Fascinated and Curious

I am currently deployed in Afghanistan. I’m tired of spending the money on Gillette razors and have been fascinated and curious with the straight razor shave for a while. So im finally ready to start. I'm on a budget and will probably pick things up one piece a time until I have everything I need. My concern is being able to keep the blade shave ready without being near someone that can hone it. I’m going to get all the things necessary to keep a shave ready blade, but not sure if my ability will mess up the blade. I would appreciate any advice to my situation. I haven't purchased anything yet. Just doing my Homework. Any advice would be greatly accepted. Hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Thanks
JAy

Hi Jay,

Welcome to SRP! You will need the following items:

- Shave-ready razor
- Strop
- Soap
- Brush
- Hone or pasted strop

Getting a shave-ready razor at a budget is easiest from the classifieds here. There are many other reputable vendors, such as Whipped Dog, that sell shave-ready secondhand razors. The most important thing is the shave-readiness.

As for the hone or pasted strop, this is personal preference. You can get round with e.g. a barber's hone from eBay, or a paddle strop with red DOVO paste. There are many options, but if you decide to buy from eBay, I suggest you ask someone here if the item you are following is worth the money.


This is the shortest, easiest explanation I can come up with. Watch many videos and read the Beginner's Guide to understand more of the details.

Good luck!

You post a pic of your newly purchased soap, brush, and strop brother...I will provide you with a shave ready razor. Consider it a Christmas present & a Thank You for serving in our Armed Forces.

If you need help with finding quality products at a good price (there is a LOT of junk out there!), please pm me & I will help you find the good stuff.

PM Sent! Check your mail!

~Richard