Thread: Looking for razor for my boyfriend

You should avoid the set that you have found online. Those razors may look nice, but unfortunately they are not functional. For $100, you can get a nice DOVO Best Quality 5/8" razor, or a Ralf Aust 5/8" razor from straight razor designs . com. It will arrive professionally honed (an important consideration).

However, that doesn't leave much budget for soap, brush and strop. You could just get him the razor and leave him to figure out the rest. These items can be done on the cheap with a bit of research.

Or, if you look at the classified ads on this site, sometimes you can find a nice vintage razor, in good shape, and in your price range. Or, visit the whipped dog website. For $100 you should be able to assemble a good functional straight razor shave set. It won't be pretty, but it'll work well and this is how many of us started.

Good luck and Merry Christmas.

This advice has been great - thanks so much. Whipped Dog seems to have nice looking razors(leaning towards the sight unseen razors though) and I'm checking out the classified section now. I'm glad to hear about the bundles before I went and made a mistake.
You're all so welcoming and helpful, I really appreciate it!
Does anyone know anything I should look for or avoid if I look around on eBay?

You probably want to take a look at last month's beginner tips:
Straight Razor Place - Beginner's Tips: November 2013

It's best to stay away from ebay, but if you really want to gamble make sure you spend some time in the ebay forum section and pick some tips. Unless you end up buying from one of the few ebay sellers who are actually good at sharpening, you may have to have the razor honed afterwards. How to tell who is good and who is just making the claim so that they can get more money for their stuff - I'd say there's almost no way for you to know.

Originally Posted by MuskieMan33

....
Syslight, I'm going to have to agree (and disagree) with you about straight razor shaving not fitting the university life. It doesn't fit because people who find out you shave with a straight razor want to see your razors, then touch them, then see how sharp they really are (and dull them). Not to mention the strop, soaps, creams, after shaves, and brushes. To solve this problem I hid everything throughout my room and didn't ever pull them out for show. I lived in a fraternity house and sometimes my brothers got a little nosey. I'd disagree with you however, because for me it is a chance for me to set time aside and just do my thing. I enjoy all that goes into shaving. Stropping, face prep, lather, and the actual shave. So setting time aside for it is no big deal. In fact I kind of like being one of the few, if not the only person, on campus that shaves with a straight razor.

So it just depends on the person I'd say. That whether or not straight razor shaving is suitable for the university life style. As previously mentioned, a double edge safety razor is a great alternative or "gateway" shaver to stepping into the world of straights. Keep us posted with what you decide and what he thinks of it!

Best wishes,
Zac

yes the "friend factor" was what I was meaning when I said a straight may not fit with university life. sometimes, I dislike even showing my razors to acquaintances as they all want to test the edge.

A starter set from Larry is a good choice and will shave him well. Exchange some emails with him before you buy or even a phone call and he will help you in your selection. In fact all the vendors you have been recommended will all give you good service before and after the sale, so do not hesitate emailing or calling them.

enjoy,
jim

Syslight and Muskieman, Ditto. I agree with you both. I will bring a restoration to work to show the guys and everyone wants to see how sharp it is!
Ray

If you're pushed for budget I'd spend it on the razor. Great soap and a good brush do make a big difference, but you can compromise these and still get a decent shave. Not so much with the razor and honing. When I first started I used a broad soft paint brush straight out of the garage and some very cheap soap. Not the best, but did the job and what a great feeling it was to get a good brush and soap for a birthday.

A strop is another question. After leaving my admittedly cheap and narrow strop in a hotel room (top tip, don't hang them on the back of a door...) I made one out of string and a leather scrap for next to nothing and it's even better than the old one. So you don't have to spend a lot, but the razor is where to really invest in my view.

Yeah I would also have to say avoid that sight you first linked, and definitely avoid ebay; it would be too easy to get a bad deal from there. I also agree Whipped Dog is a great site for getting a starter set without spending a lot of money. There are also some really nice vendors that advertise on this site (Straight Razor Design and Vintage Blades are the 2 I've used almost exclusively fr me shaving needs) that have some really nice beginner sets, but are a bit more expensive than Whipped Dog.

I would suggest a completely different approach.

There is a Japanese made disposable straight razor, call Feather artist club http://www.italianbarber.com/feather...g-handle-black, that come with interchangeable/disposable high quality blades that shave almost exactly like a regular straight and last many shaves (10-20) and at about a dollar a blade it makes for very economical shaving (at least compare to any catridge system).

My two college sons have learned on them and after some time have now started using and maintaining (stropping) full metal straight razors.
There is no stropping to learn, no edge to mantain, only hold, angle and pressure (all essentials for a good straight razor shave) that takes a while to learn. With no edge to maintain or refresh, they get very good and pleasant shaves all the time. Feather have several different blades to suit the needs of barbers. I recommend to start with the pro-guard. http://www.italianbarber.com/feather...blades-15-pack

Then a boar brush and a nice soap like this ones. http://www.italianbarber.com/italian...-semogue-brush (very capable and well constructed brush that doesn't break the bank)

http://www.italianbarber.com/tabac-s...oap-stick-100g (one of the best soaps for the money)

I guarantee he will be getting better and smoother shaves than what he is getting now. And he can share with his friend without fear of getting the edge damage and paying $20-$25 for a re-hone.

Please don't confuse this system with "shevette's" a term use to describe a barber disposable razors that uses half of a double edge razors as their edge. Shevette's are less forgiving and don't shave like regular straights. Feathers are the closes thing to a straight, and the skill learn on them are 100% transferable to a full metal straight! Hope I didn't confuse you more. Double O