will get better, it was only a 23mm knot, I dunno maybe I should have just dropped the $$ for like a 28mm knot

Oh and BTW, when I first saw the a Bismarck picture posted by someone else here on the forum a few months ago, I was so disappointed that it was out of stock, i checked the website everyday, and emailed them to find out when more would be coming in haha, he second they received more, I placed an order and spent a ridiculous $50 extra for UPS Air Overnight shipping hahaha...it was soooo worth it!